Alice Walker's modern classic "Everyday Use" tells the story of a mother and her two daughters' conflicting ideas about their identities and ancestry.
The mother narrates the story of the day one daughter, Dee, visits from college and clashes with the other daughter, Maggie, over the possession of some heirloom quilts.Why isn't Everyday Use by Alice Walker told by Dee?AnswersDee does not tell the story of Everyday Use because she (and Maggie) is used by the author to portray certain elements of Mama's personality. Dee tends to be very one sided, also, and shows little growth by the end of the story. Mama, however, has evolved and changed. What was the basic conflict in Everyday Use by Alice Walker?Answers The conflict that underlies everything in Alice Walker's Everyday use is the persepctive about 'things'. Maggie believes that things should be useful and have purpose, whereas Dee believes that things should be accumulated and preserved (but not used).
What is the main conflict in "Everyday Use" by Alice Walker? The main conflict in Alice Walker's short story "Everyday Use" might be seen as the choice that the mother needs to make in how she treats her two very different daughters. To me, the mother-as-narrator calls attention to her central role in the main conflict, and the use of the phrase "everyday use" calls attention to the two daughters' different views of the quilts and other family heirlooms. As might be expected in this conflict, the reader is prompted to take sides, too.I have the strong impression that most readers side with Maggie and believe that she, not Dee, truly knows how to value the family heirlooms and the heritage that they represent.
All it takes are a few questions, though -- such as "Is it always wrong to protect unique and irreplaceable quilts from the wear and tear of 'everyday use'?" or "Is it always wrong to leave home when you grow up and to make deliberate, conscious changes in how you live your life?" -- to challenge the oversimplified view that one daughter is correct and the other is wrong in all things.What tragic event effects Maggie in "Everyday Use"?Answers Her house burning down is one of the worst things that happens because of all of the sentimental things that she lost.
