Research Paper on "Life Lessons in "Everyday Use" Alice Walker"

Research Paper 4 pages (1270 words) Sources: 3

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Life Lessons in "Everyday Use"

Alice Walker's short story, "Everyday Use," should remain in the literary canon because it not only tells the story of one family, it tells the story of family and hertiage and how these become distorted as individuals allow themselves to be influenced by outer forces that seek to suppress individuality. In "Everyday Use," Dee is admired for leaving her home and seeking an education. However her education only separates her from what mattters in life. As Dee wants to become more African-American, she loses her identity. She's oblivious to the fct that she'a abandoned who she is for who she wants to be. Her sense of self is replaced by a sense of xxxx. Her mother at one time, had high hopes for Dee but in a moment of clarity, realizes her handicapped daughter loves her family more than Dee ever could. This story is about humanity and how it can destory itself when it becomes distracted with worldly ideals. "Everyday Use" is relevent for any generation as it forces us to look at who we really are despite who we wish we were.

Heritage emerges as in important aspect of this story. Walker puts forth an important commentary about heritage with the unusual twist of quilts and beauty. Elizabeth Piedmont-Marton observes "Dee views her heritage as an artifact which she can possess and appreciate from a distance instead of as a process in which she is always intimately involved" (Piedmont-Marton). We learn from Mama that part of one's heritage is the passing on of the quilts. They have been handed down from one generation to the next and they were not made to be considered "priceless" as Dee claims they are. They are priceless but not in the way Dee believes them to be. They are spectacles to Dee; they are reminders of a past from which she wishes to disconnect. Whitsitt notes that Dee takes pictures of the family but she is never in any of them, suggesting, "Dee wants to make sure that she has a picture of herself not being in the picture. She wants to frame that world, define its borders, give it a wholeness which then allows her to handle it without being a part of it" (Whitsitt). Heritage is a phantom for Dee; she likes her heritage as long as it remains far from her. Interestingly, She attempts to tell her mother she does not understand the meaning of heritage. She tells Maggie it is a "new days for us. But from the way you and Mama still live you'd never know it" (Walker 1428). Here we see that Dee wants only to cling to the part of her past that gives her character in her college world. She wanted to escape her pitiful life but she wants to use it in the city as something she can be proud that she escaped. Whitsitt states, "Dee has not returned to fill a place held for her while she was absent. What Dee doesn't want to see . . . is a link between herself and that place she came from. She is not a part of that whole" (Whitsitt). This is true. Dee does not want to be a part of where she came from in actuality. She wants the glory attached to overcoming such an oppressive, mucky past but she does not want to get dirty from it now.

Family also becomes an important issue in Walker's fiction. Before Dee returns, Mama hopes to her of her success away from home. After Dee arrives, however, this hope fades because of Dee's attitude. It seems time opened Mama's eyes to a few of her daughter's unappealing characteristics. Mama always knew Dee wanted "nice things" (Walker 1423) but it seems she wanted more as… READ MORE

How to Reference "Life Lessons in "Everyday Use" Alice Walker" Research Paper in a Bibliography

Related Research Papers:

Everyday Use in Alice Walker's Short Story Term Paper

Everyday Use

In Alice Walker's short story "Everyday Use," the main characters express differing attitudes about the value of their past as represented by several family heirloom pieces. The difference… read more

Term Paper 1 pages (445 words) Sources: 0 Topic: Family / Dating / Marriage

---

Alice Walker's Everyday Use Term Paper

Alice Walker's "Everyday Use"

The Problem of Afro- American Heritage in Alice Walker's Everyday Use

Cultural heritage should be something for "everyday use" and not something that is to be… read more

Term Paper 2 pages (706 words) Sources: 1 Topic: Race / Ethnic Studies / Racism

---

Alice Walker's Beauty... Experience Essay

Alice Walker's "Beauty..."

Experience as Beauty: An Analysis of Alice Walker's "Beauty: When the Other Dancer is the Self"

Alice Walker is one of America's greatest twentieth century authors not… read more

Essay 4 pages (1289 words) Sources: 0 Topic: Literature / Poetry

---

Short Story Everyday Use Term Paper

EVERYDAY USE by Alice Walker is a story that illustrates a young black woman's quest for identity that would encompass her culture, her heritage as well as her present status.… read more

Term Paper 3 pages (853 words) Sources: 0 Topic: Family / Dating / Marriage

---

Everyday Use, Walker When Reading the Biography Term Paper

Everyday Use, Walker

When reading the biography of Alice Walker, it is not difficult to see her past within her written prose. Just as she speaks about weaving and texture… read more

Term Paper 3 pages (1115 words) Sources: 5 Style: MLA Topic: Family / Dating / Marriage

---

View 100+ more related papers  >>