Walker's Everyday Use example essay topic

Baker, Houston A. and Baker, Charlotte Pierce. "Patches: Quilt and Community in Alice Walker's 'Everyday Use'". Short Story Criticism: Excerpts from Criticism of the Works of Short Fiction Writers. Gale Research Inc., 1990.5: 415-416 In a critique titled "Patches: Quilt and Community in Alice Walker's 'Everyday Use' " (Short Story Criticism: Excerpts from Criticism of the Works of Short Fiction Writers, 1990), the authors reveal that tradition and the explanation of holiness were key elements throughout the story. The writers began the analysis by discussing the significance of a quilt; a quilt is a complete piece of artwork that is essentially made up of fragments. These patchwork quilts, when effectively put together, exposed a way of life.

The Africans traditional way of life was one of sacredness and usefulness. By using scraps from old clothes they were able to create a masterpiece that could be passed down from one generation to the next. The title "Everyday Use" implies that quilts, while they may be priceless heirlooms, are also made to function. The Johnson's are a typical African family that has settled in America. The mother, and narrator of the story, is a working woman who often imagines herself as someone else, someone who her children would not be ashamed to be seen with. While awaiting the arrival of Dee, her eldest daughter and a "goddess" (415) in the eyes of her family, she dreams of being on a TV program where a host reunites long lost family members.

As she greets her daughter who has been away at college, she is not only one hundred pounds thinner but is beautiful in the eyes of her children. However, she lives in reality where her overweight, masculine, and unattractive body serves a purpose. Regardless of her outward appearance, she provides food, shelter, and religion for her daughters. As her daughter arrives, she looks around the yard and recalls the old house. The old house which went up in flames and terribly burned Maggie, her youngest girl. Dee, however, was happy to see it go up in a blaze.

In her eyes, the house was a disgrace. The older of the two girls, she liked the finer things in life. She was energetic and loved to stand out through her personality and clothes. The colorful clothes she was wearing when she arrived made this obvious. Dee, who changed her name to Wangero after joining". ... the radical, black nationalists of the 1960's and 1970's... ", was now promoting". ... a suddenly fashionable, or stylish, interest in what she passionately describes as her 'heritage' " (416). Through the influence of American fashion, Wangero corresponds her own style to the notion that black is beautiful.

The girl who once despised African custom now supports the traditions and wants to acquire the precious quilts made by her grandmother which were promised to her sister. However, Dee only shows her detachment from traditional ways by wanting the quilts because they are "fashionable" and "priceless" (416). Just as the fire symbolized her role in relation to her community, so does the desire to obtain the quilts. She insists on having what she is told to be stylish. When Maggie stands up and proclaims that Dee can have them since she does not need them to remember her grandmother by, she arises as the heroine of the story. The mother realizes that Maggie's peaceful dismissal of the quilts signifies that she knows the importance of the traditions and will always have that in her heart.

The authors assert that "For Dee, if she is anything, is a fashionable denizen of America's art / fantasy world. She is removed from the 'everyday uses' of a black community that she scorns, misunderstands, burns. Certainly she in 'unconventionally' black" (417). The authors' perspective of the story is accurately conveyed. Maggie's assurance to her mother that she does not need physical evidence of tradition proves that old ways and customs can survive. The mother had instilled in Maggie a sense of tradition, sacredness, and acknowledgment.

The making of a quilt by African woman represents unity within a family and tradition that can be passed down for all to use. While their main purpose is to function, they can also be masterful pieces of artwork..