Family Traditions and Cultural Identity.
Everyday Use by Alice Walker is the novel I choose. Alice Walker is a social activist in the United States of America and also a profound novelist. Besides writing poems, Alice Walker also writes short stories. The short story was first published in the year 1973 as part of Walker’s collection of love and trouble novels. One of the main themes that stand out in the short story is family relationships as well as traditional culture. Throughout the short story, the main characters are Maggie, Mama, and Dee. I believe that the relationship between these three main characters creates a vital discussion tool for traditions displayed back then. Whereas it is crucial to understand different relationship levels in the short story, we must analyze all aspects of literature.
Everyday Use is a short story told in the first person by a character known as “Mama.” The story was written back in 1973 at a time when the African-American community had to follow the traditional black culture in the south. The setting displays how the black community struggled through life to reclaim their cultural identity. One of the main characters is Mama. She is a big body female who, in my opinion, has masculine character traits such as manly-hands and big bones all around her body. Moreover, she is a hardworking and independent woman who works hard to put food on the table, especially when it comes to milking cows. Despite Mama not receiving an education past the second grade, she tries her best to provide a decent education to her daughters Dee and Maggie. Dee is another character in the short story. She is the eldest daughter of Mama and has an African-American origin. Unlike her mother, Dee has received an education. She tries to reclaim her cultural identity by transforming her name to an African name, that is, Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo. Not only is Dee trying to reclaim her cultural identity, but also goes ahead to marry a Muslim man. In my view, Dee is an attractive woman who has a decent sense of fashion and style. Another central character is Maggie, the youngest in Mama’s family. According to Mama, Maggie is dull and, at the same time, unattractive. She has burn marks on her face after a severe fire accident at their previous home. Unlike Dee, Maggie has a lot of difficulty in reading.
After carefully reading the short story, I believe Mama is the protagonist. The novel is told using the first person; therefore, the story unfolds through the eyes of Mama. The motivation behind Mama’s decisions and thoughts is to see her children prosper in these times of black slavery. In my view, Mama has both internal and external conflict. Mama is described to have her insecurities, which she does not want her daughters to know, which shows her internal conflict clearly. External conflict is displayed when Mama’s mind drifts away while waiting for Dee to arrive. She views Dee as uncaring and selfish. According to Mama, “it was impossible to see how anyone could truly ‘like’ Dee.” I believe the protagonist in the short story represents the events of slavery and the black people’s movement. All characters in the story stand for African culture and customs. In the story, African clothing represents how the slaves were proud of their cultural identity as well as preserving family heritage. The plot begins with both Mama and Maggie waiting for Dee to arrive from school. Despite Maggie obtaining severe burns during a house fire, Dee was happy to see their old and rural home burn down to ashes. The story reveals how life is dull for Maggie while, on the other hand, Dee has a beautiful experience. When Dee finally arrives, she is accompanied by a Muslim man known as Hakim-a-barber. Both Mama and Maggie are amazed by Dee’s choice of wearing an African outfit as well as her intentions to marry the Muslim man. In her defense, Dee argues that she is only trying to protest slavery and oppression of black people in America. Mama warns Dee against changing her name and family traditions as she was named after her Aunt Dicie. All in all, Dee tries to convince her mother of the importance of African culture and heritage.
One of the symbols in the short story is the quilt. The quilt is the process of sewing clothes to create a piece of unique art. The symbolism in the quilt represents a more significant meaning in the story. The use of symbolism involves the use of traditional clothing that Dee’s great grandmother used to wear. Besides, quilt reflects on the importance of creativity in women’s fashion in history as norms are passed from one generation to another. Alice Walker tries to expound on how cultural identity can be challenging to separate from family traditions and heritage. In my view, the author is making a social statement. Alice Walker goes ahead to criticize Dee’s journey and struggle to reclaim her cultural identity. In conclusion, the story ends with a brilliant scene of Mama and Maggie alone in their comfort zone. Both of them are happy to do away with Dee and all her culture perfection theatrics. Finally, a clear picture of Mama and Maggie, enjoying the simplicity of life on their front lawn, ends the scene. All in all, it is crucial to find a balance between reclaiming cultural identity and changing family traditions or heritage.
Works Cited
Walker, Alice. Everyday Use. Duke University press. 21 (3). January 1973.