Everyday Use by Alice Walker - Book Report/Review Example

? A review and literary assessment of the short story Everyday Use by Alice Walker A literary review and assessment of the short story Everyday Use by Alice Walker There have been many short stories that have captured our imaginations and inspired us in many ways. Some of the most mentionable ones are By Edgar Allan Poe and Kate Chopin. These are the kinds of stories that are brought about by inspiration and in turn, inspired great works, both on and off of paper. These stories often came from the core intention of telling a story but they ended up doing more that that. They ended up shining a light for generations of readers. The work that this paper aims to review is one of those papers that were done by one of today’s greatest writers and tells a very intriguing and provocative story in a sublet way. IT presents certain details when needed but also leaves out things in order to provoke the mind to stir and create a mental picture of the scene that the story projects. It gives snippets of information that is just enough to let the readers imagination wonder. The story’s characters are also presented in such a way that the details of their personality and persona are revealed through their conversations and back stories without losing focus of the actual story’s timeline. The story in its self is also very engaging and the reader is glued to the next word of the next phrase of the next word while looking to have it unfold before the reader’s very eyes. The reader is left to anticipate and watch as the story unfolds. For this story in particular, the issues that are played out are done in a very classy manner and that the characters in themselves are able to tell a story for and of themselves while still able to have participation to the story as a whole. This paper aims to review and analyze Alice Walker’s story. Essentially, the main time line of the story occurs in less than a day, however it does go into several flashbacks. The story is told by a mother who initially describes her life, her former relationship with one daughter and her current relationship with another daughter. You don’t get a sense of who is speaking, or what the story is about until you are a paragraph or two into the story. This maybe considered a technique to keep the reader interested in toe story as a whole. Through the initial part of the story, you get a glimpse of what life was like at the time the story was set. You also get a look at how the mother’s children view her as well as a visualization of how they transitioned to the current life they live through the mention of a fire in their former home. The initial part of the story also sets the pace and the mood for the rest of the story since the mood was a bit toned down but slowly exposes details as the story goes on. There was not really any big revelations regarding detail in the story until the later parts when her daughter cam to visit and exposed that she changed her name. The story depicts a much simpler time and place where the main character decides on many occasions not to trouble herself with too many details and not to fuss over trivial things. It also shows a kind of family bond that may be different from what most people know, but it is strong. Most of the story telling and narrating is one sided but the main character does provide us insight on the other characters of the story like her daughters, what they say to her, what they may think of her, as well as their descriptions and reactions to certain things. If reading in the sense of looking at the activities described in the story, it may seem like a rather mundane or shallow tale but if you dive deep into what the story is telling you, or what it is describing, or when it is set or even who the characters are, then you will be surprised to find a gold mine of information and rich depth. Although the story does not explicitly say this, the story is also about issues regarding African-Americans at the time they were trying to identify themselves. Although there were no directly mentioned details of this, there are several clues that indicate that the characters were of African-American ethnicity. The story then gives us a glimpse of the identity crisis that befell on the African-American people during this time. An article by luminarium.org also indicates that this short story is a statement for African-American heritage. It states that for this story, “Alice Walker is exploring the concept of heritage as it applies to African-Americans.” One more way to look at it is that the story its self is a metaphor for inheritance.. Toward the end of the story, the main point of conflict became an argument on who would have the quilt. This could be alliteration to who has inherited from the family. According to an article by associatedcontent.com, the symbolism of the quilt is as such: “Like a quilt, a person's world view is made up of events, circumstances and influences that shape how they see and respond to the world. “ This in turn can be what they inherit from their bloodline. Through out the story, the character of focus is the mother, and the events that occur around her and her family. In the story, she is described to have a simple life, little to no education, but she seems quick witted and is observant of the things around her. According to an article by associatedcontent.com, this character simply known as “Mama” is different from the other 2 children in the sense that she has "inherent understanding of heritage," which is not shown by the other 2 main characters. The same article also associates the 3 main characters as the “artistic representations of the various aspects of African Americans culture and heritage.” Another main character, Maggie is seen as a more conservative and silent type of person. She walks rather strangely and looks down to the floor when walking. She is also shown to be held back or defensive from strangers, which is shown in her actions towards Mr. Asalamalakim. The story also describes an event that in a way changed her, which was the fire that burned the former house they lived in. An article by writework.com states that “Maggie is a fragile young woman, however a strong character that is opposite of her sister Dee...” She is also different from her sister in the sense that she spent her time at home while her sister was given the opportunity to go to school. One more main character from this story is Dee. She is the second sister that Mama and Maggie were expecting a visit from in the beginning of the story. She is the sister that was able to go to school and she spent a large amount of time away from her family. When she came back, she mentioned that she had changed her name to Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo. This is similar to what other African-Americans did during the time in the United States around the 1970’s and 1980’s. This is the time where African-Americans tried to look for an identity and some even changed their names to more African-sounding names in order to honor their roots and veer away from more “western” sounding name, although this may also be seen as evidence for Dee's superficial nature. The same article by luminarium.org states that the inconsistencies with Dee's name, and appearance indicated her superficial nature as her described outfit and her name are from 2 different parts of Africa. As we look at the main characters, we notice that the 2 sisters are very different. It seems as though the only thing they share is blood because they differ in everything from appearance to attitude, and even style. They do however share the goal of wanting the quilt at the end of the story. These sisters may have been written as extremely different in order to stress on the identity crisis that African-Americans had at the time. According to an article by ezinearticles.com, this story was set in a rural part of America. It describes a small family with 3 current members. Although it does not explicitly say this, context clues and certain descriptions and events in the story indicate that they are of African-American lineage. The story begins with “mama” telling us that she will wait in the yard. She then goes on to provide some background on what is happening, what she sees and who are involved in the story. The entire span of the story happens in a single day, although there are several flashbacks and narrations. Also, no date is used in the story but based on descriptions, manner of speaking, clothes mentioned, trends and the actions of Dee when she visited. Acts like changing her name to a more African sounding name as well as changing clothes to a more African trend were all the rage back in the 70's and 80's. These acts were thought to show love for your roots and respect for where you came from. These are indicators of the time at which the story took place. On the surface, the story is basically a narration of a mother that is waiting for her child to visit from school after a long time. It seems as though the mother known as “Mama” is simply telling us what is going on and what she sees and feels, but if we look closer, e can see that this story has some underlying topics and undertones that are subtly presented through the story's details and events. The main undertone of the story, according to edumacation101.com is regarding a person's heritage. This is represented by the quilt that the sisters were quarreling over. Another theme that this article describes is the issue of pretending to seek your heritage and roots, as opposed to actually understanding and knowing your roots. According to the same article, “Many educated black men and women began to treat their family history within the United States with contempt and began to seek out their African tribal roots. “ which the article states as being common at the time for civil rights activists. Many undertones that try to tell a story beneath the story shown make this narration deeper and let your mind explore. Dee's act of attempting to own the quilts can be seen as her attempt to show her family that she appreciates her roots and her inheritance however, since the story mentioned that Dee initially declined to have the quilts when mama offered to give it top her in the past, this shows that her attempt at owning them now can be seen as being lest than heart-felt or fake. Looking at the story's events as well as the undertones and themes shown in the story, we can see that it stresses the difference between showing people that you understand your roots and actually internalizing your heritage and knowing who you are and where you came from. There is definitely huge worth in understanding where you came from but there is not necessarily any need to show it off or attempt to prove it or convince anyone about it. One more importance that the story can show us that no matter how long you've been gone, or who you changed into, or who you've become, or what your intentions are, or even what you have done, there will always be a family you can come home too. Despite Dee's attitude, she was welcomed by her family. This is something most families would do for you. Yet another lesson that can be learned from this story is that can be taken from this story is that looking for your identity may be difficult at times but it is necessary in order to find what you are as a person. The identity crisis that is portrayed in the story shows us how difficult it was for African-Americans to find themselves but that act of looking for who you are is a victory in its self. Along with this is the importance of fighting for what you believe you deserve. This odes not necessarily mean a physical confrontation but rather an effort to prove you deserve what you want. The last lesson that this paper will discuss about the story is about accepting your family for who they are, or whoever they are trying to be. This was done by mama in the story when she accepted her daughter Dee despite of her attitude, their past arguments and struggles, and their differences. Resources Character Analysis of Maggie Johnson in "Everyday Use" by Alice Walker, (May 2002) writework.com, retrieved Nov 12, 2011 http://www.writework.com/essay/character-analysis-maggie-johnson-everyday-use-alice-walker Eshbaugh, R. (Aug 21, 2008 ) A Literary Analysis of Alice Walker's Short StoryEveryday Use The True Inheritance, associatedcontent.com, retrieved Nov 12, 2011 Everyday Use Essay: Sisters with Nothing in Common.123HelpMe.com. Retrieved Nov 12, 2011 http://www.123HelpMe.com/view.asp?id=12227 http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/959177/a_literary_analysis_of_alice_walkers.html Heritage: An analysis of Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use” (Apr 12, 2010) edumacation101, Retrieved Nov 12, 2011 http://www.edumacation101.com/?p=710 Powell, R. (Dec 3 2007) Character Analysis and Symbolism in Alice Walker's Everyday Use, associatedcontent.com, retrieved Nov 12, 2011. Musere, J. (2009) "Everyday Use" by Alice Walker - A Review ezinearticles.com, Retrieved Nov 12, 2011, http://ezinearticles.com/?Everyday-Use-by-Alice-Walker---A-Review&id=2643191 http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/462096/character_analysis_and_symbolism_in.html?cat=38 White, D. (2001) “Everyday Use”: Defining African-American Heritage luminarium.org, retrieved Nov 12, 2011 http://www.luminarium.org/contemporary/alicew/davidwhite.htm Read More