A Comparison between "Everyday Use" and "Why I live at the P.O." ... In "Everyday Use," Dee and Maggie are two sisters who are in conflict with one another. ... In "Everyday Use," the conflict begins when Dee returns home from college wanting some handmade quilts that were given to Maggie. ... In "Everyday Use," The mother doesn't like the idea of Dee getting the quilts that she had previously refused, and tries to get Dee to take some different quilts. ... Dee says that Maggie "would probably be backward enough to put them to everyday use" (p 845). ...

• Word Count: 929
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

Although in most short stories the characters don't seem fully developed, Alice Walker's short story "Everyday Use" is much different. She uses physical appearance, small details, and dialogue to really let the readers get to know her characters. ... Mama describes Maggie's response by saying she was "like somebody used to never winning anything or having anything reserved for her." ... Dee is portrayed as the glamorous member of the family. ... She wants to use her aunt's old churn top as a decorative centerpiece for her own home, totally forgetting the historical and sen...

• Word Count: 733
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

Everyday Use is a deep story that is categorized in my mind as great. ... Johnson and all Dee did with her unique background was use it as a social topic for her to raise her status. ... The story Everyday Use could have been viewed in many other ways than the way in which I viewed it. ... A large theme in Everyday Use is the mother-daughter relationship. There are great uses of mother-daughter relationships in countless other stories so why is Everyday Use any better those other stories? ...

• Word Count: 901
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School