In the short story "Everyday Use" by Alice Walker, her character Dee portrays the need to escape. ... Dee came from a poor, lower class family. ... Dee was a self-absorbed and self-assured person. ... "Maggie can't appreciate these quilts .She"d probably be backward enough to put them to everyday use." ... In "Everyday Use", Alice Walker tries to define to us what a person's heritage can really mean. ...

• Word Count: 610
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

In the short story "Everyday Use," a first-person narrative is used. The mother in "Everyday Use" tells the story and tries to explain to the reader the great differences between her two daughters, Dee and Maggie. ... Dee's schooling seems to have distanced her from her mother and from Maggie: She used to read to us without pity; forcing words, lies, other folks' habits, whole lives upon us two, sitting trapped and ignorant underneath her voice. ... When Momma states that she has been saving the quilts for Maggie when she marries, Dee becomes offended and says th...

• Word Count: 1091
• Approx Pages: 4
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

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

"Everyday Use" The use of variety of customs in a text can broaden its horizons. ... In the story "Everyday Use" by author Alice Walker there are many uses of culture. ... "Sometimes I dream a dream in which Dee and I are suddenly brought together on a TV program of this sort. ... A variety of culture is also used when the narrator's daughter, Dee (Wangero), comes home. ... This transition in culture shows Dee's process of assimilation. ...

• Word Count: 355
• Approx Pages: 1
• Grade Level: High School

Symbolism The short stories "The Lottery" and "Everyday Use" used symbolism to express their main points. ... The main and most important symbol in "Everyday Use" was the quilts. ... They did not make the quilts so that they could be on display, but they made the quilts for everyday use. ... She"d probably be backward enough to put them to everyday use" (Walker 70). ... Symbols in "Everyday Use" revealed the character's true selves. ...

• Word Count: 476
• Approx Pages: 2
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

"Everyday Use" is a short story in which the use of imagery combined with characterization allows the readers to dive deep into the story, perhaps detecting hints in to what the characters are feeling or thinking. ... Maggie, who is used to seeing Dee get her way, is stunned when her mother denies Dee the quilt. ... The imagery used by the author the create Maggie starts with her red skirt. ... As with Maggie's character, the author uses characterization to create Mama as well. ... The use of imagery comes back into play here with Mama's rough man-working hands. ...

• Word Count: 1145
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School