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. This enables the reader to feel more connected to the storyline. .
Since the story is told in first person by "Mama," she is the most in-depth character. She describes herself as a "large, big-boned woman with rough, man-working hands." This gives the reader an extremely good look at who mama really is. She is a hard worker and has been all her life. You can tell she is thankful for the simple things in life - even her yard that she describes as an "extended living room." She doesn't need expensive, extravagant material possessions to be happy. Mama gives a complete contrast to herself in the "dream reunion television show." She envisions that she is thin, has better skin, and has a witty tongue but then goes on to say that it is all a mistake. She feels way less than what she would like to be, especially when it comes to her older daughter Dee. In spite of this, she is still excited to see her, which shows that she is a very loving woman. .
Mama's younger daughter is a lot like her. Maggie is a very quiet, simple little girl. Mama even describes Maggie's walk as a "lame animal that sidles up to someone who is ignorant enough to be nice to them." You can immediately tell that she has an inferiority complex. Her sister Dee constantly thinks she is better than Maggie and sadly Maggie believes this too. Dee even comments that Maggie's brain is "like and elephants," but Maggie says nothing in return. This in itself says a lot because is shows she cannot stand up for herself. At the end of the story when Dee tries to take the hand-sewn quilts originally reserved for Maggie, Maggie says, "she can have them, Mama." Mama describes Maggie's response by saying she was "like somebody used to never winning anything or having anything reserved for her.