Language is the most important way humans communicate with each other. In the short story Everyday Use there is a use of language that is symbolic of distinctive personalities. When the mother speaks she is frank and to the point; when the daughter, Dee, speaks she is longwinded and articulate. Both characters in this poem use different ways to communicate with each other, even though the mother doesn't have the education of the daughter, she is still far wiser.
In the poem the mother is seen as poor black woman without any expectations of being anything more than an average farm worker. "I am a large, big women with rough, man-working hands." (Walker 383) She describes herself not as a lady of sophistication but of a woman trying to make ends meet. As there is no father in the story, the mother takes on all of the housework and raising of the family herself. "I never had an education myself." (384) This shows that she doesn't worry about having an education, and sees it only as fact that she isn't educated. .
The second lead character in the story is a daughter named Dee. Dee is very different from her mother. While her mother is quiet and keeps to herself the daughter is much more outgoing and doesn't look down in the face of adversity. "Dee, though, she would always look anyone in the eye. Hesitation was not part of her nature." (384) This is just one example of the personality the daughter has. She was very well educated also, being the only one in her family to have attended any sort of higher education. Dee is a very independent person and believed that she could accomplish anything, even in the eyes of a discriminate nation. .
The problem between the mother-daughter relationship is that there is a education gap. Leading from the education gap you find a break down in the communication. The first sign that there is a fault in the communication between the mother and daughter is when the daughter returns to the house and to proclaim that her new name is Wangero Leewankika Kemanjo.
