Have you ever quilted anything to express your feelings about your family members? Quilts are used for warmth and love, but most of all, for keeping families together. All quilts serve a purpose; while some purposes could be as simple as just keeping someone warm. These ideas are expressed in three works of literature called "Everyday Use" by Alice Walker, "Quilting" by Lucille Clifton and "Patchwork Quilt" by Michelle Lanchester.
Quilts can bring out the best and the worst in some families. For example, in the story "Everyday Use," one of the daughters, Dee, manipulates her mother to try to get the quilt that her mother and grandmother made. She doesn't really care for the quilt but wants the quilt because she likes to follow trends. The mother, although she was physically strong, was emotionally weak and she gave into Dee by letting her neglect her family traditions. Dee showed disrespect to her family heritage by converting to an Islamic religion. Her mother realized Dee's greed and that she was superficial when Dee requested the quilts only because rediscovering one's heritage was a recent trend. Because of the mother's realization of how fake Dee is, she gives the quilt to Maggie. Another reason for the mother's decision to give Maggie the quilt was because Maggie would actually use the quilt, instead of hanging it. By frequently using the quilt she is actually remembering and embracing her family's heritage, thus putting it to everyday use. .
Another work, "Quilting" by Lucille Clifton also follows the theme of quilting, bringing families together. The author ends the poem with the question, "do the worlds continue spinning away from each other forever?" as a way of saying that our future hasn't been determined yet. Quilts, which in this story represent love of one's family expresses the differences between greed and togetherness. The poet mentions alchemists and how they are greedy and lonely.
