An Analysis of Alice Walkers quot;everyday Usequot; Essay

p An Analysis of Alice Walkers Everyday Usep Alice Walkers novel, The Color Purple, won the Pulitzer Prize in 1982. This novel, in addition to her short story collections and other novels, continue to touch the emotions of a vast audience. This ability, according to critics, has solidified her reputation as one of the major figures in contemporary literature (Gwynn 462). Born to sharecroppers in Eatonton, Georgia, in 1944, Alice Walkers life was not always easy. Her parents strived to provide a home at a time when political and social unrest were at their highest. According to critic Barbara Christian, [T]hat oppression fosters a sustaining spirit that appears in Walkers writingp (Kimmich). Walker attended Spelman†¦show more content†¦To her and to Maggie, it is about all the little fabrics that went intop making the quilts. Each one of those little pieces of material signify something in someones life. Using the quilts everyday, makes the work and the memories a part of daily existence. There is also the knowledge that if they wear out, new quilts can be made with new fabrics and new memories.p Everyday Use is about the relationship between a mother and her two daughters. In the beginning, the mother is very proud of her oldest daughter Dees accomplishments, but also realizes that Dee has never been proud of where she came from. Dee comes home with a new interest in her heritage, and she wants to take back with her some things from home, including two quilts. These quilts are not wanted for sentimental reasons but as artwork to impress other people. The quilts have been promised to the younger sister, Maggie. Maggie is very intimidated by Dee. Th e story is about the conflict between the two sisters concerning the quilts and the change in perspective that comes to the mother as this conflict takes place.p The mother in this story, who is also the narrator, is a strong independent woman. The mother, while waiting for Dee to arrive for a visit, remembers Dee as very resentful and ashamed of her family history. She secretly wishes that Dee