The mother, narrator, in Alice Walkers Everyday Use, is a smart woman, yet is portrayed to be just the opposite due to lack of education. Education is not what makes an individual intelligent; its lifes stories and experiences, which this mother has much of. She is an honest and caring soul who recognizes and comes true with her deepest emotions.
As the mother of two, this large, big boned woman with, man-working hands, has a lot on her plate. Dee and Maggie are her opposing daughters. Dee, flashy and in style and Maggie, nervous and scattered. Everything comes easy for Dee who is beautiful and well educated. Dee has the world in mother and Maggies eyes she has seen and done so much. Both girls attract their mothers attention to their negative attributes. The mother seems to love her family, but does she even know them? Mother always wants to impress and improve Dees thoughts of her value, yet it never seems to work out. Dee knows and suggests negativity when it comes to her mother.
Maggie is the fragile and intimidated daughter. She is always nervous when Dee is around. Mother is aware of Maggies faults where as she doesnt see any in Dee. Mother loves Maggie because she is family and family love is unconditional. This episode of mothers life shows her dynamic climax and her daughter who is described, as a lame animal is the catalyst. It is shown in the beginning of the story that Maggie will be, nervous until her sister goes, this hints on the mothers sorrow for her. It also hints that something needs to change for Maggie.
Dee or Wangero, as she is now known as has arrived for a visit. Mother does not stand for a greeting, for she is, stout. Dees dress is loud and obnoxious, is mother referring to the dress when she says this or subconsciously her perfect lovely daughter. The climax of mothers tale comes along respectively as Dee tries to take away from mother items that represent their heritage and were held sacred. This makes mother think, didnt Dee reject her heritage and family by going away to school and ignoring those who were related to her. Mother takes a stand and does not allow Dee to take these objects of Materialism, which mean so much to her family. For the first time in her life mother says, no, to the girl who in the world has never been denied anything. In retrospect by doing this she recognizes her other daughter, Maggie, who truly deserves these items that she helped to make. This shows how mother is intelligent enough through lifes experiences to know how important family and heritage are.
Dee has been educated on her heritage and claims to know so much. Mother and Maggie lived through and experienced first hand, family emotion and history. This story shows how this mother sought out after her priorities in life and became a character of admiration. All of her descriptions are of negative context in the former half of the story, which shows her outlook on what has transcribed in her lifetime. This climactic time period enlightened her and brought out the woman who was always inside begging to come out.
