The topographic point where you hang your chapeau, where the bosom is, is a nexus to the yesteryear, and through its door one walks into the hereafter: place can be many things t one individual. To many Georgians, place is the topographic point where they come from, the topographic point where the famiy line can be traced from memories and keepasakes. In Everyday Use , Alice Walker explores the importance of place to a household of three adult females in Georgia.
This narrative is told from the eyes of Mama, Dee and Maggie female parent. Walker uses Mama to qualify her girls and herself in an indifferent visible radiation that merely a female parent could love or cognize. Mam is a big, large boned adult female humor rough, adult male working custodies , who can kill and clean a pig every bit mersilessly as a adult male ( 1 ) . Mama, a unit of ammunition cahracter, lives a life that contradicts Dee thoughts. Mama contributes it largely to her and Maggie deficiency of academis intelligence. She normally allows Dee to have what she wants because of this difference. By the terminal of this short narrative, Mama puts her pes down. Mama describes Maggied, a dynamic character, with a tone of commiseration. She knows she is non bright. Like good expressions and money, adeptness passed her bargain ( 3 ).
Maaggies is accustomed to being pushed aside. Maggie is characterized in this narrative by her actions instead than her words. Her dark attitude is seen in her female parent descripion of her merely walking. Have you of all time seen a square animate being, possibly a Canis familiaris, run over soem careless individual, sidle up to person who is ingorant plenty to be sort to them? ( 2 ) . Dee seems to be the cause of her angst. Near the decision, Maggie dark attitude is ahnged when her female parent refuses to let her to be pushed aside by Dee. Maggie smiled. . . But a existent smiling non scared ( 7 ) . Dee felt she was different from the remainder of her household. She was the olly one to go to college. She favors what was popularized by the universe outside of her place. Dee wanted nice things. . . at 16 she had a manner of her ain ( 2 ) . Her female parent offered her a qulit when she went off for college. She told me they were old fashioned, out of manner ( 6 ) . She is a inactive character. She returns place unahnged, non willing to understand another point of position, but desiring her household to alter and flex to her thoughts even after the short narrative concludes.
Symbolism, the association of a significance or subject to an point, is used in this novel to give
ther reader a greater apprehension of each characters inner ideas. Walker linked these characters with tow chief contextual symbols: the house and the two comforters. As the house Burnss, each character’s place around the house straight related to how they feel about their household background. Maggie felt that the house was a portion of her For Maggie, the house held memories of her and her household. As her frock fell off “her in small black papery flakes” in the fire, parts of her were lost with the house ( 2 ) . Dee, on the other manus, was far from the Ho ; usage, steadily concentrating on the combustion house until it was wholly destroyed. Dee did non want to be associated with her household, like she did non desire to be associated with the house. Both were slow to alter and corroborate to the actions of the universe outside of her family’s ain tight circle. The comforters had a similar significance but meant something different for Maggie and Dee. For Maggie, the comforter was a nexus to her grandma and her family’s yesteryear. Dee saw the comforter merely as art that was temporily valuable. Like the house, the comforter represented a family’s heritage.
Dee visit set the phase for many dry statements. Irony or contradictions between thoughts and world, can be seen in what Dee would wish her household to be and what truly is. Waiting for Dee reaching, her female parent carbon monoxide ; ntemplates that difference: In existent life, I am a big, large boned adult female, with adult male working custodies. . . But of class all this does non demo on telecasting. I am the manner my girl wants me to be, a hundred lbs lighter, my tegument like and uncooked hardly battercake. My hair glitters in the hot, bright visible radiations ( 2 ) . Iron is besides seen when Dee announces her decease and new life style, but still ate chitlinss an other nutrients her female parent cooked. In her new life these nutrients are out to eat, which Dee does non look to admit. Walker uses this sarcasm to demo how unreal and impermanent Dee involvement in her heritage is. Dee lsat statements demostrated Walker usage of verbal sarcasm: You merely wear understand. . . Your heritage ( 7 ) . In actualitiy, she was the 1 who knew nil about her heritage.
Home holds one history and heritage. Like a tree, stronger are one roots that run deep or cognize where one comes from. As Walker displays in this short narrative, you can be lost if place is merely put behind you. It is an of import portion of one life.
