Everyday Use Comparison Essay

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In the short story “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker, Mamma the narrator, focuses on the two completely different lives of her daughters Dee and Maggie. Even though Dee and Maggie grew up together under the same restrictions, they both possess different outlooks on life. Alice Walker wrote the short story “Everyday Use” to point out the distinct aspects of individuality amongst Dee and Maggie. Being raised together caused Dee and Maggie to portray characteristic similarities and differences whether it be through their personality, looks, and even by the way they carry themselves.
Dee was known as the “smarter” kid out of the family. With the help of her church, Mother, and sister Maggie, whom her mother thought hated Dee, she was able to attend …show more content…
Even though Maggie disagrees with Dee on many things, but still looks up to Dee. Momma even says, “Dee is lighter than Maggie, with nicer hair and a fuller figure” (Walker 148). Also Alice Walker describes Maggie as a person that walks “chin to chest, eyes on the ground, feet in shuffle, ever since the fire that burned the other house to the ground” (148). The fire left Maggie with horrible marks on her arms and face causing her to have low self-esteem. Maggie often felt that she was not pretty compared to her sister Dee. The most ironic thing about this scenario is that even though Maggie has not experienced everything that Dee has, she still values her life with the upmost respect. Maggie and her mom are both uneducated and she sometimes feels envious towards her older sister. Overall, Maggie is very appreciative of her ethnic roots and would not want to change it for anything. The quilts to Maggie is more than just clothe sewn together, unlike Dee’s perspective. Maggie wants the quilts because it is reminder of all of the hard work and effort the most important people in her life put into making those quilts. She truly wants them for the sentimental value as well as put them to use for what they were ultimately made
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