Quilts Made of Heritage Essay

Submitted By Shari-Harris
Words: 629
Pages: 3
Open Document
Quilts Made Of Heritage
The short story “Everyday Use for your grandmama,” by Alice Walker, is about a black mother and her two daughters who are of African American descent. The two sisters are very different with one being uneducated and clinging to her heritage, while the other seeking a better life with getting and an education and leaving it far behind. This leads to the theme of the story, which is the meaning of heritage. Walker uses setting, symbolism, and diction to reinforce the theme that heritage is passed on to the future generations.
This story takes place in the late 1960s or early 1970s in a small house that is located in a pasture. Mama’s description of the house is “A three room house, with no windows, just some holes cut in the sides, like the portholes in a ship, but not round and not square, with rawhide holding the shutters up on the outside” (Walker 428). The way Mama describes the house lets the reader know that they are poor.
Next, the symbolism in this story has a lot to do with the theme. The story opens up with a mom and her two daughters. The youngest daughter Maggie is not the brightest and is uneducated. Dee, which is her older sister, is determined to get an education. In the story the author states, “Dee wanted nice things” (Walker 428). Mama and the church raised enough money to send Dee off to a school in Georgia. When Dee returned to visit Mama and Maggie, she asked if she could have the old quilts. Shocked by the question, Maggie dropped something while standing in the kitchen. Walker states that Dee “Held the quilts securely in her arms, stroking them” (431). It is apparent that Dee wanted these quilts badly. But did she want these quilts for actual use or just for decoration and was Dee actually proud of her heritage? Before Dee left for her education she was offered the quilts, but she did not want them then. Walker states that Dee said that the quilts were “old-fashioned, and out of style” (432). All of this leads back to the theme of the story, which is heritage. The quits represent their heritage, because “Scraps of dresses worn by her Grandma Dee fifty plus years ago were in the quilts and one tiny faded blue piece from Great Grandpa Ezra’s uniform that he wore in the Civil War” (Walker 431).
Finally, the diction the author used in this short story has great significance to the theme of the story. Mama informs the reader that she never had an education and states “Don’t ask me why: in 1927 colored asked fewer
Show More

Related Documents: Quilts Made of Heritage Essay

The Importance Of Family Heritage In Everyday Use By Alice Walker

setting, and conflict to stress the importance of heritage. Two sisters want the handmade quilts that is a symbol of family heritage. Alice expresses her feelings about heritage throughout the story.Something such as a quilt that was handmade makes it special. Only dedication, time , and effort can resemble a quilt. A symbol is when the author uses an object in the story to represent a greater meaning. The quilt is a symbol of family heritage that can only be valued by certain people. To someone…

Words 623 - Pages 3

Quilts In The Short Story Everyday Use By Alice Walker

when a historical family built quilts has to keep moving on to the next generations. Mama has to make the decision, but she knows that Dee shouldn’t keep the quilts, due to many reasons. Primarily, Dee will not use the quilts to their best potential, yet Maggie on the other hand, will utilize the quilts for their purpose. In addition, because both sisters have different views on their heritage, it pushes Mama not give the quilts to Dee. Dee beliefs that heritage is made up of obtaining family valuable…

Words 162 - Pages 1

Essay about Probation: Quilting and Maggie

America. Heritage for the mother is an everyday life thing but for her daughter Dee it is a political thing. In this story Dee seems to be the more difficult one in the family. It is very difficult understanding where which character is coming from though. Throughout the story Mama is figure out who should be the rightful owner of the quilts and in the end she makes the right decision. Heritage is defined as something that is inherited from the past. There are many types of heritages such as natural…

Words 1297 - Pages 6

Alice Walker Heritage Analysis

gather that it is much more self-gratifying than heartfelt. For the narrator, the Mother in the story, heritage is about hard work and what she has physically endured in a difficult life that she has shared with those who came before her. It is a tie to those real people in her family that she lived with and worked alongside. Maggie’s viewpoint is closely tied to that of her mother. Heritage is a connection to those that she lived with, learned from, and became a part of. They in turn, become…

Words 1547 - Pages 7

Everyday Use Essay

“Everyday Use” is a focus on the bonds between women of separate generations and their legacies, as symbolized by the quilts they fashion together. The connection between these women is strong, but the bonds are proven to be vulnerable as shown by the arrival of Dee, who shows a lack of understanding of her heritage. The relationship between the Mother and Aunt Dicie, the makers of the quilt, is completely different from the relationship between Maggie and Dee, sisters who rarely speak and who have nothing…

Words 592 - Pages 3

Everyday Use Heritage

Family is Heritage Heritage is something one inherits. Heritage is important because many people receive things of both emotional and historical value. It could either be an item or a tradition passed down from generation to generation. It teaches the person inheriting that something a little bit of family history. In Everyday Use by Alice Walker, mother’s daughters Maggie and Dee fight over who gets to keep two quilts. Momma, Dee, and Maggie know the quilts are important because heritage is important…

Words 974 - Pages 4

Everyday Use Essay

What is the true meaning of heritage? Heritage is family traditions that are passed on from generation to generation. In Alice Walker’s short story “Everyday Use” Walker seems to display the importance of heritage between two sisters in which one is successful and the other is younger and less fortunate. When growing up we all fantasized about leaving the nest. We envisioned a successful life for ourselves; going to college, getting our dream job and building a family with someone just as…

Words 1325 - Pages 6

Everyday Use Heritage Analysis

of the True Meaning of Heritage in “Everyday Use” In the short story “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker, she “addresses herself to the problems of African Americans who risk deracination in their quest for personal authenticity” (Cowart). The story main conflict is the struggle over homemade quilts which symbolize understanding of heritage, which is shown through the characters Dee and Maggie who have two different approaches on the word. Dee understanding of the word heritage is erasing American culture…

Words 448 - Pages 2

Everyday Use 1 1 Essay

English 102 February 14th 2015 Heritage "it is not he honor that you take with you but the heritage you leave behind." ­Branch Richey. Heritage is a huge part of the short story "Everyday Use" by Alice Walker. The conflicting views from two sisters is portrayed by pounding on the true importance of ones heritage. Heritage is not just something a person can look at and ponder about, there is meant to be such a deeper meaning in it. Perhaps even a use in the heritage. Momma, the narrator of the story…

Words 571 - Pages 3

Symbolism In Everyday Use

Many families their heritage is essential. A single small object can mean the world to them. This is where symbolism begins. What does symbolism signify? Symbolism is the meaning or feelings you have towards an object or even a place. For example for many families their antiques from past ancestor mean a lot to them. Many simple things you might see as nothing can mean a lot to them. Even your own family might have objects that are symbolic. In Alice Walker 1973 short story “Everyday Use”…

Words 1678 - Pages 7