Everyday Use
"EVERYDAY USE" BY ALICE WALKER
Through contrasting family members and views in "Everyday Use", Alice Walker illustrates
the importance of understanding our present life in relation to the traditions of our own
people and culture. Using careful descriptions and attitudes, Walker demonstrates which
factors contribute to the values of one's heritage and culture; she illustrates that
these are represented not by the possession of objects or mere appearances, but by one's
lifestyle and attitude. In "Everyday Use" Walker personifies the different sides of
culture and heritage in the characters of Dee and the mother (the narrator). Dee can be
seen to represent a materialistic, complex, and modern way of life where culture and
heritage are to be valued only for their "trendy-ness" and aesthetic appeal. Mother on
the other hand, represents a simple content way of life where culture and heritage are
valued for both its usefulness as well as its personal significance. The story clearly
endorses Mama's simple, unsophisticated view of heritage, and shows disdain for Dee's
materialistic connection to her heritage.
This is demonstrated from the outset of the short story, we learn very quickly that the
mother (narrator) has inherited many customs and traditions from her ancestors. She
describes herself as "a large big-boned woman with rough man-working hands" (485). She
also describes here various abilities including, " I can kill and clean a hog as
mercilessly as a man...I can work outside all day, breaking ice to get water for washing.
I can eat pork liver cooked over the open fire minutes after it comes steaming from the
hog. One winter I knocked a bull calf straight in the brain between the eyes with a
sledgehammer and had the meat hung up to chill by nightfall." (485) While these feats are
not extraordinary, Walker exemplifies what Mother has learned from her ancestors, and
that being resilient and tough is a part of her heritage. Mother is very proud...
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