Conflict, Irony, and Symbolism in Alice Walker’s “Everyday...

Conflict, Irony, and Symbolism in Alice Walker’s â€Å"Everyday Use† In the short story Everyday Use, by Alice Walker, tension between characters is evident. When Dee arrives home to visit Mama and Maggie, readers can see the differences in personality between the three characters. Dee has changed her name to Wangero to get closer to her so-called â€Å"culture† and is collecting many objects of her past that she did not want before. On her mother’s savings for her, Dee is able to go to college and therefore is more educated. However, she uses this new knowledge to look down on Maggie and Mama. One of the many objects of her past that Dee asks for is a quilt passed down to the females of the next generation. Instead, Mama wants Maggie to have†¦show more content†¦As Mama says, You know as well as me you was named after your aunt Dicie. Dicie is my sister. She named you Dee. This is a little ironic. Even the mysterious boy she brings home, Hakim-a-barber, has converts to Islamic ways but chooses only to accept certain doctrines o f the religion when he refuses to eat collard greens and pork. As he says, I accept some of their doctrines, but farming and raising cattle is not my style.† The irony is that it might not be a style, but how Mama and Maggie have to live. They would not think of this as a style. Finally, the story in its entirety is symbolism itself. The quilts are the main sources of symbolism are the quilts, in how each piece of the quilt tells about the life of each member of a different generation of the family. With Dee’s new attitude, how would she use the quilts? Hang them†, she says. Like the quilts had little to no meaning to her at all. ‘Dee says that Maggie cannot understand her heritage and cannot appreciate these quilts. Magnanimously, Maggie agrees that Dee can have them so as not to start a conflict. She says, I can member Grandma Dee without the quilts.† This shows that Maggie is more appreciative of her true heritage than Dee is. Dee believes â€Å"getting in touch with your roots† is a new style of some sort. Dee doesn’t consider that the very aunt who gave her, her name is the one who made the quilts by hand. She only wants it to have as art. Another thing is how Dee discards her nameShow MoreRelatedSymbolic Refere nces in Everyday Use by Alice Walker1848 Words   |  8 PagesSymbolism is the taking of an object big or small, and giving it something to stand for. It could be your everyday math symbols for addition, subtraction, division, and etc. Although math symbols are perfect examples of symbolism, there’s also objects that can be more than what they are. For example animals, Lions are known to be symbolized as strength, aggression, and assertiveness. Birds like doves are symbolized as love and peace. Colors are also held symbolically, for instance the color blackRead MoreConflict of Characters in Alice Walkers Everyday Use722 Words   |  3 Pages In Alice Walkers Everyday Use† she creates a conflict between characters. Walker describes a family as they anxiously await the arrival of, Dee, the older sister of the family. When Dee (Wangero) comes home to visit Mrs. Johnson and Maggie, right away the readers see the differences in the family by how they talk, act, and dress. Dee has changed her name to an African name and is collecting the objects and materials of her past. Dee thinks that since she is in college she knows mores then theRead MoreEveryday Use By Alice Walker1111 Words   |  5 PagesIn some stories, characters can face conflicts in their culture. Alice Walker highlights and distinguishes the dissimilarities and clichà © of country African American women with the actualities that make up their lives. Characterized by short, compound sentences, with long adjectives and use of literary elements, her style is eloquent conversational and authentic. Alice Walker’s short story, Everyday Use is stylistic, ironic and narrates profound interpretation of unique views and approaches to African-AmericanRead MoreThe Meaning Of Heritage In The Color Purple By Alice Walker771 Words   |  4 PagesGeorgia, Alice Walker grew up as the youngest sibling in a poor family. As a Civil Rights activist, Walker fought for the equality of all African-Am ericans. She is best known for her novel The Color Purple which was published in 1982. In 1973, she released the story collection In Love and Trouble which included the short story â€Å"Everyday Use.† Alice Walker’s â€Å"Everyday Use† displays the theme of the meaning of heritage through irony and symbolism. Walker uses irony, which results in conflict, to displayRead MoreAnalysis Of Silko s Yellow Woman And Walker s Everyday Use2041 Words   |  9 Pagesprove that Silko’s Yellow Woman and Walker’s Everyday Use are inherently drawn to traditions of the past. First, I will show how identity is a common factor in both stories and plays such a large role in connecting the main characters and their past traditions. Second, I will illustrate how both stories are linked to symbolism, which will give proof to my claim that they are inherently drawn to their past traditions. Finally, I will show that the use of irony plays a part in both stories and is anotherRead MoreCritical Analysis Of Alice Walker s Everyday Use2414 Words   |  10 PagesTulsi Rizal Prof. Mary Huffer Eng122 24 April 2016 Critical Analysis of Alice Walker’s â€Å"Everyday Use† Alice Walker, most revered African American writer of the present time was born on 9th February 1944 in Eatonton, Georgia. She started her career as a social worker/activist, followed by teaching and and being a writer. She has won many awards for her fantastic social and literary works. Everyday use† was published in 1973, when African Americans were struggling to revive their original African cultureRead MoreCharacter Analysis Of Alice Walker, Flannery O Connor, And Raymond Carver1831 Words   |  8 Pagesfamily as a central theme are Alice Walker, Flannery O’Connor, and Raymond Carver. A commonality between all three stories is the emphasize on the role of women within the family unit. All three short stories use different elements such as characterization, conflict, plot, symbolism and tone, but while Alice Walker and Raymond Carver present â€Å"normal† family relationships, Flannery O’Connor presents a family relationship with â€Å"abnormal† behaviors. Alice Walker tried to use aspects of real life and incorporate