Bed Coverings

For many people quilts can be viewed as bedcoverings made of few layers of fabric, which are usually used for warmth. However, in literature quilting is often used as a metaphor of an individual creator's history and culture. Originally, quilting was performed by women. It was a great way for them to express their creativity and to socialize. By socializing I mean that quilting helped them to tell stories and family histories through the designs of quilts.

For example, Alice Walker's story "Everyday Use" involves African-American background and the themes of heritage and self-identity. This story is about a mother and her two daughters, who live in the rural south. The oldest daughter, Dee, who is attractive and extremely self-confident, has an identity problem. She was named after her grandma Dicie (in short Dee), however, she preferred to be called Wangero, because she couldn't stand being named after the people who oppressed her. Isn't it disrespectful to say something like that about your own grandmother? Unfortunately, she doesn't seem to care about it much, since she is not interested in her family's cultural background and her heritage at all. Moreover, Wangero detests being a rural black. Meanwhile, her younger sister, Maggie, who is homely, disfigured and has a low self-esteem, has a better understanding about her identity and heritage. The purpose of Dee's visit to her mother's house was to take some of the "heritage" pieces: the churn top, the dasher and the quilts made by her grandmother. However, her mother did not allow her to take them, not only because she promised them to Maggie, but also because she knew that Dee would never be able to really appreciate the quilts and would put them to the everyday use. Those quilts were made by grandma Dee (who oppressed Wangero) from the pieces of old clothes her mother used to wear. Moreover, grandma Dee did all the stitching by hand, which makes it even more precious. For Maggie these quilts represent memories about grandma Dee, which include her family's histories and heritage, while for Wangero the quilts are no more than just pieces of decoration. That is why girls' mother decided to give the quilts to Maggie, because Maggie is able to recount the family history attached to the quilts and truly appreciate all the hard work and efforts her grandmother put into them.