Everyday Use - Story

The story "Everyday use" is a story about a family and their relationship and conflicts with

each other, written by Alice Walker. Mrs. Johnson is a mother of two daughters, Dee and

Maggie. Her and her family does not have the nicest things but she appreciates everything that

they do have. Dee who is apparently the older daughter has been sent to August, Georgia where

she would attend Augusta State University. They did not have money to send her to school on

their own, so the church helped them raised the money. She is the only person in her family to

expand their education that far. But before she left to school her family had suffered

from the burning of their previous house. The house was entirely burned down leaving Maggie,

the younger sister, with burns and scars down her arms and legs that she will never overlook.

This made her become uncomfortable with herself causing her to separate from her sister.

She is really ashamed with how she looks, so she becomes nervous of being around anyone

other than her mother. The burning of the house didn't seem to bother Dee as much, because she

always wanted bigger and better things. Even though they have grown up with each other and

face the same consequences, with contrasting the past and present of the

two clearly shows that they have grown up to be two very different individuals.

.

Dee is on her way home from school, So Maggie and Mrs. Johnson welcomes her to a nicely

Cleaned yard." It's not a yard; it's more like an extended living room". Dee soon arrives to the

house and Maggie gets frighten. "Maggie attempts to make a dash for the house, in her shuffling

way, but I stay here with my hand, "Come back here". It takes them awhile to get out of the car

but when they do Maggie gets nervous. "I hear Maggie suck in her breath." Uhnnnh." She gets

out of the car all dressed up in a long yellow and orange dress which was describe as, "A dress

so loud it hurts my eyes". She shows that she is now a classy young lady by the earrings and the

gold hanging down her shoulders she had on. But she does not come a lone; she is escorted by

short stocky man name Asalamakakim. Maggie is shocked with what she sees. "I hear Maggie

suck in her breath. "Uhnnnh". Even though Dee has brought a long a friend, she never discusses

him or present him as her husband. They do not show any signs of them being together which

might have to do with her already being left behind by a previous man.

This shows that she is a strong independent women that does not need a man, or anybody else

to make her happy. She is a bold woman who is not scared of anything, "She would always look

anyone in the eye" and is determines to do whatever she was desired to do. "Hesitation was no

part of her nature". She seems to be all about herself blocking everyone and everything

surrounding her. She is trying to show her parents that she is a woman that can live life on her

own without the help of her family. Dee wants to have a better life then she had while growing

up. She always saw herself as someone with higher class than her and her family had in her past

life. "At sixteen she had a style of her own; and knew what style it was". When she is called Dee,

she comments, "She's dead" to show her family that she not that same person anymore. She has

changed her name to Wangero, she states that, "I couldn't bear it any longer, being called after

the people who oppress me. She wants to be her own person and does not want to have anything

to do with anyone and her past. She