Understanding The True Meaning Of Heritage

Understanding The True Meaning Of inheritanceAlice Walker illustrates the significance of hereditary pattern in material objects by secern the family members in the story Everyday practice. Walker exercises florists chrysanthemum and Maggie, the youngest of the two daughters, as an example that inheritance travels from peerless generation to another by bang and learning. However, Dee, the oldest daughter, possesses a misconception of heritage as material. During Dees visit with Maggie and mammary gland, the contrast of the characters becomes a passage of arms because Dee misplaces the significance of heritage in her hope for endangering her racial heritage. Dee doesnt understand the on-key meaning of her heritage, unlike her child and mother who do understand the true up story screwing the hassock and roil top. In Everyday Use Walker embodies the contrastive sides of conclusion and heritage in the characters of Dee, Maggie and mom through symbolism in the powde rpuff and roil, characterization of Mamma and Dee, and the impact of background signal and education.Dee, Maggie, and Mamma each have a different outlook on their African heritage and culture. Unlike mum who is rough and man-like, and Maggie who is shy and scared, Dee is confident, and attractive first glimpse of leg out of the car evidences me it is Dee. Her feet were always neat-looking, as if God had shaped them Dee next. A dress down to the ground, in this blue weather. A dress so loud it hurts my eyeb every(prenominal). There are yellows and oranges replete to throw back the light of the sun. Earrings gold, too, and hanging down to her shoulders (Walker 111). Maggie has lived in Dees shade off her whole life. Mamma describes Maggie as walking with her chin on chest, eyes on ground, feet in shuffle, ever since the fire (Walker 109). Even though the fire has had a major impact on Maggies body and personality, she still lives a satisfy and practical life, sharing the da ily chores with Mama. In the near approaching she get out marry John Thomas, a local man who seems to be a squareistic choice (Walker 110). Mama is more into the rough work, such(prenominal) as kill and clean a hog as mercilessly as a man, with her rough, man-working hands (Walker 110). Mamma symbolizes a simple satisfying way of life where items of culture and heritage are valued for some(prenominal) their usefulness as well as their personal significance. Mamma dreams a dream that her daughter, Dee, will arrive home and embrace her with tears in her eyes, and show affection for her. But when she comes home, Dee is seen as a stranger. She greets them avowing Wasuzo-Teano When Mamma refers to Dee by her name, Dee replies with No, Mama. Not Dee, Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo Mamma asks, What happened to Dee? Dee replies with, Shes dead. I couldnt bear it any longer, existence named after the people who oppress me (Walker 111). Dees proclamation of her new name is a turning point i n the story in which pushes Mammas limits (Farrell 179-86).In this single out of the story Dee is rejecting her family storey. Dee doesnt understand that on that point is in truth a story of how she got her name. Mamma is quick to point out that Dee is named after her aunt, who was named after her grandmother. Even though Dee may not be an African name it is based on custom, tradition, ancestors and the heritage of the Johnson family. Mamma also doesnt show her true feelings of Dees arrival. She replaces her own fears onto Maggie when she anticipates that Maggie will be awed by Dees company. However, Maggies behavioreven her limited use of languageconveys disgust with her sister rather than envy and awe (Tuten 125-28). Mamma expects Maggie will be neuronic until after her sister goes she will stand hopelessly in corners manifest and ashamed of the erythema solare scars down her arms and legs, eyeing her sister with a categorisation of envy and awe. She thinks her sister has h eld life always in the palm of one hand, that no is a word the world never learned to say to her (Tuten 125-28). Dee can be described as selfish and unappreciative because she plain forgets where she came from. In a sense she forgets who she really is and the kind of household she grew up in.Mammas life growing up was different from the life Maggie and Dee grew up in. Mamma mentions that after second grade, the school was closed down, and because of this she is not educated and cannot canvas (Walker 110). Critics see Dees education and her insistence on reading to Mama and Maggie as further evidence of her separation from and lack of understanding for her family identity and heritage (Farrell 179-86). Tuten, for instance, argues that, in this story, Walker stresses not only the importance of language nevertheless also the destructive effects of its misuse. Rather than providing a medium for new awareness and for community verbal skill equips Dee to oppress and manipulate others and to single out herself (Farrell 179-86). Similarly, Donna Winchell writes that Dee tries to force on Maggie and her mother knowledge they probably do not need. She continues, Mrs. Johnson can take an objective look at whom and what she is and find not disillusionment however an easy satisfaction. Simple pleasures-a dip of snuff, a cooling breeze across a clean swept yard, church songs, the comfort movements of milk cows-are enough (Farrell 179-86). Although they were sisters, Dee and Maggie were two very different individuals with different aspects on certain objects such as the sympathizers and churn top.Maggie and Dee are very different from each other. Maggie is more of a passive individual who is unconfident and ashamed because of the burn scars that are located up and down her arms and legs, but Maggie understands the history skunk simple objects, like the quilt, and the importance that it holds, unlike Dee. Dee takes the hand-crafted churn top, which she will apply a s a centerpiece for the alcove plank (Walker 112-113). Dee only wants these things to show off her African heritage, but Mamma and Maggie actually need these things to survive. Dee doesnt realize the true value of it. Her mother and sister use the churn top everyday by making butter. Dee is only relate about fashion and the beauty of objects. Dee relates the items with her heritage now, but thought zero of her heritage in her youth as she was growing up. Dees chase of her heritage is external, wishing to have these different items in order to parade them in her home and using them to show off to her friends. Dee wants to keep the items as souvenirs and display them in her home. She wants the items because she understands each to have value, but Dee doesnt understand the deeper meaning behind the quilt or churn top. For example, instead of being used for warmth, she uses the quilt as a symbol of art or fashion to display on her wall. Dee and Mamma have different point of views on the quilts, and this makes their human relationship complicated.Dees interpretation of the quilt conflicts with Mammas understanding of the quilts. There are all pieces of dresses grannie used to wear. She did all this stitching by hand. Imagine (Walker 113). This line represents that Dee considers the quilt worthless because the quilt is hand-stitched, not machined. Dee plans to show the quilts or Hang them, (Walker 113) unlike Maggie, who will actually put them to everyday use (Walker 113). Mama knows that there is a connection of heritage in Maggie, and she knows that It was Grandma Dee and Big Dee who taught Maggie how to quilt (Walker 113). Mama expresses herself in the climactic scene of the story not through words but through deeds she hugs Maggie to her, drags her in the room where Dee sits place the quilts, snatches the quilts from Dee, and dumps them into Maggies lap (Tuten 125-28). Its because Maggie has such a great connection with her heritage that Mama takes the qui lts from Dee who held the quilts securely in her arms, stroking them clutching them closely to her bosom (Walker 113) and and so hands them to Maggie. Only by reaction does she finally speak and tell Dee to take one or two of the others. Instead of using words, Mamas actions quieten the daughter who has used language to control others and separate herself from the community Mama tells us that Dee turns and leaves the room without a word (Tuten 125-28). Dees past is another land of why she doesnt understand the importance of her heritage.Mamma remembers Dees childhood and her appreciation of elegant things. Dee was not the least upset when their home burned to the ground eyepatch she was just a girl, Why dont you do a dance most the ashes? Id wanted to ask her. She had hated the house that much (Walker 110). Dee is misinterpreting her heritage as material goods, as opposed to her ancestors customs and way of life. It could be because she unexpended her hometown to get an educa tion and become a more sophisticated and strong-minded young woman. Dee believes heritage to be as concrete as a quilt on the wall or an old-time butter churn in the alcove. Dee has an understanding that the items are hand made by her ancestors, but remains unaware of the knowledge and history behind them. Mamma knows the traditions behind the quilts and it puts their ancestors memories to everyday use. Unlike Dee, Maggie understands the true meaning of her African heritage, and she believes to put all items to good use. On the other hand, Dee enjoys flaunting the beauty of objects instead of using them for their ad hoc use. Through the story Everyday Use Walker presents that heritage is a practiced tradition. People can learn about their heritage and culture from one generation to the next. It is not suddenly picked up. A person who possesses real heritage and culture make use of it every day of their life.