(A Critical Analysis of Alice Walker’s short story...

Antojos de Mis Ojos (A Critical Analysis of Alice Walker’s short story Everyday Use) Albert Camus once asserted: â€Å"Men are never convinced of your reasons, of your sincerity, of the seriousness of your sufferings, except by your death. So long as you are alive, your case is doubtful; you have a right only to their skepticism.† In Everyday Use a strong willed mother tries to protect her younger daughter, Maggie, from having a quilt passed down for generations stolen from her by her materialistic older sister Dee.The short story Everyday Use, authored by Alice Walker, is effective in its moral standpoint because of the believability of it’s characters. Alice Walker’s character â€Å"Dee† puts on a facade of sincere interest in her heritage, but†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"As mothers and daughters, we are connected with one another. My mother is the bones of my spine, keeping me straight and true. She is my blood, making sure it runs rich and strong. She is the beating of my heart. I cannot now imagine a life without her.† (Hannah). From this quotation, one can gather that the bond between mother and daughter is irreplaceable. However, this bond was only truly shared between the mother and her daughter Maggie. After seeing Dee turn into an undesirable, she tried to make sure that Maggie was brought up with the proper moral standards Dee never developed. â€Å"In real life I am a large, big boned woman with rough, man-working hands. In the winter I wear flannel nightgowns to bed and overalls during the day. I can kill and clean a hog as mercilessly as a man.† As a mother she was very disappointed t hat Dee did not have a hard working ethic that she herself held. A generation gap is difficult to bridge, especially when your own flesh and blood does not share your common interests and standpoints, therefore her mother must see through her false interest in heritage when she doesnt want to know the work that went into the items she lusts after. In Alice Walker’s short story, Maggie is a young girl whom Dee is trying to take advantage of and undermine to get what she wants from the family. Maggie is a sweet girl who is easily taken advantage of because she is the younger sister. â€Å"‘Your heritage,’Show MoreRelatedAlice Malsenior6001 Words   |  25 PagesAlice Walker: Peeling an Essence As an African- American novelist, short–story writer, essayist, poet, critic, and editor, Alice Walker’s plethora of literary works examines many aspects of African American life as well as historical issues that are further developed by Walker’s unique point of view. Writers like Alice Walker make it possible to bring words and emotions to voices and events that are often silenced. Far from the traditional image of the artist, she has sought what amounts to aRead 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 culture