EVERYDAY

USE

By Alice Walker

Miguel Chvez
Jonathan De Len
Beatriz Elizondo
Kathia Morales
Jackeline Ramrez
Mariana Rodrguez

AUTHOR

Alice Malsenior Walker (born February 9,

1944) is an American author and activist.
She wrote the critically acclaimed novel
The Color Purple (1982) for which she won
the National Book Award and the Pulitzer
Prize for Fiction.
She worked as writer in residence at
Jackson State College (196869) and
Tougaloo College (197071) and was a
consultant in black history to the Friends
of the Children of Mississippi Head Start
program.
Walker's first book of poetry was written
while she was a senior at Sarah Lawrence

BACKGROUND
Everyday use takes place during

the 1960s, when

many African Americans were discovering their
heritage. The black pride movement, which grew
out of the civil rights campaigns, called upon African
Americans to celebrate their African roots and
affirm their cultural identity. Many adopted
African clothing, hairstyles, and names; some
studied African languages.

PLOT

The story centers around one day when the older sister, Dee, visits after time away
and a conflict arises between her and her mother over some heirloom family
possessions. The struggle reflects the characters' contrasting ideas about their
heritage and identity. Throughout the story Dee goes back and forth on being and
rejecting her heritage. For example, when she decides at dinner that she wants the
butter churn, she shows that she respects her heritage because she knows that her uncle
carved it from a tree they used to have. However, she wants it for the wrong reason,
saying that she will use it only for decoration. Another example is when she wants the
quilts that Mama has. She states that she wants them because of the generations of
clothing and effort put into making the quilt, showing her appreciation for her
heritage. The fact that she changes her name, though, from Dee to Wangero disrespects
her heritage because "Dee" is a family name that can be traced back many generations.
The story is narrated by the mother

CHARACTERS

Maggie - Though described by her mother as dull and unattractive, Maggie is a very
innocent and humble character. She leads a simple and traditional life with her
mother in the South while her elder sister, Dee, is away in school.
Mama - Acts as narrator of the story. She is also known as Mrs. Johnson. She is a
middle-aged or older African-American woman living with her younger daughter,
Maggie. Although poor, she is strong and independent as shown by how she interacts
with her children, and takes great pride in her way of life. Her appearance is described
as someone who is overweight, and someone who has a body that is more like a man's
than a woman's. She has strong hands that are worn from a lifetime of work.
Dee/Wangero - Eldest daughter of "Mama" and sister to Maggie. She is very "educated,
worldly, and deeply determined"; she doesn't let anything get in the way of getting
what she wants.
Hakim-a-barber - Dee/Wangero's boyfriend, possibly husband, she brings to dinner at
her Mamas house. He is referred to as "Asalamalakim", which is a Muslim greeting, by Mama
because he is Muslim. He is short and stocky and has long hair that reaches his waist and
a long, bushy beard.

VOCABULARY
Furtive.- adj. Sneaky, secretive.
Recompose.- v. to restore to calm, to settle again.
Doctrine.- n. a set of rules, beliefs, or values held by a
group.
Heritage.- n. something passed down through
generations, such as tradition, values, property.