"Everyday Use"

Paper Summary:

This paper reviews Alice Walker's story "Everyday Use". This story illustrates a young black woman's quest for identity that would encompass her culture, her heritage as well as her present status as a citizen of the United States.

From the Paper:

"From the very onset, we notice marked differences between the personalities and appearances of the two women which illustrate the difference in their point of view on culture. Mama was "a large big-boned woman with rough man-working hands" (485) who presenting a list of her skills said, "I can kill and clean a hog as mercilessly as a man...I can work outside all day, breaking ice to get water for washing. I can eat pork liver cooked over the open fire minutes after it comes steaming from the hog. One winter I knocked a bull calf straight in the brain between the eyes with a sledgehammer and had the meat hung up to chill by nightfall." (485) Dee on the other hand was delicate with lighter skin and softer hair. Her feminine appearance was in stark contrast to mama's rough image which also accentuated their differences on various issues. "

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