Everyday Use

1) What does the term “everyday use” mean in this story? Why did Walker choose this as the title?

The term “everyday use” in the story means that the significant things talked about in the story such as the quilt, bench and other old time utilities played a part in the lifestyles of the stories characters and it allowed them to always remember where they came from and how their heritage has come down the line through the years. Walker chose this as the title because she wanted to stress the importance of keeping the family heir-looms and heritage alive and by using these things in everyday life, it allowed them to keep there focus and strive for something greater than what they already have in there time period.

2) How do Dee, Maggie, and Mama define heritage? Which view does Walker want us to agree with?

Dee defines heritage as put family heir looms on display, while Maggie defines heritage and keeping it in the family and preserving them to last through the generations, and mama define heritage as giving a better understanding of the past generations and put them to good use. Walker wants us to agree with Maggie’s view of heritage because that what keeps going in society and to never forget where we came from and what they had to do to get here today.

3) Describe the setting – how does it affect the characters and story?

The setting of the short story takes place back in the days when black pride was at its highest peak. This affected the characters in the story by making them more aware of there heritage and especially affected Dee by making her change her name to Wangero to epic the sense that her name was the one of a person that was oppressed many years ago.

4) What is ironic about Dee’s name change to Wangero?

It was ironic that Dee changed her named to get back to her African roots because of her boyfriend Asalamalakim and his beliefs that then became her beliefs. Dee believed that by changing her name to Wangero she no longer associated herself with the people that oppressed African Americans and that made her a better person. She has reinvented her identity to clearly define her separation from her origins, distancing herself from her heritage.

5) What is the significance of certain items in the story – the butter churn, dasher, bench and quilt?

The significance of the butter churn and dasher represents all the hard work put into making butter and the generations of people that help make the churn which left groove impressions, the bench presents the seat upon which many ancestors sat and ate dinner and the imprint are forever place in there spot, and quilt is that it resembled their family heritage and took parts of different clothing from different people such as the army uniform used to piece the quilt together

6) How would the story have changed if Mama was not the narrator?

The story would have changed if mama was not the narrator by not having the close family knowledge about there heritage. By having mama as the narrator it allowed us to fully understand the values and lessons learned by telling this story. It made the story better by understanding from her point of view looking in.

7) Explore the final scenes in the story and discuss how the narrator changes at the end

The mother which is the narrator of the story has identified the loss of her daughter Dee to the glutton Miss Wangero and made a choice, and chose Maggie who asks for nothing more than to have a mother, to feel the breezes in the dirt swept front yard and to be visible to the consumer trying to eat her. She examines the spiritual betrayal of a young woman who turns on her own impoverished family in order to add 'quaint' decoration to her home. Dee didn’t want to keep the family heritage prosperous she just basically felt that it would be a good additional to make her household beautiful, in the end the mother realized that and gave the quilts to Maggie.