by

Cheri Pace

Should one’s heritage be admired from a distance or honored through one’s life? Alice Walker asserts that people should carry their heritage through the lives they live. She illustrates this idea in "Everyday Use," where two sisters, Dee and Maggie, come from the same background of a poor family in the southern United States; however, they have clashing views about their heritage. They place different values on this heritage. The difference is evident by the way they intend to use the family quilts, which represent their ancestors.

The sisters share the same heritage, yet they have different perspectives about the past. Dee focuses on the aspects of her ancestry that serve her. She even changes her name to Wangero, stating that she "‘couldn’t bear it any longer, being named after the people who oppress [her]’" (177). Though her name can probably be traced back to slavery times, she discounts the fact that her name comes from her aunt and grandmother–two people who loved her. On the other hand, Maggie, who keeps her given name, accepts all of her past. Indeed, she must live with disfiguring burn scars daily. Despite this fact, she is comfortable with herself. Though Dee views her heritage in oppressive terms, Maggie is willing to live with the negative aspects, while acknowledging the positive influence of her aunt and grandmother.

Though the sisters share the same background, they place different values on their heritage through the contrasting lifestyles they adopt. Whereas Dee leaves home to get an education, Maggie stays in a shack similar to the one she grew up in. Dee feels her sophisticated life is superior to Maggie’s simple one. Dee views success as being able to rise above her upbringing. She tries to be something she is not. In reality, Dee looks ridiculous with her hair standing "straight up like the wool on a sheep" (176), and her sunglasses that hide "everything above the tip of her nose and her chin" (181). Wanting to fit in, she joins a movement similar to the Back-to-Africa Movement of the seventies, yet she does not adhere to their dietary customs as she eats her fill of Mama’s chittlins when she visits. Conversely, Maggie is the truly successful sister because she lives an authentic life. While Dee feels she needs to run from her past to find her place in society, Maggie appreciates who she is and where she comes from.

Though both sisters value the family quilts, they differ in how to honor their heritage through the use of the quilts. Dee believes the quilts should be preserved and hung on her wall as decorative trophies of her ancestors’ oppression. She wants to display them to show off her humble background while she proudly shows how she rises above it all. Alternately, Maggie intends to put the quilts to practical use. She values them for their warmth. She also values the memories the quilts hold of her grandmother. Even so, she is willing to relinquish the quilts to Dee because she "‘can ‘member Grandma Dee without the quilts’" (180). She knows she can make more, for her grandmother has bequeathed more to her than pieces of fabric. While Dee needs something tangible to show off her heritage, Maggie can honor her heritage and her grandmother’s legacy by carrying on the tradition of making quilts.

Alice Walker uses Maggie and Dee as foil characters to drive the point that one’s heritage should be incorporated into one’s life–not showcased as art. Though both sisters share a common heritage, they perceive it differently. This perception leads them to value their heritage differently, which is evident in their opposing lifestyles. The way each sister wants to put the quilts to use demonstrates in microcosm their conflict with how to honor their ancestors and heritage. Walker believes that Maggie is correct in the way she embraces the legacy handed down to her.