ub: "everyday use" by alice walker

photo of the women of Gee's Bend, Alabama by Andre Natta
from wikipedia and licensed under creative commons attribution 2.0

In Alice Walker's story "Everyday Use," Dee/Wangero and her Mother and Maggie have different ideas about the role of quilts and other items in the home--Dee sees them as art whereas her Mother and Maggie see them as part of everyday life. They also have different ideas about their culture, heritage, and how to live in a changing world. Why are they arguing about these things? Why does Dee change her name, and how does this connect with the argument about culture?

One way we know that Dee has adopted a new culture is through her name, her boyfriend/husband, and the language she uses to greet her family: "Asalamakim," which means "peace be unto you" in Arabic. These are all connections to the Black Pride movement and to a version of Muslim faith--see this link for more information.

Finally, quilts are an important symbol in Walker's story. She specifically mentions the Lone Star pattern and the Walk Around the Mountain pattern. Quilting has a rich history, and was a domestic necessity that was also a work of art. The women of Gees Bend, Alabama are famous for their artistic quilts. We can also thinking of quilts as metaphors for the women in the story...