Blog I

Blog I

Between Heritage and Modernity

Is really important a character in the development of a story? All stories depend of their elements to be successful in literature. In this story, “Everyday Use,” is really interesting the roll of the narrator character in the development of the story and the others characters. The short story is about traditions and modernity. The first ones are represented by Mrs. Johnson and Maggie, and the second one is by Dee. Both elements are around quilts because they start a number of discussions about their usage. Dee wanted them for decoration and Mrs. Johnson wanted them for her daughter because she is going to use them daily. Dee does not understand that heritage is not transforming all what she is for new trends, but keeping roots and valuing them by using them each day.

This heritage and modernity dichotomy is pointed out by each character of the story. Mrs. Johnson is a coarse woman who did not have the opportunity to study, but she was good in men’s labors. She describes herself: “In real life I am a large, big-boned woman with rough, man working hands. In winter I wear flannel nightgowns to bed and overalls during the day. I can kill and clean a hog as mercilessly as a man” (p. 12). Even though she sounds happy about the way she is, she dreams for her daughter Dee’s esteem. This aspect tell us that she feel a special feeling for Dee which ends in the completely forgetting of her other daughter Maggie.

Maggie is Ms. Johnson daughter who physically is not beautiful and even emotional extrovert. Her sister was the center of every thing; instead Maggie was shy and ugly. Mrs. Johnson describes her in the following way: “Maggie will be nervous until after her sister goes; she will stand hopelessly in corners, homely and ashamed of the burn scarfs down her arms and legs, eyeing her sister with a mixture of envy and awe” (p. 6). Maggie was such as a second plate in a table. The one that no body wants to try because they do not believe it tastes good. It means her mother and sister do not believe in her capacities. She was there always waiting for the leftovers of her sister even in her mother’s love.

On the other hand, Dee was the favorite and the person who nobody says to her “no.” She was unhappy with her life because she wanted more from it. Dee wanted to know the world and being a studied woman because she dreams herself in an independent woman who represents a change, and step to modernity. Her mother describes her like: “She used to read to us without pity; forcing words, lies, other folks’ habits, whole lives upon us two sitting trapped and ignorant underneath her voice. She (…) burned us with a lot of knowledge we didn’t necessarily need to know. Dee wanted nice things” (p. 7). She refuses the old things, traditions because of this Mrs. Johnson and Maggie do not believe that she wanted the quilt which represented old fashion.

Alice Walker in a master way Mrs. Johnson character because she describes and recount all her family issues. All her story’s characters are round because represent easily person of that period. Their feeling about tradition and changes in the social circle are well represented in the narrator and character (Mrs. Johnson), Maggie, and Dee. Maggie does not speak a lot, but her attitude and way of being makes her a round character because she complements the plot for a better development. Dee who represents social changes and the new trends makes the reading to understand that year situation about modernity and heritage. Even though the characters’ phycology puts the reader in the modernity and heritage dichotomy, the objects are important such as quilts which represent the heritage. It was misunderstanding by Dee who believes that her roots are represented in family objects. Mrs. Johnson wants Dee understand that heritage are not new decoration or objects, but family values and tradition in daily life. Heritage is a everyday use instead of fancy decoration.