“Everyday Use” by Alice Walker creates discord between the characters. When Dee (Wangero) comes home to visit Mama and Maggie, readers immediately see the differences. The goddess has her name changed as “Africa” and collects objects from the past. He is learned and greatly despises the simplicity of his mother and sister. When Dea asks for a beautiful family heirloom skin to sit on the wall, Mama finally says no. But Mama will give Maggie the skin to support her and her husband. The argument for the importance of inheritance is clear. This theme is shown through the use of conflict, irony, and symbolism.
The main conflict is between Mama, Maggia and Dea. Dea arrives home to photograph her dirt-poor origins never stopping to think about how Maggie and Mama feel. The goddess is the object of art; Mama is the way to live and make butter. The goddess was always delicate and spoiled by her Mama, who was afraid to stand up to her. He doesn’t understand how his mother and Maggie can live back like that. By giving one to Maggie, Mama shows that she understands the importance of inheritance. To value and use things passed down in families is quite different than to hang them on display while money is popular and valuable, and then throw them away. The goddess is educated and highly educated due to her humble beginnings.
Alice Walker shows the importance of inheritance through extensive use of irony. For example, Dea changes her name to Wangero to reflect the new fad of “acquisition with African heritage”. But the name of the Goddess already comes from heredity. As Mama says, “Then I was named you by your aunt Dicie. Dicie is my sister. She named you a goddess.” The goddess has the education to understand the history of her people, but the irony is that the people standing before her fail. He just doesn’t understand that Mama and Maggie are important parts of his heritage. That is certainly a little ironic. Even Hakim-a-barber converted to Islam, but he only chooses certain tenets of this religion and black power when he refuses to eat and pigs.” I, as he says, accept some of their teachings, but the peasant and the cattle are not my type. It is ironic that it is not Mama and Maggie; it is their way of life and livelihood. Never even think of this style.
Finally, the theme is shown in the puzzles used. Not only does this story contain symbolism, but there is also a mystery surrounding it. Mattresses are the main symbols, and they represent heritage/family ties. What would the painted Goddess do? “Check it out,” he said. As if that’s the only thing you could do with them” (Walker) Goddess says that Maggie can’t understand her heritage or value these mattresses, but she does when “Members of Grandma Goddess can. mattress with “. Magnanimously, Maggie agrees that Dea can have them to avoid entering into a fight. She says, “I can’t” without Grandma Dea’s mattress.” Maggie appreciates her heritage every time she uses it, since heritage means the people she came from. The goddess thinks that connecting with man’s roots is a new thing. Aunt Dea made these mattresses by hand made by hand, and yet it has nothing to do with why she wants them. Moreover, the goddess thinks that her name is a symbol of those who oppressed her, so she goes by a new name that has nothing to do with her kinship.
A clear theme of the importance of heritage is shown in Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use”. While Maggie and Mama may be uneducated and “backward”, they understand the meaning of family heritage. Dea has all the training and sophistication in the world, and she clearly “doesn’t get it.”
