Literary Analysis

"Everyday Use" by Alice Walker

What can you conclude about each character (Maggie and Dee) based on her feeling towards the quilts?

• Maggie can be described as a shy and nice person, and she is also someone who is afraid of Dee, similiar to Mama's feelings towards Dee. We can conclude these because first, she does not say things to Dee and Mama confidently, and hides herself all the time. Also, she even agreed to give up both the quilts, because she's nice. Another reason why Maggie gave up the quilt was because she is kind of afraid of Dee, afraid of her confident, stylish, and unique personality. Dee, however, wants the quilts only as a display object, not as an object that she would actually use in everyday life. We can conclude that she is very mean. This is because she says that Maggie would not appreciate the quilts even if she got them, just because she was the one who couldn't get the quilts.

Dee has left behind her rural Southern life and reinvented herself. Why, then, does she want to have the churn and the quilts?

• Even though Dee left her rural Southern life and reinvented, or urbanized, herself, she still wants the quilts because she wants an object (or many objects) to prove her heritage in the city, and that she also has an origin.