Monday, 10 August 2009

How are the lives of the three female characters in Alice Walker's "Everyday Use" representative of the theme of the story?

The three
female characters in byconstitute a small black family.  The story belongs to the first
person narrator, Mrs. Johnson, the mother of two girls: Maggie and Dee.   


The theme of the story focuses on heritage and its meaning.  To the author, heritage
implies the family legacy and the representation of an ongoing link from past to present
culture.  Each of the characters in the story perceive heritage in her own way. 


Mama represents the past and the present.  She grew up
without an education.  What she has in her life is important to her. It may not be much, but it
is her legacy. The things that she possesses came to her from her ancestors. This to Mama
represents her family heritage.

Yet, Mama is a realist.  She tells the reader
that she knows that the house they live in now is the same as the one that burned down.  It is a
shack with holes in the walls for windows.

Today is important to Mama
because Dee is coming for a visit.  Mama and her...

No comments:

Post a Comment

To what degree were the U.S., Great Britain, Germany, the USSR, and Japan successful in regards to their efforts in economic mobilization during the...

This is an enormous question that can't really be answered fully in this small space. But a few generalizations can be made. Bo...