Sunday, 29 April 2012

What is the significance of the quilts to Maggie and her mother in "Everyday Use"?

The quilts
hold different meanings for the members of Maggie's family, even though they are derived from
the same idea. These quilts are familial heirlooms, and Maggie's mother likes to use them as
often as possible. They represent the family's history and heritage to each character. However,
Maggie, being young, is irreverent of this history, and she sees the quilts as things to get rid
ofthey are old and outdated, more at place in a museum than in their house.


Her mother and grandmother see the quilts as symbols of history and heritage, and they
cherish this history very dearly. This act of clinging to the quilts and the history they
represent brings about the majority of the conflict in the story because the older women don't
think Maggie respects the family as much as they do, and Maggie wants to stop living in the past
and get rid of the outdated quilts.

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