Everyday Use
Early in the story the author introduced a tension between the mother and two daughters. On one hand the author shows how the mother refused to accept the superficial values of her more successful older daughter. Instead, she prefer her younger daughter who has more practical values who is not as successful as her older sister. Through the conflicts the author maybe exploring the families heritage. The author portrayed the oldest daughter as a self centered beautiful and bright woman who has a superficial view of her heritage. This superficial view could be a symbol that bright and beautiful people happened to be very vocal, aggressive and demanding. The way that they speak about their ancestors is also very degrading. Also the daughter symbolize a movement which can be seen as been very Afrocentric, which wants to reconnect with their African past or African heritage. This however creates a conflict with who she really is because in order to connect with her African heritage she has chosen to neglect her own heritage. It includes neglecting her mother, her sister and the rest of her family.
Great post chris, It seems like Dee claims heritage more so as a "look how far i came up from the bottom" rather than embracing her humble beginings. She wants to take family quilts of sentimental value and use them as rustic furnishings rather than to honor her family and keep them in mind. Ironically if it were not for the support of her mother and community members of the church she would not have that opportunity to get that education under her belt to brag about.
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