The story is told in first person by the "Mama", an African American woman living in the Deep South with one of her two daughters. The story humorously illustrates the differences between Mrs. Johnson and her shy younger daughter Maggie, who still live traditionally in the rural South, and her educated, successful daughter Dee (or "Wangero"), as she prefers to be called, who scorns her immediate roots in favor of a pretentious "native African" identity.

A film version was released in 2003.

Plot

Dee snaps, absurdly, "You just don't understand... heritage!" and leaves. Maggie and her mother, relieved, spend the rest of the day dipping snuff and enjoying each others company.

Characters

Discussion

Although Dee is portrayed in a negative light in the story, Walker based both sisters on aspects of her own character. Like Maggie, she suffered an injury in childhood that left her partially disfigured and very self-conscious. Like Dee, she rose from poverty, got an education, explored her African tribal ancestry, and participated in the Civil Rights Movement. Walker also resembles the level-headed mother, who turns a slight incident into a story, and who is able to show Maggie's hidden worth while casting a sardonic gaze on the glamorous Dee.

Alice Walker grew up in the rural South, and "Everyday Use" pays homage to her sharecropper ancestors.

Another important theme is standing up for what's right – not just for yourself, but for others too. Mrs. Johnson stands up to Dee at the end by snatching the quilts from her and restoring them to Maggie. She understands how much the quilts mean to Maggie; she also understands that Dee's reason for wanting the family's belongings is because the new fashion is African, and Dee really wants to be popular, and fit "in" with the "in-crowd." That is why she rejected the name her mother gave her and became "Wangero." In former days, she didn't even care about the house or any of its contents; in fact, she hated it and may even have burned it down to get away from it.

Title Meaning

Walker develops a critique of postmodern ideals and the detachable nature of symbols. In hanging the quilts, Dee would be effectively removing them from their "everyday" embedded contextual meaning and creating a symbol out of them.

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