Everyday Use by Alice Walker

br Representing Heritage

Dee 's Struggle for Identity in Alice Walker 's Everyday Use

Heritage is a complex subject , sometimes signified by material possession and at others going beyond to encompass history and culture In Alice Walker 's Everyday Use ' Dee 's concentration on the visible signals of her familial and African American heritages puts her in conflict with the reality of the living heritage of her mother and sister . For Dee (aka Wangero ) her family 's heritage lies in the physical signs of poverty and the possessions she stands to inherit

. Her disregard for the emotions of her mother and sister , Maggie , and impatience for her material inheritance overshadow what could have been an emotional reunion . Her views of the objects such as the quilts and butter churn indicate Dee 's fascination with only the appearance of heritage the histories of the objects become anecdotes to tell at dinner parties and their practical use is ignored as they become art She has no desire to continue the heritage , simply to enshrine it Similarly , Dee seeks to imitate her own perception of African American heritage through changes in her appearance and most noticeably her name Ignoring the family history of the name , she discards it in favor of what she perceives as a more authentic name . By seeking to recreate herself into an image , Dee abandons that family history and all that conflicts with how she wishes to be perceived

From the offset of the narrative , it is obvious that Dee...