Heritage Alice Walker

509 Words3 Pages
Alice Walker’s text “Everyday Use” presents juxtaposing view points of what heritage really means. The narrator’s two daughters – Dee and Maggie symbolize two contrasting opinions of the essence of heritage. Maggie, on one hand is representative of the exoteric meaning of her heritage, which is depicted through her every day rituals. Maggie’s stance on her heritage is easily understandable and accessible in an everyday context. Dee on the other hand symbolizes the esoteric connotation of heritage in that she illustrates a more complex comprehension of heritage that is understood only by a few. Throughout the text, Walker uses vivid imagery and symbolism to portray the differing views on “Heritage.” The physical aspects of the two daughters are vastly contrasted. Maggie’s life experiences are etched into her physical appearance. An example of this are “…the burn scars down her arms and legs” which is evidence of the incident she encountered when her familial home was burned down. Dee appears to be the epitome for the African-American child of her time. She represents physical perfection, and even “her feet [were] always neat looking as if God himself had shaped them.” In relation to Maggie, she was “lighter…with nicer hair, and a fuller figure.” When Dee comes back to visit her mother and sister, her clothing is not representative of her cultural heritage. She was wearing “a dress down to the ground…earrings gold, [and] bracelets dangling.” Her mother was overwhelmed by the colors of her clothing. Despite the physical perfection, Dee’s connection with her true heritage is extraordinarily superficial. She is not willing to embrace her birth name Dee – a name that holds much familial and cultural significance. The name Dee is the namesake shared by her aunt Dicie (Big Dee), her grandmother, and her great grandmother. Dee (Wangero) is trying to completely detach
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