Everyday Use and the Lesson

Everyday Use

By Alice Walker

1. The narrator of the story is Ms. Johnson; she is the mother of Dee and Maggie.

2. The story can be told from Maggie's point of view. Maggie can talk about what it was like growing up with her sister, how she views her mother, and how she views her sister in her own words. The story can also be told from Dee's point of view. Dee can share her feelings about her family and upbringing, she can tell us how she feels about herself, and describe her life and experience away from the farm. And lastly, the story can be told from Hakim's point of view. Although from his point of view we will not get much insight on the Johnson's family history; he can talk about his first encounter with the family and how he feels about the family. Maybe Dee has shared some things with Hakim about her past that he can talk about if the story was told from his point of view.

3. One of the conflicts in the story is how Ms. Johnson is not too fond of her daughter Dee. She feels as if Dee looks down on Maggie and herself. A part that describes this conflict in the story, is when Dee would read to Ms. Johnson and Maggie "....without pity; forcing words, lies, other folks' habits, whole lives upon us two, sitting trapped and ignorant underneath her voice.' Dee would read to them as if she was showing off her education and ability to read.

Another conflict, which I think is the main one, is when Dee wants the quilts that were sewn by her grandmother to have them on display in her home. Ms. Johnson on the other hand had promised those quilts to Maggie so that she can use them when she gets married. Dee feels that the quilts represent their heritage and should be preserved. Ms. Johnson feels that the quilts should be used for what they were created for which is to tend the bed and to keep warm while sleeping.

4. I believe that Alice Walker includes the mention of neighboring Muslim farmers to describe the era in which the story takes place. Obviously the story is being told in a time where African-American people are trying to overcome having been oppressed so many years by slavery. Ms. Johnson described a Black Muslim group who owned cattle and how a group of 'white folks' would poison the cattle; and in order to save the rest of the cattle the Black Muslim group would stay up all night with rifles. They would be on guard in case the white people tried to come back and poison more cattle; they would be prepared to fight back. Apart from racism being described, it also shows the different black groups that had arisen. There were Black Muslims and there where African-Americans, both had different beliefs and customs.

5. The story implies that Dee is married and this can be seen when Dee and Hakim arrive and he greets Ms. Johnson and Maggie by saying, "Asalamalakim,