Alice Walker Heritage

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Heritage is something that comes to or belongs to someone by cause of childbirth. This is the way it is defined in the dictionary; however, every person has their personal views and ideas of what characterizes their heritage. In the story “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker, these diverse beliefs are very apparent by the way Dee and Mama see the world and the disagreement of who will inherit the family’s quilts. Symbolism such as their family items, their front yard, and the characters descriptions, are all used to embody the main theme that heritage is something to always be proud of. Most noticeably and significantly, the quilts that Mama has sworn to give Maggie are exceedingly symbolic, representing Mama's cultural and traditional heritage. The quilts of which were “pieced by Grandma Dee and then Big Dee” (Walker, 828) both…show more content…
Even though her home is not nice and fancy, Mama is utterly comfortable being existent and connected in her home, a home that is ordinary, with small, uneven grooves and is “like an extended living room” where she can calmly “sit and look up into the elm tree and wait for breezes” (Walker). While Dee only connects to the yard and the house through snapshots; Mama, on the other hand, actually lives and uses the yard as an essential part of her everyday life. When Dee arrives, she “stoops down quickly and lines up picture after picture of [mama] sitting there in front of the house with Maggie cowering behind,” (Walker) she captures every shot making sure the house in included in the background. It appears that Dee is more interested in capturing her roots through photographs instead of embracing her heritage. Dee will most likely frame the pictures of the yard, house, and her mother, but not have any significant connection with

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