Character Analysis Of Ms. Johnson In Alice Walker's Everyday Use
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The strongest people on earth are often the most kind-hearted people. Ms. Johnson is capable of doing any manual labor a man can do but sometimes wants to feel pretty. Her low self-esteem appeared in the forefront of the story when she was imagining she was a hundred pound lighter with her skin being like an “uncooked barley pancake.” There are times in a person’s life when they feel boggled down with life’s anxieties but we must remain positive. Although, uneducated Ms. Johnson maintained a silent dignity within herself. Ms. Johnson’s presence was more significant than what she said. Ms. Johnson is a tenacious, selfless mother humbled by life’s turbulences.
As Ms. Johnson and Maggie are standing in the nicely swept front walkway, Maggie starts…show more content… Johnson is a hard-worker, selfless, humble and chooses to live frugally to take care of her children. Dee looks down on Maggie. Ms. Johnson thinks Dee is in over her head with all this “new stuff”. Dee (Wangero) became angry when Ms. Johnson refused to give her the historic quilts and started saying harsh things about Maggie to Ms. Johnson. She said, “Maggie can’t appreciate these quilts! She’d probably be backward enough to put them to everyday use.” This was the moral of the story and how the title was created. She refuses to let their family heritage go to shame. She felt Dee would be defaming the quality of the quilts. This character represents a mother that is surviving in oppressed times. She loves her children and although she is not educated and is not able to give them everything they deserve, she is willing to sacrifice whatever needs to be done. Ms. Johnson, was outspoken and although being oppressed and of the poor class she was not shameful. She was not impressed with education and only felt the need to raise money for Dee to go to…show more content… Johnson”. The beginning of the story is primarily about the anticipation of Ms. Johnson and her daughter awaiting the arrival of the oldest daughter, Dee to visit from college. She will soon find out that Dee has now changed her name to “Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo” and has become a Naturalist. Dee is ambitious and outgoing while Maggie, Ms. Johnson’s youngest daughter is shy and feeble minded. Ms. Johnson loves her children and has sacrificed her life to making sure they had the necessities in life. She wants the best for her daughters and encourages their happiness even if she doesn’t understand the