In Alice Walker’s short story “Everyday Use” (rpt. In Thomas R. Arp and Greg Johnson, Pierrine’s Literature: Structure, Sound, and Sense, 11th ed. [Boston: Wadsworth, 2012] 166-173), the mother thought of her daughter, Dee (Wangero), as the picture of perfection. She thought Dee was successful, intelligent, and culturally sensitive. In the end, she realizes her daughter is ignorant and disrespectful. The story demonstrates to the audience that people who are educated are not better than others.
Sisters In “Everyday Use,” Alice Walker introduces us to two very different sisters. When thinking about family we often think of them being close nit and having similar traits, but that isn’t the case for Dee and Maggie. Their mother and narrator of the story, Mrs. Johnson, doesn’t describe one thing they have in common. They are like night and day, which is strange considering they grew up together. Their differences far outnumber their similarities. Their appearances, personalities, and even