conflicted relationship between her two daughters Dee and Maggie. On the surface, “Everyday Use” explains how a mother progressively denies the one-dimensional values of her oldest, most successful daughter Dee. Instead, Mrs. Johnson starts to favor the more practical values of her younger, less fortunate daughter Maggie. The deeper meaning explored by Alice Walker is the concept of heritage and how it applies to African-Americans. This short story takes place when African-Americans were struggling