The Role of the Female Characters in Everyday Use by Alice Walker - Essay Example

The Role of the Female Characters and How They Represent the Feminist Issues In "Everyday Use," by Alice Walker “Every Day Use” is a play written by Alice Walker in 1973, and focuses on the dynamics of African American race, levels of education and the challenges facing this small family in America. The writer therefore uses characters like Maggie, Dee and Mama as the representative of the African American race. The writer portrays the kind of struggle the Africans had to endure for them to succeed by relating the story within a family context. Women are portrayed to play a greater role in the society the case being Mama. Feminism refers to the recognition of women as people in the society. It is the commitment by women to achieving equality in the society. There are various type of feminism namely; motherhood, medicine, legal rights, child abuse, working women, and conservative feminism (Walters 21). In this essay therefore I will look at the role of the female charactors and how they represent the feminist issues that may have been occurring around the time work was written. Women characters of the time Walker wrote this piece of work are portrayed to be had working and enthusiastic. After the demise of Mama`s husband and left her to take care of the family on her own, we find her perform different tasks like, during the day she puts on overall to signify the extent at which she works. She is described to be ‘big boned woman with rough, man working hands’. She performs various tasks such as killing and cleaning a hog, breaking ice to get water, milking animals among other duties. This brings the feminist issue of motherhood and of gender equality as the women of this time also played the roles that were perceived to be for the men (Hoffman 31) Women are portrayed as people who are had working and are of high ideals. This is seen in the character traits of Mama who does every thing possible to bring up her two little children despite being the only sole bread winner. She is also seen as a woman of high integrity and stature in the society. She wake up in the morning and puts on her overall ready to start her daily chores. These bring out the them of feminism and how constructive a woman can be in the society. It also implies that women just like men deserve equal rights and treatment. Walker also bring two contrasting lives lived by the two daughters of Mama. Dee is said to live a good lifestyle of the American culture which she acquired following her disappearance after the fire tragedy that burnt their house. On the other hand, Maggie’s life is portrayed to be miserable and is full of tribulations, at first she got burnt in the house, as her life is full of fear, failure and weakness. However, she loves her mother and in most cases assist her in carried out the daily work, and reading since her mother did not have any education and can not therefore read or write. Despite Maggies tribulations, she fight to hard to be relevant as a human in the society. The writer also brings up the issue of race and culture and how Africans perceived the white to be superior. Mama considers herself so inferior to an extent that she is shying of from looking at Johnson in the eyes. We also find Mama handling Johnson with a lot of respect as looking a side and raising up her leg as a sign of respect. This shows social feminism inferiority complex and shows how women of the time behaved. Before women were denied the opportunity to go to school as Mama tells us ‘ I never had an education myself’ as she tells us that after she had gotten her second grade, the school was closed, and as such she needed Maggie to read for her. With the changes in time, we now find women also getting a chance to gat education just as their male counterparts. Maggie and Dee, going to school and getting the necessary education. It is therefore not in order to deny the girl child the right to education (Narayan 143). Mama is a very had working woman, as despite her house getting burnt, she still made sure that she built another house for her family. However, this house is ugly and has no windows with thatched roof which is reduced to a pasture like status, There is no one to assist the Mama and her children to built a new house, all their prayers are focus on Dee’s success as they believe that one day she will come and repair the house. This is why Mama tells Maggie that when Dee sees the house, he would tear it down. This shows the extent to which women were not accorded better housing and shelter and in most cases rely on help from outside (Delone 115). It is seen that there are different cultural practices between the whites and the blacks. This is portrayed when Hakim say that he accepted some of the doctrines of the African cultures but instead was objected to the idea of farming and keeping livestock, as this was seen as an African culture, where women were to toil in the farm tilling the land, and looking after the animals. This also shows a reflection of social feminism at play as Hakin does not want to associate with the kinds of activities of the black Americans. This may also be seen to amount to racism The feminist act is also portrayed by Dee’s disrespect to her cultural background. After she left home and went to live with the white Americans, she comes back home in a car dressed in a westernized cultural attires that disgusts her mother. She does not want to associate any more with the culture she used to practice before she left. Dee even went to an extent of changing her name to Wangero Leewanika KemanjoDifferent cultural diversity also came at play when food is brought to the table consisting of collards, pork, chitlins, corn bread, and sweet potatoes, however, Asalamalakim, complains that he does not eat Collards and to him Port is not clean. Dee is also seen to have changed her characters and she no longer talks a lot like the way she used to talk before she left home (Dunn, Syme and Toombs 34). The women were expected to play the role of looking for food and cooking for the family. In some instances we are told of how Mama used to work so had to fend for her family. She slaughtered and prepared hogs and bull calves, and brokr up ice blocks to obtain the water required for domestic use. This shows how important a woman is and deserves recognition in the society without discrimination of any kind. In concussion, Walker brought out the themes of racism, feminism and cultural changes. She portrays women as had working and should be given equal opportunity in the society as is seen with the Mama working so had to ensure that his two children go to school and get education. It also teaches on the effect of westernization and how it dilutes the African culture as seen with Dee who goes to an extent of changing her name. Work Cited Delone DJ, Public Housing and the fear of crime: Journal of Criminal Justice. 2008. Print. Dun Rose Syme Fraser Toomb Frank. A change of culture. 1994. Print. Hoffman John, Gender and sovereignty: feminism, the state and international Relations. 2001. Narayan O.P Harnessing Child Development: Children and the right to education.2006. Print. Walters Margaret Feminism: a very short introduction. 2006. Print. Read More