Mamas Heritage: The Gift of Her Beliefs - Essay Example

Mama’s Heritage – The Gift of Her Beliefs In Alice Walker’s ‘Everyday Use’ (1973), those items Mama had that her daughter Dee wanted to remove, showed a conflict of cultural perceptions and interpretation of values and heritage. Mama and Maggie held onto the true value of the items, not as artifacts, but as real reminders of their family’s history, to be used as intended. Mama valued being capable and useful herself. Dee wanted to show off as part of her image as a Black American with status, power and new values.

She was somehow materialistic and false. These precious items, in particular the quilts, were a metaphor for the differences in values and cultures between Dee/Wangaro on the one hand and Mama and Maggie on the other. Mama had the right values; Dee’s were a façade. Mama saw her daughters with honest clarity. Dee, “determined to stare down any disaster in her efforts.” (Walker, p??2) and Maggie, who “knows she is not bright. Like good looks and money, quickness passes her by.” (Walker, p??2).

Dee hated their lifestyle, looked down on her slower sister and fought her way out, with Mama’s help. Maggie asked for, and got little, but held onto the true meaning of family heritage and what each item really meant to it. Mama was a fair and realistic woman. Their differences showed in the discussion over each item. Mama and Maggie recalled the important aspects of family history, holding memories and people as valuable. “Aunt Dee’s first husband whittled that dash.” (Maggie whispered this), whereas Dee would “think of something artistic to do with the dasher.

” (Walker, p??5) Mama understood that Dee was almost making an exhibition of her heritage, not appreciating its value, and with that understanding came her decision over the quilts. She prided herself on being capable, on valuing the results of hard work and appreciating the art and skills of the people who had created the useful items. Dee’s proposal to hang the quilts did not match her beliefs. “God knows, I’ve been saving ‘em for long enough with nobody using ‘em. I hope she (Maggie) will.

” (Walker, p??6)She expressed her belief that Maggie would use them for their proper intended purpose, and Mama’s integrity on the issue deserved respect. Her sense of fairness drove her actions, as she saw how little Maggie had, and how Dee always took what she wanted. Mama believed it was right to redress the balance. “When I looked at her (Dee) like that something hit me in the top of my head… snatched the quilts out of Miss Wangaro’s hands and dumped them into Maggie’s lap.” (Walker, p??6)Her decision was right and fair and showed the depth of her feelings about it all.

Mama valued the quilts and the other items as part of family history, as real heritage, as things that should be used lovingly to continue that history, but also to serve their purpose. Maggie would be the person to carry on the traditions, to maintain the cultural values Mama believed to be important. Mama’s sense of justice and fairness made her take that decisive action and redress the balance between her daughters. She showed Maggie that she too, was valuable, “”I did something I never done before; hugged Maggie to me,…” (Walker, p??6) The precious quilts worked as a metaphor for different values and perceptions, and Mama’s were the right and true viewpoints of what heritage, culture and fairness should be.

Dee’s were a façade, an accessory to her image and with her, the useful everyday things and their true meaning, would lose their value eventually. She was too materialistic to appreciate the importance of the items. Mama resolved that conflict by putting her beliefs into practice, and took the right and just course of action. It is not always an easy road to take, but Mama showed how to do it right. Works CitedWalker, Alice. Everyday Use. 1973. In English 1102, Compositions and Modern English 11 (8th Ed.) Boston, Mass.

Pearson Custom Publishing. Custom Edition for Troy University, 2007.