Introduction
For a person to understand where they have come from, there are various aspects that they have to look into, such as culture, as it is a marker of identity. Different races found themselves in America for several reasons, and amongst these races are the blacks, whom the slave trade connected them to this land. Since the race is a minority, they have to undergo a tough life sometimes as they try to unravel who they are by taking a self-discovery journey. Many writers have told these people's stories, and Walker's "Everyday Use" is one of such. The short description, "Everyday Use" by Alice Walker, was first published in 1973 (Walker). The story centers on the lives of a black American family. The three women, Mama and her two daughters live in the rural South. Although residing in America is observant of the cultural black African heritage, especially the daughter, Dee, who decides to change her name to one with an African accent as a marker of her identity. In her short story, the author has used symbolism to develop various themes such as identity, culture, heritage, and empowerment.
The writer has used quilts symbolically to spearhead the theme of the black heritage as an identity. The three women in the short story, Mama, Dee, and Maggie, come from different generations, but these fabrics have created a bond between the three, which is unbreakable. Quilts are a fashion that even the ancestors of this family had held with much esteem, the reason this family decides to keep them as a remembrance of their past. By maintaining these attires, the family depicts the vital connection between their past and present because, in them, they can see their long-gone relatives.
Conflict with Identity
Dee conflicts with her identity, which is manifested through how she perceives the quilts since, for her, those were just attires that were worn by her people before her and held no much significance. However, with time, she becomes conscious that these fabrics were what defined her and her African ancestry. The quilts develop the story's plot as it focuses on knowing one's past, and without them, the storyline would not have been a success.
Through these fabrics, this family can learn about their history concerning the tribulations that they have been thrown in a strange land such as discrimination, war, and poverty. Without these objects, the family will not be having a testament because some characters, especially Mama, perceive her past as the treasure that she holds dear. These quilts form a reliable conduit that connects her to her yesteryears, especially by the virtue that she inherited them.
Yard
Alice Walker has used the yard symbolically in the anthology to represent Mama's life and to develop the theme of freedom in isolation. Every time she wants to take a break from the world, she spends much of her time in her yard, where she gets a chance to enjoy a private life free from the hassles of life. The yard is very conspicuous because it appears in every initial and last sentence in the story, which indicates that this place has a lot of impact on this woman's life. The writer has used this place to develop the information given that this woman utilizes this place to find the peace of mind, where she releases herself from all the pains of her past and the present's troubles.
Mama loves and cares for the yard. For instance, when Dee announces that she will be visiting home, Mama prepares the yard uniquely to welcome her back to the family. She ensures that the yard is sparkling clean as they tidy it with Maggie. Mama cannot get enough of the comfort that the yard gives her as she praises it by comparing it to a living room that was comfortable and cozy. The yard blessed her with a free life, with fresh breathing air, which contradicts the harrowing experience that she has had before as a black American woman.
Mama wants the yard to remain peaceful always, the reason even when the two daughters argue about who would inherit the quilts, and they do so indoors. For Mama and Maggie, the yard was a place of comfort where they always discussed intimate matters concerning their past and the future with no interference from what was happening around them especially given that they were black minorities in America. Therefore, the yard represents the small percentage of control that these people have over their lives and environment.
Clothes
Clothes have been used symbolically in the short story to represent the character's heritage while developing the theme of self-identity and empowerment. Dee conflicts with who she is, so she changes her name to Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo as a way of embracing her African heritage. For this young lady, her dresses defined her identity as a black woman and not of the American heritage. However, Maggie prefers to adorn American attires, which the writer describes as lacking uniqueness and fashion. These clothes are plainly described as a red blouse and a pink skirt that have been mismatched, contrasting with what Dee wears.
Dee's attires represent African beauty. Mama praises her wardrobe, for instance, the long draping dress she wears when she visits them with her boyfriend. The African dress had bright yellow, orange colors with Mama said that reflected light back to the air, cool the environment, and represented Africa's hot fun and Dee's identity. Dee also uses decorative accessories such as earrings and bracelets made of gold. These accessories remind her of who she is and gives her the image of a powerful woman ready to conquer the world with her education combined with her African heritage, which is a source of inspiration. Therefore, the wardrobe was of significance to these women, as it defined their heritage and focused them on the future.
Usage of Symbolism
Alice Walker uses symbolism to develop the plot of the story. The writer uses the quilts, dressing, and yard to establish the themes of identity, heritage, and a black woman's power. From these objects, the writer paints the lives of these characters by opening the doors of their past. Given that some items such as the quilts have been passed from one generation to the other for over a century, it implies that the people value their culture, which Dee strives to conserve through art, and Maggie, by inheriting these fabrics.
Someone's past is very fundamental in helping the person understand who they are and by striving to conserve I passed with the passion they were the characters does, is the first step to accepting who you are. The characters understand that they are blacks in a strange land, and they have to hold with esteem what they have in position to be a reminder of where they have come from. The writer combines two cultures in the text to illustrate that it is essential for individuals not to discriminate against either of the cultures but to choose what is best, and it is crucial for individuals to not discriminate against either of the cultures but to determine what is best and work to use it to better their lives.
Conclusion
Through education, Dee gets the knowledge that liberates her as a black woman while still being cautious of her culture, which is depicted by how she dresses and her name. Even though she wears American clothes and has no education, Maggie is conscious of her culture and heritage, the reason she desires so much to be the one to inherit The Quilts, which she does in the end.
