Analysis of Mama's Character in Alice Walker's 'Everyday Use'

This essay provides a detailed analysis of Mama's character in Alice Walker's 'Everyday Use,' focusing on her complex relationships with her daughters, Dee and Maggie. The essay examines Mama's internal struggles with her own identity and her contrasting perceptions of her daughters, highlighting her initial preference for Dee's approval and her underestimation of Maggie's self-assuredness. The analysis explores the symbolism of the quilt as a turning point, revealing Mama's eventual acceptance of her true self and her recognition of Maggie's authentic connection to their heritage. The essay delves into themes of identity, family dynamics, and the contrast between superficial displays of culture and genuine appreciation. The essay also uses references from various authors to support the arguments made in the essay. Ultimately, the essay argues that Mama's transformation is a result of the quilt incident and her realization of the importance of embracing one's true self, as exemplified by Maggie's character, and the essay concludes with a reflection on Mama's journey toward self-acceptance and the rejection of societal expectations.

“What is Mama’s reaction to Dee, does she straight her out, tell her to be proud of
herself, her family, her heritage. No”. These lines from the video clearly explain the entire
story. The fact that Mama never corrected Dee, because she was struggling herself to accept
her true self (Tuten 125-128). She had two daughters, but she always looked for Dee’s
approval and considered Maggie unworthy, also she always searched her various insecurities
in Maggie and thus, she was never able to recognize Maggie’s true sense (Kerr). This is the
irony of Mama’s life, as Maggie, who is a secured person, who have a sense of self, who
appropriate her various attributes and enjoys her life to the fullest is considered insecure by
her Mama. On the other hand, Mama who is insecure does not have a sense of self and is
living her life to attain other’s approval, which is Dee who also does not have a sense of self.
The way quilt has been used as a metaphor, brings the whole story together as all the various
bits of Maggie’s and Dee life works as an eye opener for Mama. This also highlight “the fire
which was in Mama’s mind”. Mama resented Dee and her behavior, but she always
considered Dee’s opinion and looked for her approval. The fire in her mind was burning for
years, but still, she never did anything to calm her down (Obaid). This was due to the fact that
she never accepted her true self. She was conscious of her masculine looks, her heritage, and
her complexion. She respected Dee opinion and never questioned her. But she always
questioned Maggie’s approaches and never respected her opinion. This confusion that Mama
had, was the main problem between Mama and Maggie. Mama has said in the story to see the
truth, but she herself is living a life of denial for years. Similar to Mama, Dee is also living a
life of denial (Sustana). Dee does not hug Mama just a kiss on the forehead. Even Mama does
not see the true qualities of Maggie and never hugs her too. In fact, she considers Maggie as a
lame dog and also assumes that Maggie is embarrassed about her burnt scars. Whereas
Maggie is not facing any such confusion, she is the only person who is the closest to her
culture and is proud of it. She does not live a life of pretense like Dee, who will show off the

pictures she took, to her friends. Mama just to get approval from Dee, does not stop Dee or
told her the truth. Mama is somewhere responsible for Dee’s attitude as she did not correct
her at the right time. But she always had a check on Maggie’s behavior. The fact that Mama
did not hug Maggie till the very end highlight the fact that Mama could never make peace
with the sheer attitude of Maggie, who did not care about anyone’s approval (Walker 852-
858). But, the aspect which really changed Mama behavior towards Maggie was the quilt
incidence. The generosity of Maggie to let Dee have the quilt, which originally belonged to
Maggie, especially after Dee giving away her culture, her family values, and also the name
which was given to her by her parents. Maggie knew all this and still, she chose to give Dee
the quilt, opened Mama’s eyes. She realized this in the quilt incident as she was able to
compare the quilt and the life of Dee, Maggie, and hers. She was able to relate the quilt with
Maggie life, the way she saved each and every aspect of her life and used it to enhance the
beauty in her life, which Mama identified. Mama also identified that unlike Dee, Maggie in
her entire life has treasured each and every person who is close to her, have openly accepted
their looks, their stories, their opinions, and their true self. She has developed her identity
from scratch and has been true to herself all her life, which is a courageous deed Thus, this
becoming the turning point in the story and transformed Mama, to finally accept her true self
and finally made peace with herself. Mama was also able to identify the life of denial, which
she and Dee was living, which was not for themselves but for the outside world (Whitsitt
443). This realization of Mama also happened as she realized that for being yourself one has
to embrace themselves completely and in a pure manner, which Maggie did she embraced her
life and her heritage with complete sheerness.

References
Kerr, Christine. Bloom's How To Write About Alice Walker. 1st ed. New York: Infobase,
2009. Print.
Obaid, Niwar A. "Literary Analysis Of Everyday Use By Alice Walker." www.academia.edu.
N.p., 2013. Web. 29 Mar. 2019.
Sustana, Catherine. "What Is The Plot Of 'Everyday Use' By Alice Walker?." ThoughtCo.
N.p., 2019. Web.
Tuten, Nancy. "Alice Walker's “Everyday Use”." The Explicator 51.2 (2010): 125-128. Web.
29 Mar. 2019.
Walker, Alice. Everyday Use. The Story And Its Writer. Ed. Anna Charters.. 8th ed. Boston:
Bedfor/St. Martin’s, 2011. Print.
Whitsitt, Sam. "In Spite Of It All: A Reading Of Alice Walker's "Everyday Use"." African
American Review 34.3 (2000): 443. Web. 29 Mar. 2019.