Tradition is a simple and abstract word, but it contains a vast amount of important connotations, among them culture, identity, knowledge, advice and emotions. I have chosen the field of African American tradition and Native American tradition to present different views on tradition and tradition awareness. To give a more detailed and concrete analysis I will use the short stories ”Everyday Use“ by Alice Walker and “Yellow Woman“ by Leslie Marmon Silko.
In “Everyday Use“ I will mainly point out what tradition means to the characters Dee, Maggie and Mrs. Johnson. With the help of the story, I will prove both the antagonistic relationship and the parallels between Dee on the one side and Mrs. Johnson and Maggie on the other. Then I will focus on the importance of the traditional quiltmaking and the conflicts it brings up among the family members. The short story “Yellow Woman“ includes important aspects of the Native American culture such as the Trickster figure or the element of oral narration. So I will present the character Silva as a Trickster figure and describe the importance of oral tradition. Then I will continue with the protagonist’s inner conflicts concerning her identity. The last chapter concludes by comparing the attitudes of the shortstories‘ characters and gives perspectives.
At a glance
- Grade: 1.3 (1.0 is the best grade)
- Examines Silva through the Trickster model
- 19 sources in the bibliography
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Definition of important and central terms
3. “Everyday Use“ by Alice Walker
3.1 Mrs. Johnson
3.2 Dee (Wangero)
3.3 Quiltmaking as a symbol of tradition
4. “Yellow Woman“ by Leslie Marmon Silko
4.1 Silva as a Trickster figure
4.2 Oral tradition in Indian American literature
4.3 The Yellow Woman story
5. Conclusion
Objectives and Themes
This work examines how tradition and awareness of heritage are represented in Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use” and Leslie Marmon Silko’s “Yellow Woman.” It asks how the characters relate to their cultural inheritance and considers the preservation and transformation of tradition across generations.
- African American and Native American traditions
- Family relationships and interpretations of heritage
- Quilts and the practical use of inherited objects
- Silva and the Trickster figure
- Oral storytelling, myth, and cultural identity
Excerpt from the Book
4.2 Oral tradition in Indian American literature
Oral tradition is the passing on of knowledge from one generation to the next by speaking. Knowledge can be passed on in a number of ways. It is passed on by speaking and also through writing. It can also be taught without words by showing people how to do things. In this paragraph the importance of oral tradition will be presented but one always have to keep in mind that numerous traditional stories were lost throughout history. Nevertheless the oral tradition has survived and contributes to the preserving of Indian traditions.
Native Americans lived by knowledge that was passed to them through their oral tradition. The skills for survival such as hunting, building houses, making clothes, tools, medicine and religious practices were taught by telling and showing one another how to do these things. Singing, telling stories, and plays are also ways of passing knowledge through the oral tradition.
Elders are very important in cultures that teach through the oral tradition. The elders are the people with the most knowledge. They have gained it over their lifetime and they are needed to teach the younger generations. They are the educators. Women also play an important role by passing on this tradition. They tell stories about everyday life issues such as menstruation and pregnancy or cooking and childbearing. Paula Gunn Allen, a half Indian American author, writes in her book The Sacred Hoop: “My mother told me stories all the time, though I often did not recognize them as that“15 . So children grow up with these stories and unconsciously receive the knowledge of Indian American oral tradition, that is the way they are brought up.
In all the essays and books I have found, oral tradition was explicitly described as vital and flexible. “The oral tradition is a living body. It is a continuous flux, which enables it to accommodate itself to the real circumstances of a people’s lives.“16 Allen uses the metaphor of a fragile web to describe the identity of tribal people. Since the coming of the Anglo-Europeans she sees this web as torn and damaged. But the oral tradition keeps this web stable and heals it “by adapting to the flow of the present while never relinquishing its connection to the past“17 . Through this never ending force of the oral tradition, the tribal identity got strengthened. It made indigenous people aware and more conscious of their tradition and helped them to keep resistance to the influence of white people.
Chapter Summaries
1. Introduction: The author introduces the two stories and outlines an examination of their characters’ relationships with tradition.
2. Definition of important and central terms: The chapter provides working explanations of heritage, tradition, and myth.
3. “Everyday Use“ by Alice Walker: The author examines Mrs. Johnson and Dee’s differing relationships to family heritage, then discusses quiltmaking as a symbol of tradition.
4. “Yellow Woman“ by Leslie Marmon Silko: The chapter compares Silva with the Trickster figure and considers oral tradition and the protagonist’s relationship to the Yellow Woman story.
5. Conclusion: The author compares the characters’ attitudes and reflects on the continuation and alteration of traditions across generations.
Keywords
tradition, heritage, cultural identity, African American literature, Native American literature, Alice Walker, Leslie Marmon Silko, Everyday Use, Yellow Woman, quiltmaking, oral tradition, Trickster, myth
Frequently Asked Questions
What is this work about?
It examines the function of tradition in Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use” and Leslie Marmon Silko’s “Yellow Woman.”
What are the central themes?
The central themes include heritage, cultural identity, family, quiltmaking, myth, and oral storytelling.
What is the main objective of the work?
The author aims to present different views of tradition and awareness of tradition through the two stories.
What method does the author use?
The work uses comparative literary analysis, interpreting characters, symbols, and storytelling alongside scholarly discussions of tradition and myth.
What does the main body discuss?
It examines Mrs. Johnson, Dee, and quilts in “Everyday Use,” followed by Silva, the Trickster figure, oral tradition, and the Yellow Woman story.
Which keywords characterize the work?
Key terms include tradition, heritage, cultural identity, quiltmaking, oral tradition, myth, and Trickster.
Why are quilts important to the discussion of “Everyday Use”?
The author uses the family quilts to examine different ways of valuing and preserving heritage, including practical use and display.
How does the work approach Silva in “Yellow Woman”?
It compares Silva’s characteristics and actions with descriptions of the Trickster figure.
What role does oral tradition play in the analysis?
The work considers how stories and knowledge pass between generations and how the Yellow Woman narrative relates individual experience to an inherited story.
- Quote paper
- Sylvi Burkhardt (Author), 2000, The Function of Tradition in "Everyday Use" by Alice Walker and "Yellow Woman" by Leslie Marmon Silko, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/34538
