Introduction
Alice Walker′s short story "Everyday Use", from the collection In Love and Trouble published in 1973, was written during the heyday of the Black Power movement, when African Americans were trying to reach more than mere racial equality and insisted on self-determination and racial dignity. The tracing of ancestral African roots, the slogan Black is Beautiful, and the Afro hair style arose. African American short stories of this period were often concerned with problematic issues of integration, separation, redefinition of the past, distant African heritage, and immediate family history. In "Everyday Use", the contrast between two sisters and the domestic struggle over old hand-made quilts reveal the use and misuse of the concept of heritage and different attitudes towards one′s familiar traditions and cultural background. Alice Walker not only explores a disturbed intrafamily relationship between three black women of the South, but represents a severe conflict within America′s black society, where new radical views and misperceptions of the word heritage collide with traditional black rural life style.
A singular general meaning of the term heritage does not exist. Dictionaries mostly carry several definitions. For example, the Reader′s Digest Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary gives the following two entries:
1. Property that is or can be inherited; an inheritance.
2. Something other than property passed down from preceding generations; a legacy; a tradition. (Rattray 789)
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Table of Contents
Introduction
1. Dee’s Concept of Heritage
2. The Concept of Heritage of Mrs. Johnson and Maggie
3. Quilts as Symbol of Cultural Heritage
4. Alice Walker’s Role as Literary Quiltmaker
Conclusion
Objectives and Topics
This academic paper analyzes Alice Walker's short story "Everyday Use" to explore the conflicting interpretations of cultural heritage within the African American community during the Black Power era. The research aims to demonstrate how Walker differentiates between a commodified, superficial aesthetic appreciation of heritage and a living, functional tradition rooted in daily life and family history.
- Analysis of the conflicting concepts of heritage between the sisters Dee and Maggie.
- The symbolic role of handmade quilts as cultural identity markers.
- Examination of the critique of the Black Power movement's radical, performative identity politics.
- Evaluation of Alice Walker's role as a "literary quiltmaker" connecting the past with the present.
Excerpt from the Book
Quilts as Symbol of Cultural Heritage
The short story’s central theme, heritage, is symbolically represented to the reader in concrete form by two old hand-made family quilts. They belong to a vanished past experience to which African Americans then and now have an ambivalent cultural relationship. The dispute over the treatment of the quilts – either putting them to everyday use or displaying them on the wall – summarizes the black woman’s difficulties in facing the future. They do not know if life is to be regarded as a continuation of ancestral traditions or as a “new day” (Walker 2325).
Being an artist is part of everyday life for quiltmakers; they join fragments and patches together, invent new designs, and renew old patterns to create a new wholeness. The craft of quilt-making can be interpreted as a social institution. It does not only establish a unity among single elements, but also across time and space by bringing together women of different generations and establishing relationships among peers.
Summary of Chapters
Introduction: This chapter provides context regarding the Black Power movement and introduces the central conflict concerning the misuse of heritage in "Everyday Use".
1. Dee’s Concept of Heritage: This section examines Dee’s superficial obsession with Africanism and her attempts to turn ancestral items into aesthetic objects for display.
2. The Concept of Heritage of Mrs. Johnson and Maggie: The chapter focuses on the mother and younger daughter, who embody a living, practical, and meaningful connection to their history.
3. Quilts as Symbol of Cultural Heritage: This chapter analyzes the symbolic value of the quilts as tools that bridge generations and resist the commodification of culture.
4. Alice Walker’s Role as Literary Quiltmaker: The author explores how Alice Walker uses her writing as a creative technique to define and preserve the culture of a people previously denied a voice.
Conclusion: This final part summarizes how Walker juxtaposes abstract aesthetic trends with lived traditions, ultimately celebrating the strength of rural Black women.
Keywords
Alice Walker, Everyday Use, Heritage, African American Literature, Black Power Movement, Quilting, Cultural Identity, Social History, Tradition, Family Relationships, Symbolism, Narrative Analysis, Folklore, Maternal Legacy.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the central focus of this academic paper?
The paper primarily explores the concept of "heritage" as portrayed in Alice Walker's short story "Everyday Use," specifically focusing on the tension between abstract perceptions of cultural identity and lived family traditions.
What are the main thematic pillars discussed?
Key themes include the commodification of the past, the divide within the African American community during the 1970s, the role of gender in artistic production, and the symbolic significance of heritage objects.
What is the primary research goal?
The goal is to analyze how Walker critiques the performative aspects of cultural nationalism by contrasting them with the functional, everyday survival strategies of rural Black women.
Which methodology does the author employ?
The author uses a literary analysis approach, drawing upon historical context, sociological concepts (such as "marginal man"), and feminist literary theory to interpret the characters and symbolism.
What does the main body of the work cover?
The main body breaks down the character arcs of Dee, Maggie, and Mrs. Johnson, discusses the symbolism of the quilts, and investigates Alice Walker’s own authorial strategy of "literary quiltmaking."
Which keywords best characterize this work?
Key terms include "Everyday Use," "Cultural Heritage," "Quilting," "Alice Walker," "Black Power," and "Identity Politics."
How does the paper interpret Dee's changing of her name?
The author interprets the name change as an act of dissociation and a superficial attempt to adopt an African identity that lacks a genuine connection to the character's personal and family history.
Why are the quilts significant in the conclusion of the story?
The quilts serve as a touchstone for the mother’s realization that heritage is meant for "everyday use" and living, rather than being restricted to a wall as an abstract, static piece of art.
- Citar trabajo
- Natalie Lewis (Autor), 2001, The Concept of Heritage in Alice Walker´s Everyday Use, Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/5434
