everyday use

"Everyday Use," by Alice Walker is about taking value in valuing where to came from. In the story quilts become the center of conflict between two sisters. “In both of them were scraps of dresses Grandma Dee had worn fifty and more years ago, bits and pieces of Grandpa Jattell's Paisley shirts, and one teeny faded blue piece, about the size of a penny matchbox, that was from Great Grandpa Ezra's uniform that he wore in the Civil War.” The quilts symbolize a family treasure, something that should be threshed opposed to being slapped on a wall to satisfy some fad. Each piece holds a tiny piece of the past, and they are all carefully stitched together to tell a story. The mother up bringing also comes into question when I read this story; maybe how she raised them had an affect on the individuals they turned out to be.The mother also doesn’t speak very highly of Maggie she refers to her as a “lame animal, perhaps a dog run over by some careless rich person.” Dee was always given the finer things in life despite the fact that she was completely ungrateful. I believe Maggie’s timid behavior traits root form her mother treating her like a wounded animal and not giving her the same treatment as Dee. I believe that “Mama” feels guilty for neglecting Maggie and that is why she stands up for her at the climax of the story.