Culture in Everyday Use by Alice Walker, Essay Sample for You

We are living in a fast-changing world where long-held cultural beliefs are quickly losing meaning. However certain individuals have been struggling to keep cultural identity alive in spite of the numerous challenges. "Everyday Use" by Alice Walker highlights the story of an African family fighting to keep its cultures while staying relevant in the ever-changing society. The story is told in the first person perspective of an African woman "mama" bringing up her two daughters. "Mama's" daughters Maggie and Dee lead different lifestyles: the former is confined to stay with her mother while the latter pursues her education and leads a more refined life. Despite their differences both daughters take part in conserving their culture albeit in different ways. Walker utilizes the relationship between the family members to highlight cultural challenges faced by African Americans.

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"Everyday Use" highlights the struggle of a black family. As indicated above, the story pertains to an African American family struggling to preserve their cultural identity. Apparently, the story is set in the 1960s, a boisterous period characterized by cultural redefinition among the African Americans. Apparently, this was the period when the African Americans had been accorded privileges and rights like the other Americans, hence they were struggling to fit into their new status. The new development saw the emergence of activists keen on reshaping the African American identity. Dee emulates the trend among the scholars and activists who were keen on promoting African American culture as a means of enhancing equality in the society. Resultantly she decides to change her name to Wangero Lewanika Kemanjo which is an African name. Mama openly disapproves of Dee's decision to change her name as her former name belonged to her relatives. However, Dee is not ready has a different perception of the same. Seemingly, she does not want to be associated with her former relatives who were slaves. From Cowart's perspective, the African American family featured in the story is faced with a dilemma apart from an imminent deracialization (1).

Besides that, Wagero demands to be given the guilts which were made by her younger sister. She recognizes that the guilts have a cultural value. Apparently, the guilts were made using scraps and torn materials from the dresses which were worn by her grandparents and even great-grandparents. In as much as Wagero recognizes the cultural value of the guilts she fails to recognize the fact that she has violated her heritage. As in indicated by Walker, Wagero has even disregarded "Dee" a name which she was given by her mother. She opts to be called "Wagero hence disregarding the value of her name "Dee". The name apparently had been used by her aunts and other relatives who lived before. In essence, it had a similar heritage value with the guilts which she was claiming possession (Farrell 179). From Wagero's perspective, the name was nothing more than a reminder of the suppression of African Americans whereby they were denied the privilege of having authentic names. Wagero's sentiments regarding her names are captured on page 53 where she states that she could not bear any longer being named after people who took part in her oppression. According to Cowart, Wagero actualized her decisions by not only changing her name but also her dressing. Ostensibly Wagero dresses exclusively in accordance with Africanism hence exposing her to a cultural catch 22 situations. In other words, her mode of dressing and choice of name left her in a dilemma. The choice of a Muslim companion also characterizes Wagero's departure from her heritage. From her mother's comments, it is clear that she was not amused by her daughter's decision to elope with a Muslim man. All these factors represent a departure from the long-held practices which guided the activities of the African American family (Tuten 125). From Cowart perspective, Wagero's activities are an irony. She believes that she is preserved her heritage as opposed to her family members when in the real sense she is the one who has lost track. In other words, she accuses her sister and mother of not preserving their culture when in reality she has departed from those practices.

Despite Wagero's achievements such as realizing her dreams and escaping the tough life of the ghetto, Walker fails to give her the necessary respect. According to Cowart, this is due to the fact that she denies the heritage which she claims to protect. The author's decisions are also informed by the fact that Wagero's efforts of trying to achieve cultural and racial autonomy are misguided. In Cowart's words, Wagero's efforts were aimed at promoting the erosion of African American experiences which were considered real and valuable. Her decisions and choices, however, represented the trends among the African American cultural developments. In other words, Wagero, as depicted in the story, is a reflection of the African American cultural struggles. Specifically, when Wagero went to Agusta, she was exposed to progressive nationalistic cultures which placed her at odds with the African American culture.

Wagero's attitude towards her sister and mother also reflects the sharp contrast between the underclass and the upper-class in the society. From the story, it is evident that Wagero despised her family and the church which contributed towards her education. This aspect is reflected in her lack of apathy towards Maggie. Ostensibly Wagero considered Maggie to be pathetic and hence was prepared to ignore her in every way possible. The relationship between Wagero and Maggie reflects that of myriads of black women who are left to suffer in the ghetto while their sisters escape the tough life in the ghettos. Wagero, in this case, considered Maggie a disgrace to her as attributed to the fact that she was not beautiful and uneducated (Whitsitt 443).

In conclusion, Walker manages to convey the cultural struggles within the African American society by highlight the struggle between Wagero and her family. The former who considers herself educated and better than her mother and sister tries to teach them on the best way of conserving their culture. However, this fails as she fails to realize that she is the one who has lost touch with her culture and heritage. These factors are reflected in her dressing and her decision to change her name. The changing of her name specifically represent the most significant departure from her culture. As indicated above, the name "Dee" had been passed down several generations and as such, she should have considered it her heritage. On the contrary, however, she believes that the name reminds her of her oppressors. All these factors are a reflection of Walker's depiction of a society in a dilemma and which is struggling to maintain its identity.

Works Cited

Cowart, David. "Heritage and Deracination in Walker's" Everyday Use"." Studies in Short Fiction 33.2 (1996): 171.

Farrell, Susan. "Fight vs. Flight: a re-evaluation of Dee in Alice Walker's" Everyday Use"." Studies in Short Fiction 35.2 (1998): 179.

Tuten, Nancy. "Alice Walker's "Everyday Use"." The Explicator51.2 (1993): 125-128.

Whitsitt, Sam. "In spite of it all: a reading of Alice Walker's" everyday use"." African American Review 34.3 (2000): 443-459.