Maggie is a character in Alice Walker's short story "Everyday Use." She is the youngest daughter of Mama and the sister of Dee, the protagonist of the story.
Maggie is described as being shy and timid, in contrast to her confident and assertive sister Dee. She is often overshadowed by Dee, who has always been the more outgoing and successful of the two sisters. Maggie has lived a difficult life, having been severely burned in a house fire when she was young, and as a result, she has physical and emotional scars. Despite this, she is a resilient and hardworking person, taking care of her mother and the household while also trying to make a life for herself.
Maggie is deeply connected to her heritage and the traditions of her African American culture. She values the quilts and other items that have been passed down to her through her family, and she sees them as important pieces of her identity. She appreciates the history and the stories that are associated with these objects, and she wants to use them in her everyday life, just as her ancestors did.
Despite her shyness, Maggie is a kind and thoughtful person. She is deeply loyal to her family, and she is willing to do whatever it takes to keep them together and happy. She is also willing to forgive Dee, despite the fact that Dee has often treated her poorly and taken advantage of her.
In the end, it is Maggie who truly understands the value of her heritage and the importance of preserving it for future generations. She is a quiet, yet powerful force in the story, and she serves as a reminder of the importance of staying true to one's roots and values.
Why is Maggie scared in everyday use?
However, her assertiveness might come off as cockiness, and too much pride. She lives at home and is protected by Mama, remaining virtually untouched by the outside world. Rather than anger her intimidating sister, she is willing to let Dee have the quilts that had originally been promised to her. When she first returns home, she snaps photos of Mama and Maggie sitting on the porch as if they are artifacts of an old way of life, illustrating their setting in an old way of life, and her modern, Afro-centric world. Maggie is not very confident. Unlike her sister, Maggie has a close relationship with her mother. In the bedroom, rifling through her mother's keepsakes, Dee finds her grandma"s quilts, and tries to lay claim to them.
Comparing Maggie and Dee in Everyday Use by Alice Walker Free Essay Example
The other way to shape characters is to use the indirect presentation by describing their actions and leaving room for readers to develop their own ideas about the characters. Why is Maggie scared in everyday use? After contemplating about their particular beliefs about a work, individuals will find their ideas to be different from others because each of them perceives details of the tale in a varying manner. Our heritage threads through history past the people who contributed to it, to affect us on a personal level. Maggie's isolation from the riches of society in the world offers a stark contrast with her sister, Dee. The story is all about the life of a mother and her two daughters, Maggie, who lives a traditional life in the rural south, and Dee, an educated, successful daughter who disowns her immediate roots in favor of the flamboyant native African identity. Mama was always there for Maggie because she knew that Maggie would not be able to survive on her own.
Everyday Use: Maggie
Maggie, being very family-orientated, reveals the knowledge of her family. She wears overalls and has been both mother and father to her two daughters. Why does Dee change her name? Her appearance makes some of the white people think of black workers, maids, cooks; others think of black mistresses or jungle orgies. Nervous and maladjusted, Maggie is a figure of purity, uncorrupted by selfishness or complex emotional needs. Birds like doves are symbolized as love and peace. Being a winner means that you have to assert yourself sometimes and that is the lesson that Maggie learns from watching her mother's conduct on the day that Dee has come to visit.
Mama, Dee, And Maggie In Everyday Use By Alice Walker
First, Maggie is afraid of life; she is not prepare for the real world. Everyday Use Summary by Alice Walker In the short story Everyday Use, by Alice Walker, the short story is narrated by a black woman in the South who is faced with the decision to give away two quilts to one of her two daughters. Maggie inherited her culture customs. She attempts to obtain the quilts and her mother decides to give the quilts to Maggie. The Thematic Character of Everyday Use by Alice Walker Often times after a person reads a piece of literature, he or she will form opinions about the motivations of the characters, the effects of the setting, the overall theme or underlying message being conveyed, and the other elements that helped to shape the whole story.