Everyday Use by Alice Walker Term Paper

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However what the older generation knew about the worth of heritage had somehow escaped the youth. The elders felt that adoption of culture and heritage made more sense when it had an impact on a person's way of thinking and their lifestyle.

Dee, with a more modern approach towards heritage, felt an identity based on it could be adopted with the adoption of 'things' connected with her ancestors' culture. For example, at one point, she decides to change her name from Dee to Wangero saying, "I couldn't stand it anymore, being named after the people that oppress me." (488) Dee feels that by adopting an African name, she would be showing more respect to her culture. This was indeed not the approach that older generation approved of. This led to identity crisis for many young African-American people in 1960s as they failed to appreciate their present reality as Americans and were also reluctant to embrace their heritage in the same way as their ancestors did. For most young people like Dee culture was more about hanging a quilt on the wall instead of showing appreciation for the art that went into making it and for the simple tradition of quilt-making.

The quilt in the story symbolizes many important things and helps to further explain the causes of identity-crisis that young African-Americans faced.

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The quilt which was made of "scraps of dresses Grandma Dee had worn fifty years ago. Bits and pieces of Grandpa Jarrell's Paisley shirts. And one teeny faded blue piece...that was from Great Grandpa Ezra's uniform he wore in the Civil War" (489) represented old memories, traditions, events and shaping of Black history. However for Dee it is just a cultural item which should be hung on the wall and not be taken to her friends to see and appreciate. She had once even termed those quilts "old fashioned" and "out of style." When Mama decides to give it to her other daughter, Maggie, Dee states in exasperation: "You just don't understand...Your heritage....You ought to try to make something of yourself, too, Maggie. It's really a new day for us. But from the way you and Mama still live you'd never know it." (491)

Dee is actually the one who doesn't understand heritage and its true worth. Her quest for identity is grounded in flawed views and beliefs. Mama and Maggie on the other hand understand the heritage's real worth can be fully appreciated by embracing the philosophies and ideologies on which it was based and not by collecting things of….....

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