PrakashBikramRaut

Prof. SusmitaTalukdar ,Ph.D

Semester Assignment

Title : Exploration of African American women’s Identity in “Everyday Use”

Date: 28 November , 2019

Alice Walker's ''Everyday Use'' explores the paradigm of multiculturalism and its

practices through her artistic and rhetorical narrative skill. The paper focuses on how

Walker's narrative has added to contribute to the rich multicultural America in

perceiving art not as something to keep it stuck within the periphery of historical and

cultural and /or ethnic/ regional pride, rather making it passable to go beyond any

periphery. It is through the forging of African American women's identity out of both

fixative and fluid elements of characterizations of both mamma and Maggie, and Dee

respectively that walker's narrative claims to multicultural voice of America.

''Stories of black women problematizes notions of cultural authenticity through a

series of conflicts between a mother and daughter over everyday items such as butter

churn ,a bench and collection of quilts” (Mullins 43). In this context 'the every items'

like 'butter churn' and 'quilt' are the avenues to judge the story critically.Why is there

conflict between the mother and the daughter ? Does such conflict lead to the

construction of the identity of the community particularly, of the African American

women through the conformation of the essentialised norms? The description of the

house, deprivation of Maggie’s education and burden of work unfold the pain,
sufferings, dissatisfaction and frustration of Dee’s family which blockades the normal

thinking of human being. It represents African American trauma, experienced by the

communities for decades. Dee and Maggie are white girl’s names that signify the

rooted Eurocentric culture through the names so these African American girls have

hidden real identity in order to be prevented from the domination of white community

because Dee and Maggie are common names of White community that shows

domination of white American community through cultural hegemony.

According to Showalter , “paralleling the success of Walker’s story has been that

of another cultural artifact, quilt which since the sixties has undergone a rather

spectacular revaluation , moving from the marginalized position it held as a symbol

of gossipy women’s sewing circles ,to becoming by the seventies the central

metaphor of American cultural identity”( Whitsit 443). In this regard, racial

oppression ,exploitation , significance of African American history and ancestral

identity are equipped to manifest the multicultural voice in “Everyday Use”.

Similarly, the difference between Mrs. Johnsion and young , shy and introvert

Maggie leads the interpretive access to the gravity of African American women .The

pain and suffering , manifested among Mrs. Johnsion , Dee and Maggie , represents

the African American women different from other American women. The slavery

rooted experience of African America society has been revealed through the

horrendous conflict and miserable economic status of Mama's family. The distance

between Dee and Maggie has culminated the conflict in its frustration pervading the

African American community.

 The discourse regarding the quilt , has apparently contextualized the passion and

quest for identity and endeavor for the protection of ancestral heritage perceived,

conceived and pursued through the quilt rhetoric. Holistically, voiceless and socially

paralyzed African American women are visualized through the masterpiece art in

“Everyday Use”. The cause of cultural identity and oppression have been linked with

power relation that is conceptualized from the passion of identity and socio-economic

scenario of Mama's family. Eurocentric cultural imperialism has dominated the

African American assimilationist ideologies so much that the preservation of their art

pieces have become a trend for demonstrating the skill of their heritage by new

generation people like Dee, instead of using them and passing down them from one

generation to another. The process would continue the artistic skill through the

generations, enhancing the possibilities of creativity by unfolding the riches of

African American cultural heritage in new and significant ways, and thus adding to

the rhetoric of multicultural America.

How does the story reflect the thought and feeling through Dee and Maggie?

Why is there issue about the quilt? Such questions, responded by the narrative point

of view, creates the avenue to identity , oppression as well as suffocation , emerged

inthe accommodation and existence. The quest of new identity through emotional and

spiritual trail leads the passage to view the domain of African American women that

has established the story as brightest star in the galaxy of African American literature

and art .The journey in the story begins with harmonious tune of the surroundings in

mamma's domain, e.g. 'yard', which is 'like an extended living room', with interruptive
reference to the then popular T.V. shows, creating a kind of premonition among the

readers of some debatable issues, concerned with identity crisis caused by the wave of

politics of Black Nationalism. After being independent and academic , Dee changes

her name as Wangero and shows crazy passion for quilt that represents the will of

African American women to continue the ancestral identity. Mrs. Johnsion ,the

narrator of story is slightly biased towards Maggie that she commits to preserve the

quilt for the marriage of Maggie that signifies the attachment of quilt with African

American culture. Similarly , the narrator and Maggie have stereotypically played

the passive role except the ending of the story, however Dee is trailblazing and

independent, as she has represented African Americans in different perspectives. Why

are Mama and Maggie stereotypically passive ? Whydoes the mother and sister of

Dee prefer European name ?Actualy she doesn’t prefer because she has changed her

name as wangero after being educated and aware of her ancestral identity.

The multicultural voice is quite significant to reduce and alleviate the social

oppression which is practiced through exploitation ,marginalization ,cultural

imperialism , power relation and violation. African American women are found

working in different positions. So, the social practice at present is different from the

past due to multicultural practice implemented by the government and realized by the

society. power relation and cultural imperialism are equipped to make the identity

crisis and oppression.In this regard , “Everyday Use” is analyzed as the Afro-

American perspective to manifest existential identity of black women in American

society.
 Walker’s narrative technique in “Everyday Use” is of contemplative nature

through which motherhood is revealed as an epitome of strength that persuades

readers to eye towards the stereotypical image of African American community in

considering how they have been deprived of representation under the main stream of

postmodern and multicultural America. Why is the narrator unable to provide the

equal academic access to both of her daughters? Why the window of her house is like

a hole? Children are born unique. The guardian of a family, society and state are

responsible of academic empowerment of human being that guides to analyze the

socioeconomic status of narrator. The description of narrator's house and unequal

academic accomplishment as well as acquisition endeavors to manifest the poor

economic access of African American women because Dee and Maggie are not

equally educated. The language discourse and structure are designed to women in

three forms: suspension , assimilation and emergence as we find through the

character and behavior, manifested by Dee and Maggie respectively .”The color

purple represents a more explicit turning of a text by a black woman”( Tucker 82) It

manifests the diversity of cultural identity of black women that represents the African

American women in the holistic perspectives which is conceptualized in “Meridian”

and” Everyday use’. The events, nature of women ,language and narrative technique

encompasses to view the story of Alice Walker as the representative of cultural

identity.

In the conclusion , the holistic socioeconomic , cultural and womanist

environment ,narrated in ''Everyday Use'', has painted the image of identity crisis and
oppression which are expressed spiritually, emotionally and transparently. The

renaissance of African American women , erupted through the issue over the quilt ,

has embedded the ancestral identity of African American women with the creative

and artistic flavor. Listening to the narrator’s story through ''Everyday Use'' , it has

been perceived , conceived and conceptualized that there is impartiality in the

multicultural practice of America, so multicultural trend has been developed but not

satisfied yet. In the comparison of past, African Americans have been more

conscious about their identity and socioeconomic status but still deprived of justice

and opportunity from the nation state. Thus, ''Everyday Use'' is the critical voice of

voiceless African American.

Works Cited

MULLINS, MATTHEW. “Antagonized by the Text, Or, It Takes Two to Read Alice
Walker’s ‘Everyday Use.’” The Comparatist, vol. 37, 2013, pp. 37–53. JSTOR,
www.jstor.org/stable/26237330.

Whitsitt, Sam. “In Spite of It All: A Reading of Alice Walker's ‘Everyday Use.’”
African American Review, vol. 34, no. 3, 2000, pp. 443–459. JSTOR,
www.jstor.org/stable/2901383.

Boyd, Valerie. “In Search of Alice Walker, or, Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore.”
Creative Nonfiction, no. 12, 1999, pp. 128–146. JSTOR,
www.jstor.org/stable/44363504.
Kajita, Takamichi. “SOME ARGUMENTS ON MULTICULTURALISM —
CLARIFYING THE CONCEPT —.”Hitotsubashi Journal of Social Studies, vol. 27,
1995, pp. 5–20. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/43294377.

Tucker, Lindsey. “Alice Walker's The Color Purple: Emergent Woman, Emergent
Text.” Black American Literature Forum, vol. 22, no. 1, 1988, pp. 81–95. JSTOR,
www.jstor.org/stable/2904151.

Comments.

Please meet me for discussion. It looks okay.