The conflict with the quilts is resolved quickly and relatively cleanly. … I did something I had never done before: I hugged Maggie to me, then dragged her on into the room, snatched the quilts out of Miss Wangero’s hands and dumped them into Maggie’s lap.
What does Mama decide to do with the quilts at the end of the story?
Who gets the quilts at the end of the story? At the end of the story, the mother “snatched the quilts out of Mrs. Wangero’s hands and dumped them into Maggie’s lap” (8). Thus, Maggie got to keep the quilts.
Why does Mama choose the quilts to Maggie rather than Dee?
When Mama gives the quilts the Maggie, she ensures that the family heritage will stay alive in the manner she prefers. By using the quilts and making her own when they wear out, Maggie will add to the family’s legacy, rather than distancing herself from it.
What decision does Mama make about the quilts?
The decision that Mama makes in the story is that she gives the family’s hand-stitched quilts to Maggie, though Dee (Wangero) asks for them. Maggie is getting married soon to John Thomas, Mama says, and will likely get more use out of them.
What decision does Mama make about the quilts based on this decision what do you think she values?
Mama, though, knows that understanding their family’s heritage involved using the things that had been passed down from generation to generation; plus, she knew how badly Maggie would be hurt if Dee took the quilts. Mama decides that she will not let this happen, so she snatches the quilts away from Dee.
How does Mama change at the end of everyday use?
Mama has changed because she confronts Dee for the first time and defends Maggie. This action gives worth and voice to herself and her daughter Maggie.
How is the main conflict resolved in everyday use?
Resolution. The setting of “Everyday Use” is in the 1960’s or 1970’s, during the time when African American life and identity were undergoing many changes and transforming into something new. The resolution is when Mama decides that Maggie will get the handmade quilts and Dee can take some of the others.
Does Mama regret giving Maggie the quilts?
By giving the quilts to Maggie, Mama in a sense merely fulfills her promise. Mama had previously offered Dee a quilt, years earlier, but the offer had been rejected since quilts at that time were out of style. Maggie’s appreciation of the quilts has been long and consistent and will remain so.
Why does Mama give Dee the quilts?
Her desire to hang the quilts, in a museumlike exhibit, suggests that she feels reverence for them but that to her they are essentially foreign, impersonal objects. Mama understands that Maggie, not Dee, should have the quilts, because Maggie will respect them by using them in the way they were intended to be used.
Why is Mama closer to Maggie in Everyday Use?
Mama and Maggie are very close. Mama is protective over Maggie because Maggie is painfully shy and does not stand up for herself. Maggie was also burned in the fire that destroyed their former house, so she is ashamed of her skin that was burned. She has both physical and emotion scars from it.
Why does Dee want the quilts in Everyday Use?
Besides from the characters, Walker’s use of symbolism is seen through the old quilts in Mama’s trunk. When Mama offers Dee different quilts, Dee explains she wants the old quilts because of the hand stitching and the pieces of dresses stitched in that Grandma used to wear.
What do you think about the mother’s decision in the story Everyday Use?
Later on in the passage the mother say that “ Dee is lighter than Maggie, with nicer hair and a fuller figure.” The mother’s decision to compliment Dee gives her self-confidence and shows the mother’s love for her. However, the mother’s decision to compliment Dee and not Maggie puts a strain on their family.
What is Dee’s new name?
Dee tells her mother that she has changed her name to Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo to protest being named after the people who have oppressed her.
What do the handmade quilts symbolize in everyday use?
It’s kind of a no-brainer to conclude that the quilts in “Everyday Use” symbolize family heritage. They were handmade by the narrator, her sister, and her mother, and they’re comprised of clothing worn by generations of family members.
How does Mama describe Dee in everyday use?
Dee is educated, worldly, and deeply determined, not generally allowing her desires to be thwarted. When Mama won’t let her have the quilts to display, she becomes furious. She claims that Mama and Maggie don’t understand their heritage, but she is the one overlooking the important aspects of her family history.
What is the conflict in everyday use?
The story is mainly about a mother and one of her daughters Dee. The conflict is how they both see the world differently. There is a lot of symbolism in this story because of Dee. In Walker’s writing, redemption will take one away and bring one back, in a perhaps humbling but empowering way, to something close to home.