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"Everyday Use" - Character Analysis of Maggie and Dee - College Essays

"Everyday Use" - Character Analysis of Maggie and Dee

Character Analysis of Maggie and Dee in "Everyday Use" by Alice Walker

In the story, "Everyday Use," Alice Walker discusses the issue of family relationships and its eventual disintegration, which is synonymously illustrated by the disintegration of the African heritage that the narrator of the story clearly talks about through the narrator's daughters, Maggie and Dee.
The theme of cultural disintegration is represented by the characters of Maggie and Dee because they embody the new generation of Africans and African-Americans who have become assimilated with American culture, and has lost their sense of individuality-that is, their African identity. Dee is characterized as an ...

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various backgrounds. Her social and intellectual development resulted to her eventual 'disowning' of people, things, and places that she grew up with. She distanced herself from her family, and even adopted a new identity, which, ironically, brings her back to her African heritage. Adopting the new name of Wangero, Dee tries to express her cultural heritage. Yet, she remained a paradox, reiterating her cultural heritage but her actions and belief does not show tolerance, even appreciation, of things and people that are important not only to her heritage, but to her family as well.
Maggie, on the other hand, is the anti-thesis of Dee. Unlike Dee, who had become a successful individual socially and intellectually, Maggie remained at home. The narrator reasoned that her lack of intellect made her stay at home, relegated to live a life helping her mother with household work. Walker portrays a dismal image of Maggie's character in the story, proving that initially, her ...

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"Everyday Use" - Character Analysis of Maggie and Dee. (2017, January 26). Retrieved January 11, 2026, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Everyday-Use-Character-Analysis-Maggie-Dee/106073

""Everyday Use" - Character Analysis of Maggie and Dee." Essayworld.com. Essayworld.com, 26 Jan. 2017. Web. 11 Jan. 2026. <http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Everyday-Use-Character-Analysis-Maggie-Dee/106073>

""Everyday Use" - Character Analysis of Maggie and Dee." Essayworld.com. January 26, 2017. Accessed January 11, 2026. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Everyday-Use-Character-Analysis-Maggie-Dee/106073.

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Added: 1/26/2017 08:02:23 AM
Category: Book Reports
Type: Premium Paper
Words: 592
Pages: 3

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