Alice walker's everyday use (short story) Essay

Alice walker's everyday use (short story) - Essay Example It draws on critical views and opinions of literary analysts who have reviewed the book. In an overview of the whole story, Tate states that â€Å"Everyday use provides a strong narration about the evolution of the African-American society during the civil rights movements between the 1950s and 1970s† (309). This assertion is very true because the narration describes an African-American family divided into two social systems by the transition of Black people in America. One side of the family was living in the same cultural context that their ancestors had lived within for centuries whilst another had gotten the benefit of urban life and had encountered the civil rights movement and the need to build some African-American pride. Maggies lifestyle shows that she lacks confidence. When her sister visits, â€Å"...she will stand in the corner until she goes† (Walker 56). This means that she was timid and lacked self confidence. Her nature and traits as a relatively unattractive person who is accustomed to the trends in rural life made her a very localized individual steeped in the traditions of the rural south. The narrator, Grandmama however had a vision of seeing her other daughter, Dee make it to the highest levels in the city. She even dreamt that Dee will make it to the point that she will â€Å"embrace her on television† (Walker 57). According to Whitsitt, â€Å"every African-American mother in rural America wished that her children in the city will get the best in what they do and propel them to fame† (447). However, the narrator, Grandmama saw herself as a big woman with rough hands (Walker 57). This shows that she was accustomed to the old and traditional methods of life that her ancestors had lived in the south since the days of slavery. She was not in anyway â€Å"... courting the idea of losing weight and had the permanent traits of a woman who lived like the rural folks a hundred years earlier† (Kiszner & Mandell 81). Grandmama had a