Narrator in Alice Walker's "Everyday Use"

Everyday Use
Student's Name
Institutional Affiliation
Professor
Course
Date
Everyday Use
Alice Walker's short story, "Everyday Use," is about a family who has experienced a cultural shift phenomenon where African-Americans are getting out of their past predicaments (Walker, 1973). It is a story set at an earlier time when people are not yet as accepting of African-Americans as they are now, and cultural diversity is relatively low. The culture of African-Americans is shaped by how they were treated by other people, especially during times of slavery and even after that. The end of slavery signaled a change in the world and how society viewed African-Americans in the context of society. Even though the road is still long from general tolerance to actual acceptance, African-Americans have spent much time with others who treated them differently. Even now, African-Americans still experience racism and other negative behaviors toward them. In Alice Walker's story, it is apparent that there are contrasts between the cultures of African-Americans, even within their families. Dee's new identity as Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo provided a contrast of how there are generational differences within African-American families, despite the need and desire to be liberated from racial inequalities for every member.
From the story, it is apparent that Dee and Maggie had a stark difference in how they behaved. Dee is a seemingly more "modern" woman who is educated and accomplished and fits into the standards of children who have "made it, "like in Mama's visualization. Dee and Hakim-a-Barber symbolize the movements for equality and cultural inclusion, while Mama and ...