Education is seen as a necessary tool in our society. It allows us to see new perspectives and learn about our history. Although this has helped us evolve and move forward, it can induce conflict when it encounters different point of views. This is especially true when mixed within a family. This can be seen in “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker, which is about Dee coming back home to visit her mother and sister. From the beginning, the reader can sense the tension between them, which only grows as the story goes on. Through the use of characters as well as various symbols Alice Walker, portrayed the divide caused by different types of education.
Dee received an education unlike the other members of her family. This opened up a new world introducing Dee to her ancestors’ history. While it provided her with opportunities, Wangeros’ education seemed to have simultaneously distanced Dee from the heritage her mother taught Maggie and her. This is made evident when Dee tries to get the quilts that were promised to Maggie. Dee now sees the value of the quilts but not in the same way her mother and sister do. She used to think they were useless and ugly but after going to school she now sees them as something that should be admired.
Another example of this would be earlier in the text to her mother “ ill come visit but ill never bring my friends”. She does the exact opposite just a few years later by bringing Hakim-a Barber. This could have been caused by her newfound interest in her culture or by her desire to showcase her heritage. Due to their different ideas of their culture conflict arose and led to a falling out between the mother and Wangeroo. Which in turn leads to her severing her ties to her family and her true heritage.
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The mother on the other hand received no education nor did anyone try to provide one. Her school burned down while she was in second grade and no one ever considered sending her back. She is content but resigned to living in the country and even says “ keep singing my church songs”. This proves she is going to keep living the same way she has her whole life no matter the changes the world will go through in the next ten years. In the end, the mother realizes Dee had a very different view of her culture then she did.
For her, her culture was more than different items made by family members such as the churn and the quilts. To the mother her culture was the tradition of passing down the skills and was something she carried with her. Which led to the mother giving the quilts to Maggie knowing she would use them and pass on the tradition of making quilts to her children hence keeping their heritage alive.
