Everyday Use

This story is ridiculous. If I decided I would change my name to Patrick Conor McO'Brien, become a potato farmer, develop an affinity for Guinness, and call anyone I don't care for a Knobjockey so that I can reconnect with the heritage of my ancestors, most people would think I was being quite silly. I am not Irish. I am American. I did not ask to be American; it is simply the culture that has been placed upon me, just the same as any other American, regardless of their fleshy hue. Our heritage and culture is American. Dee should embrace the heritage of her real, true family, not that of her ancestors from centuries ago.

Rant over.

Wants the point of this story? I haven't the foggiest. Here's something I picked up on. Dee/Wangero feels the need to define herself and her heritage with tangible objects: the quilts, the butter churn, and the dasher. She places a great emphasis on material possessions, she can't remember her family without something real, something actual. Maggie is of course the direct foil to this; she states simply "I can 'member Grandma Dee without the quilts." Maggie doesn't need anything actual, she just needs memories. So, since Dee/Wangero is portrayed as a generally obnoxious, bossy, and unlikeable character, this certainly seems to imply that the author is condemning a culture that places emphasis on material objects as opposed to human interaction.

This blog post is Brilliant!