| dc.description.abstract | "Everyday Use" is a short story settled on the Sixties; an important decade which
challenged the American social values. The short story was written by Alice Walker, a
writer who belongs to the reduced group of
black women writers who
managed to made
their
voice universal. The short story contains a rich thematic and a wide symbology
concerning African-American heritage, family values and family relationships. Hence,
this paper attempts to analyze the treatment of these subjects taking into account the importance of the period the story takes place, the perspectives offered by the different
characters and the role of the narrator. In order to do so, I will begin by revising the
context of the short story so as to demonstrate the repercussion the
decade
of the 1960s
had on the values addressed in the short story. In like manner, in an attempt to clarify
the antecedents of the subjects discussed in "Everyday Use," I will examine the life and
influences of Alice Walker, especially focusing on Zora Neale Hurston, the precursor of
the contemporary group of female African-American writers, who previously dealt with
themes such as African-American heritage and folklore. Subsequently, I will discuss the
importance and the function of the narrator since it turns
out to be a crucial factor
regarding the understanding and
the interpretation of the story. As an essential part of
the story which determines the fate of the events, and
which consequently
helps me
constructing
my interpretation, I analyze the role of the
three women of the short story
as heritage and folklore keepers both through the symbols appearing in the story and their opposite identities. I conclude the paper by stating that each character in the story
appreciates her legacy and family values from different perspectives. However, being
the mother the narrator and the guide of the story, she becomes also the judge, and
hence, the figure who helps us reaching
the significance of the story. | |
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