Instant Access To 100,000+ Essays!

Heritage does not consist of material possessions and objects, but rather the history, culture and traditions that are passed from one generation to the next. This is the theme of the short essay “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker. She establishes her theme through the character development of Mama, Maggie and Dee. Walker reveals her feelings about heritage by contrasting the characters of Mama and Maggie with that of Dee. Walker uses the characters of Maggie and Mama and their relationship to portray what true heritage is. Maggie is the daughter actually listening to the stories of her ancestors and learning the customs and traditions of her people. When Dee is seizing possession of the churn top, it is Maggie who is able to recall that “Aunt Dee’s first husband whittled the dash…His name was Henry, but they called him Stash,”(Walker