A Common Ground, Essay Example

The short story, “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker, is a tale of survival and strength among a poor, black family living in the rural south. The story opens in the front yard of the family’s house as Mama Johnson and her daughter Maggie await the arrival of Dee, the sister who escaped to the city years ago. The setting is a simple family farmhouse, rebuilt after the last one was destroyed in a fire. The characters of Maggie and Dee appear to be radically different. However, there is more similarity between these sisters than even they would want to admit. The characters of Maggie and Dee are similar as they share a common ancestry, they both have considerable pride in their family heritage, and they both are strong-willed which led them to survive despite the hardships life brings them.

The first example of Maggie and Dee’s similarity is they share a common ancestry. Both Maggie and Dee were raised by their mother, who was a strong, independent black woman who “never had an education” (841). However, she possessed an incredible amount of knowledge on life, and more specifically life on a farm. Maggie and Dee both have common ancestors who share a part in influencing the women that the young girls would grow up to be. Dee is named after her mother’s sister. Dee is a name that has significant history throughout the family. An example of this is when Walker writes, “probably could have carried it back beyond the Civil War through the branches” (843). Equally as important, Maggie has learned the skill of quilting from her ancestors. Quilting is an important tradition in the family. Maggie’s mother explains that some of the quilts were actually made of “scraps of dresses Grandma Dee had worn fifty and more years ago” (844). Due to these similarities, it is clear that Maggie and Dee both had an important ancestral influence in their lives.

Besides the family ancestry, Maggie and Dee are similar because both women had immense pride in their family heritage. When Dee arrives for a visit, she is ecstatic to see the family. Her mother tells us that Dee takes pictures with her Polaroid “of me sitting there in front of the house with Maggie cowering behind me” (842). After dinner, Dee begins to ask her mother for many of the family antiques around the house to show how proud she is of her family heritage.  In comparison, Maggie shows her pride of her family’s heritage through maintaining a detailed knowledge of the history behind each piece of the quilt and the whittler of the dasher. When Dee’s friend Hakim ask who the whittler of the dasher is, it is Maggie who replies, “Aunt Dee’s first husband whittled the dash…His name was Henry, but they called him Stash” (844). Dee’s pride in her heritage is shown through her appreciation of antique items. Maggie’s pride in her family heritage is shown by the traditional way she lives her life.  Maggie keeps the family’s history in her heart and in her mind. Equally as important, Dee shows her pride for her heritage through displaying the antiques openly on the walls and tables. Dee’s view of her heritage is summed up nicely in her statement, “I can use the chute top as a centerpiece for the alcove table… and I’ll think of something artistic to do with the dasher” (844). It is clear that both Maggie and Dee have pride in their heritage, but each has chosen to display their pride differently.

Maggie and Dee are also similar in that they are both strong willed-individuals. Dee’s strength is apparent from her willful nature. Dee’s mother says that “Dee would always look anyone in the eye. Hesitation was no part of her nature” (840). “She was determined to stare down any disaster in her efforts” (841). Dee is not afraid to stand her ground or speak her mind. She never cowards down to anyone.  Though less apparent, Maggie has a spirit just as strong. She lives through the trauma of almost being burned alive in her home, escaping with a body full of “burn scars down her arms and legs” (840). Maggie’s strength is seen through her inner will to survive despite the traumatizing fire she lives through. Both Maggie and Dee share a similarity because they are both strong willed-women.

Dee and Maggie share many traits. Their similarities can be seen through their common ancestries, pride in their family heritage, and their strong-willed spirits. Being raised in the rural south provides the girls with the knowledge of hard work and dedication. Surviving their house fire shows the girls ability to survive in the face of adversity. Maggie and Dee’s pride in their family heritage is shown through their knowledge and appreciation of the antiques Mama has. Maggie and Dee’s similarities show they have a common ground.