The story "Everyday Use"
by Alice Walker introduces the reader to three main characters who have
specific traits that make each of them unique and very different from one
another. However, when these characters are looked at through a psychoanalytic
lens the motive that drives each characters behavior in the story becomes
clear. This allows one to see that, even though they may be different in
personality, they actually share many similarities psychologically.
The three main characters are:
1.
Mama
2.
Maggie
3.
Dee (Wangero)
Maggie
Core Issue: Maggie's core issues are, first she has low self-esteem
and second she is insecure or has unstable sense of self. The reason these are Maggie’s
cores issues are...
1.
She has burned skin which was caused
by the fire in the old house.
2.
Maggie hasn't acquired any of the
things her sister has accomplished.
3.
Maggie's body image.
Defenses: Maggie’s primary defense is Avoidance, Maggie takes all her insecurities,
she represses them and then she avoids people as if her low self-esteem does
not exist. Maggie represses her low self-esteem because she hasn't dealt with
it. She allows her sister to get away with everything, even though Maggie is a member
of the family it seems as if whatever her sister (Dee) says goes. Mama does whatever
it takes to make sure Dee is happy, and even wants to share a bond with her
however, Maggie is the one with injuries, and she is the one with the bad eye
sight and burned skin from the fire. Instead of Mama making her happy she goes
after Dee and Maggie’s just sits back and allows it.
During the end of the story when Dee
tried to take Maggie’s inheritance, which were some old quilts given to her by
her grandmother. Maggie once again was willing to allow her to do so, the
passage stated "She can have them, Mama," she said, like nobody used
to never winning anything, or having anything reserved for her. "I can
'member Grandma Dee without the quilts." (Walker 281). The tone in her
voice sounds like someone who is use to situations like this, loosing without
putting up a fight, she has made her repression and low self-esteem her new
normal. She avoids people before they can point it out.
Maggie is always trying to avoid
people in the story, she is always hiding, trying to avoid eye contact and any
sort of interaction with anyone who doesn't, in a way, remind her of herself, Hence
the reason her and Mama get along so well.
Maggie and Family: The first connection that can be made between Maggie's
family and her core issues is found from her mother. I previously stated that
Maggie does not interact well with people who don’t remind her of herself,
however, her relationship between her and her mother, at certain times seem to flourish.
First let's consider the setting, it's somewhere in the south in a rual
community and it's either early or mid-1900's. Second let's take the first
family member Mama; looking at her character we can tell that Mama experience
slavery times or racial discrimination at a certain point because the text explains
her reactions clearly when she was having her day dream about having a reunion
with Dee on the Johnny Carson show. She could not believe it could happen
because it's not like her to look white men in the eye. She stated "who
can even imagine me looking a strange white man in the eye? It seems to me I
have talked to them always with one foot raised in flight, with my head turned
in whichever way is futheresst from them." (Walker, pg. 275).
This proves a lot, because this
behavior is what Mama grew up with, even though Maggie has low self-esteem she
also looks down on the ground when she walks just like Mama. Just because a
person has low self-esteem does not mean they have disregard having eye
contact, this could be something Maggie picked up from Mama by watching her.
They practically do the same thing, maybe that’s why they get along so well.
The second family member is Dee, while reading the book I noticed that Dee and
Maggie are completely opposite to one another. Dee is pretty, confident and
educated however Maggie has scars, low self-esteem, and stubbles upon words
when she tries to read to Mama (Walker, pg. 276).
The text states "Maggie will be
nervous until after her sister goes; she will stand hopelessly in corners,
homely and ashamed of the burn scars down her arms and legs, eyeing her sister
with a mixture of envy and awe. She thinks her sister has held life always in
the palm of one hand, that "no" is a word the world never learned to
say to her". (Walker, pg. 274). I can see that Dee's trait makes Maggie
unsure of herself, she feels inferior to her sister, so much that she is nervous
around her own sister until she leaves the home. Dee's talents and
accomplishments creates uncertainty in Maggie’s mind, she is not certain if she
is good enough because she hasn't accomplish anything close to what Dee has
accomplished, education wise, she is insecure because she does not look as
pretty and is not as confident.
In conclusion even though Maggie has
low self-esteem and is insecure or has unstable sense of self, the burning of
the fire may have been the foundation to low self-esteem however, Mama's old
habits help build on to her low self-esteem and even made it seem normal. Then
Dee's beauty, brains, and dominant personality helped build Maggie’s insecurities.
1.
The reason Maggie has low self-esteem
is because she was burned by the fire which left ugly scars on her skin, but
she has allowed those scars to become her identity. She has now become someone
with insecurities and uncertainties about herself; she is so use to it that she
doesn't even realize it when she is showing a sign of low self-esteem or
insecurities until someone points it out. The scene that best portray this is
in the text when Maggie asks her mother how she looks in her outfit but she
does not display enough of herself for Mama to see, she hide but she still
seeks someone's opinion on her looks. She has become so accustomed to hiding
she even does it at a time when she is seeking for someone to look at her, the
text states "how do I look Mama?' Maggie says, showing just enough of her
thin body enveloped in pink skirt and red blouse for me to know she's there,
almost hidden by the door. "Come out into the yard", I say."
(Walker, pg.275).
2.
Another thing that builds on to
Maggie's low self-esteem and or, insecurities is the fact that Dee Maggie’s
sister has acquired much knowledge which has made her very popular amongst
different people and given her loads of confidence. Maggie may be feeling as if
she is not good enough because where she started off in life is where she still
is, at home helping out with Mama, while Dee goes to school and travels. The
text states "Sometimes Maggie reads to me. She stumbles along good
naturedly but can't see well. She knows she is not bright. Like good looks and
money, quickness passed her by." (Walker, pg. 276).
Later on in the story we get an even
better understanding of Maggie's insecurities because later in the story we can
how serious Maggie’s condition is. Even when she knows something she has no
confidence in her to speak out boldly, the scene that best depicts this
behavior is stated to say "uh huh", she said happily. "And I
want the dasher, too."
"Uncle Buddy whittle that, too?" asked the barber.
Dee (Wangero) looked up at me.
"Aunt Dee's first husband
whittled the dash," said Maggie so low you almost couldn't hear her."
(Walker pg. 279). This part shows us even when Maggie knows she is right she
lacks the confidence to speak up for people to hear.
3. Maggie's body image is also very
important in understanding the kind of person portrayed in this text. The best
scene where we can find this is during the middle of the story when Dee returns
home. Even before Maggie saw her sister she was rushing to hind in the house
before Dee stepped out the car. The story states "Maggie attempts to make
a dash for the house, in her shuffling way, but I stay her with my hand. “Come
back her," I say. And she stops and tries to dig a well in the sand with
her toes." (Walker, pg. 227).
Maggie's avoidance can also be tied
back to the core issues. She avoids people because she does not have pride in herself
worth. This could primarily be because of herself image. During the beginning
of the story Mama describes her daughter Maggie's in some very unattractive
words, she states "Have you ever seen a lame animal, perhaps a dog run
over by some careless person rich enough to own a car, sidle up to someone who
is ignorant enough to be kind to him? That's how my Maggie walks. She has been
like this, chin on chest, eyes on ground, feet in shuffle, ever since the fire
that burned the other house down." (Walker, pg. 275).
Mama
Core Issue: Mama's core issue is
insecure or unstable sense of self. This is evident especially when Mama
expresses herself throughout the narration of the story, which is directed
towards the reader and not the people who need to hear her the most, her
family.
1.
Mama's description of herself
2.
The way she has allowed her past to
hold her back from being the woman and mother she wishes to be.
3.
Mama's inability to change anything
in her life, she does not progress she just stays the way she is in the same
situation she is in.
Defense: Mama's main defense mechanism is Avoidance because she
tends to avoid many things in her life, the things that she can clearly see are
going wrong but she does not intercede, she avoids having conversation about
them with the other characters. However, when she speaks like a narrator it's
like the reader is getting a chance to read Mama's brain because she exposes
everything she wishes she could do, or the things she regret not doing because
she was too busy avoiding them. Two examples of when she did this in the story
is first, when she meets Hakim a. Barber and she avoids asking her daughter Dee
the questions an average mother would ask her child who has been away at school
for years and comes home with a stranger. The text states "(They didn't
tell me, and I didn't ask, whether Wangero (Dee) had really gone and married
him.)" (Walker, pg. 279). Even though Dee is her daughter Mama seems to be
unsure of herself when it comes to speaking up, she doesn't tell her own
daughter how she feels so in the end she avoids the whole thing.
Another example of Mama using this defense
mechanism is seen again with her daughter Dee however, it's at an earlier part
of the story when Dee is young and the first house was burning down. Her focus
on the flames lead Mama to infer that Dee was happy to see that house in flames
however she held back her questions towards Dee. The passages states
"...her face as she watched the last dingy gray board of the house fall in
towards the red-hot brick chimney. Why don't you do a dance around the ashes?
I'd wanted to ask her. She had hated the house that much." (Walker, pg.
276). Mama has an urge to understand her daughter, she wants to speak and have
a better relationship with her however, and she gets insecure about her
questions and just ends up avoiding them.
Mama and Family: When it comes to family impacting your life and building
on to your core issues and defense mechanisms there is one main advocate who
does that for Mama and that person is Dee. Maggie has low self-esteem so she
doesn't really challenge Mama. Maggie and Mama are kind of the same because
they don't speak up about how they feel because they are insecure, even though
Maggie's condition is a bit more severe then Mama's. However, Dee is completely
opposite to Mama, she is the one that gets Mama to think about the things she
wishes she could do, she is the one that Mama wishes she could be more like.
There is a scene in the story where Mama is describing herself and does a
comparison between Dee and herself and it sounds as if she wishes to be more
like Dee. The Passage states "Who can imagine me looking a strange white
man in the eye? It seems to me I have talked to them always with one foot
raised in flight, with my head turned in whichever way is furthest from them.
Dee, though. She would always look anyone in the eye. Hesitation was no part of
her nature." (Walker, pg. 274). Mama likes the fact that Dee has
confidence, something she wishes she could have obtained, however, when it
comes to telling her daughter how she feels she feels unsure about herself and
avoids the whole conversation.
1.
Mama's description of herself really
gives the reader a first-hand account about the person Mama is. In the story
Mama describes herself as the woman she wishes she could be then her
insecurities kick in and she tells the readers who she is however her tone is
very negative. She starts of by day dreaming herself and Dee on the Johnny
Carson show embracing each other, and then she states "In real life I am a
large, big-boned woman with rough, man-working hands. In the winter I wear
flannel nightgowns to bed and overalls during the day. ...I am the way my
daughter wants me to be: a hundred pounds lighter, my skin like an uncooked
barley pancake. My hair glistens in the hot bright lights. Johnny Carson has
much to keep up with my quick and witty tongue." (Walker, pg. 275). This
description is full of insecurities however, Mama keeps it covered by avoiding
such thoughts especially when she states "But that is a mistake. I know
even before I wake up." (Walker, pg. 275)
2.
Due to the fact that Mama grew up in
a time where African Americans could not look whites in the eye she has been
left with that impression and still looks down when she talks. Another thing is
the old house that burnt down looks like the new houses they live in. Even
after the years that Dee went away to school Mama's living conditions and life
has not changed. She is still living the same way she did for years. The text
states "I have deliberately turned my back on the house like the one that
burned, except the roof is tin; they don't make shingle roofs any more...No doubt
when Dee sees it she will want to tear it down" (Walker, pg.276). Mama
seems to have a personality that does not want to progress, it wants to keep its
old ways, so her feeling inferior to whites and staying in her poor condition
just adds on to how insecure she is about herself, even to a point where change
has become nonexistent in her life.
Dee
Core issue: Dee's core issue is, she
is insecure or unstable of sense of self. The reason this is her core issue is
because throughout the story we see Dee changing herself so she will not be
like Mama and Maggie. She dresses well, is educated, and loves being outside of
her comfort zone. However, near the end of the story Dee comes back from school
and she is dressed differently, she is dressed in a way that embraces the
African Culture, she goes as far as changing her name so she can be
"closer to her roots" but in the end the reader is left asking
themselves "who is Dee?" Is she the self-proclaimed intellectual who
wants to be better than Mama and modernize with the rest of the world or is she
just another so called "advocate" for African Americans and their
heritage.
1.
How she is described by Mama in the
beginning of the story
2.
How she is in the end
Defenses: Projection, Dee has a
problem with self-identification, she does not know who is wants to be but she
blames Mama for not knowing or understanding who she is and where she comes
from. At the end of the text when Mama finally stands up for Maggie and gives
her the inheritance that Dee was trying to take because she said that Maggie won’t
understand the meaning of the beautiful handmade quilts, Dee gets upset.
However instead of going after something else that will remind her of her
heritage she gets in a car with her friend and puts on sunglasses that cover
her face. This is kind of symbolic to her personality because it's saying I'm
still hiding behind materialistic items which mean nothing. The text states
"What don't I understand?" I wanted to know.
"Your heritage," she said.
And then turned to Maggie, kissed her, and said "You ought to try to make
something out of yourself, too, Maggie. It's really a new day for us. But from
the way you and Mama still live you'd never know it." She put on some
sunglasses that hid everything above the tip of her nose to her chin. (Walker,
pg. 281).
Dee and family
In this story Dee may perceive to be
a complex character however, if the reader really analyzes her they may come to
discover that Dee may just be a person who was looking for acceptance. Dee is
the only one in her family who in a sense if different. Different meaning she tries
to stand out from Mama and Maggie not because she doesn't love them but she
thinks they need to grasp the opportunities that the world is giving them. Even
though they live in a poor rural area Dee in the text is mentioned to
"...wanted nice things. A yellow dress to wear to her graduation from high
school; black pumps to match a green suit she'd made from an old suit somebody
gave me. She was determined to stare down any disaster in her efforts."
(Walker, pg. 276).
She didn't want to look or be poor
she wanted something better for herself and believe it or not, for her family
as well. Mama in the text assumed that Dee hated their old house and may have
been happy to see it burnt down and because the new house resembled the old
one. Mama assumed she will want to tear it down, the text states "No doubt
when Dee sees it she will want to tear it down." (Walker, pg. 276). Mama
and Maggie don't dress the way Dee does or act the way she does either, so Dee
may think that Mama and Maggie has allowed poverty to drag them down but Dee on
the other had was not going to allow that to happen to her, and she really
wanted to change them as well. The text states "She washed us in a river
of make-believe, burned us with a lot of knowledge we didn't necessarily need
to know." (Walker, pg. 276). I believe that Maggie and Mama's current
situation influenced Dee to try harder to break free from that poverty stricken
community.
1.
Dee is described to be a very
beautiful young woman who wants to stand out, and is very ambitious to break
free from her current poor living situation and make something out of her life.
Even Mama in the beginning of the story is day dreaming of a time when she and
Dee will be on television and she will be embracing her talented daughter while
Dee is loving and thanking her for all the wonderful things Mama has done for
her. The text states "Sometimes I dream a dream in which Dee and I are
suddenly brought together on a tv program of this sort...Then we are on the
stage and Dee is embracing me with tears in her eyes." (Walker, pg. 275).
Trying to live up to these qualities that Mama has seen and admires can
sometimes bring pressure on the person. At times it can make the person insecure;
however Dee portrays a strong sense of self, which is how she covers up her
insecurities.
2.
At the end of the story when Dee
returns back home with a new male friend she has changed completely in image
and in mind. She use to want to break free from the so called things that held
her back like her home, presentation of her family, and farm like life style
that Mama and Maggie lived. However, when she comes back she is dressed
differently with vibrant colors and is now trying to cherish everything that
has to do with their home and Mama and Maggie’s life style because now she
calls it her heritage. Also her male friend also encourages her on her search
to find things in Mama and Maggie's home that symbolize the heritage Dee has
recently realized she had. The text goes on to say "Oh, Mama!" she
cried. Then turned to Hakim -a-barber. "I never knew how lovely these
benches are. You can feel the rump prints, she said, running her hands
underneath her and along the bench. Then she gave a sigh..." (Walker, pg.
279). In this scene the reader can tell that Dee need assurance before she can
touch the benches but not from the people that own them, she needs it from her
male friend Hakim -a-barber, she looks at him before she gets all dramatic with
the benches.
