“Everyday Use” is a story that has no father. When a father is not present to help the mother raise the children, there is confusion in the family because a child cannot ask for the father’s opinion to base his opinion on life. The children are strictly confined to the mother’s opinion and there is no one to present an opposing viewpoint. A father is supposed to be the head of the house, but in the story of “Everyday Use,” there is no father mentioned.

The mother, in this case the head of the house, makes a mis

take at the first of the story by showing favoritism toward Dee. That she favors Maggie is shown in the stanza of the mothers “dream[ing] a dream in which Dee and I are suddenly brought together on a TV program…”(116). Most families with two parents discuss amongst themselves what their doing wrong and help each other for the benefit of the child or children. In this story, the mother has no other opinions to compare to; she is stuck with her opinion in favoring Dee. If the father were around, he would tell her that this is wrong, or he would favor Maggie to equally ease the burden between the two children. Maggie is provoked to wrath by the statement of “…eyeing her sister with a mixture of envy and awe”(116).

happened in her marriage to James.

Even though fathers enjoy the pleasures women provide, they never understand the hurt and confusion they cause amongst the children they leave behind. With one parent in the household, children rise up in a lack of support from their father. Soon after the child is grown, he will blame himself unjustly because of the father’s

Some topics in this essay:
Glass Menagerie”, Mazatlan Pacific, Virginia James, , River Ohio, Tennessee Mother, “everyday use”, story “everyday use”, “everyday use” father, “the glass menagerie”, glass menagerie”, “the glass, head house, story “everyday, use” father, “second-hand man”, morals ethics, raise children,