... trying to flee from something. A person's life echoes her upbringing, unless she does everything in her power to get away. In the short story "Everyday Use" by Alice Walker, her character Dee portrays the need to escape. Dee was ashamed of her family and their heritage, self-absorbed, and greedy. Dee came from a poor, lower ... the last dingy gray board of the house fall in toward 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." Dee moved away before her mother and sister found another house to live in. Dee fe...

• Word Count: 610
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... back at their family heritage to gain knowledge of their ancestry. Every tradition is bound by different values and beliefs which make it unique to each family. Alice Walker's short story, "Everyday Use" explores the values and beliefs of a middle-aged black woman and her two daughters, Maggie and Dee. In this ... so badly? It becomes apparent when Dee sets her eyes upon Grandma Dee's butter dish. "That's it!" she said "I knew there was something I wanted to ask you if I could have" (69). Her motive to visit became clear when she thoughtlessly requested a few items that were still used by...

• Word Count: 1115
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School