Many times during adolescence, young adults will falter in their journey to self discovery. In Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use,” the character Dee faces similar self-dilemmas. Walker uses the theme, the journey to self discovery is often a difficult one, to relate her writing to a younger audience. In the beginning of the story it is apparent that Dee has all of the unspoken advantages of being the oldest. Maggie, the younger child, was unfortunately burned in th e fire of their first house.
Maggie was .”.. homely and ashamed of the burn scars on her arms and legs… .” (324). Because Maggie is the youngest, she looks up to her sister, but because of her injuries she feels inferior to Dee. Since her youth it was obvious that Dee had a strong desire to have nice things. Even with humble beginnings she grew up to expect only the best.
As a child her mother and the church raised the money to send her to the Augusta school. She showered them with her newfound knowledge, unaware that she was forcing her own, and other’s views on them. Unable to tell her different, her mother and sister just listened and accepted Dee’s views. Dee assuming that she was assisting her family continued with her hindrance. It was as if she fit her family into her schedule. She saw them and associated with them on her own terms.
.”.. she didn’t have much time to pay to us.” (327). However, this time when Dee came home, she had a totally different persona. She had changed both physically and mentally.
From the description of her outfit, it appears that she has African influenced garments on, and that she has allowed her hair to be in its natural state. This new beginning or “back to her roots” phase of her life is essential to the story. Dee has apparently changed her name to “Wang ero Leewanika Kemanjo.” She claims that the name “Dee,” or the person rather, is dead.