n “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker, we hear a story from the point of view of Mama, an African American woman about a visit from her daughter Dee . Mom and her other daughter Maggie still live poor in the Deep South while Dee has moved on to a more successful life. Mom and Maggie embrace their roots and heritage while Dee wants to get as far away as possible. Upon his return, Dee draws his attention to a quilt. It is this quilt and the title of the work that focuses on the concept of what it means to integrate one's culture into one's daily life. Initially, a quilt is defined as a “blanket made of scrapings and fragments sewn together to form a pattern.” » (Webster). The "Everyday Use" quilt was made by Grandma Dee, Big Dee and Mama from scraps of dresses and shirts and part of Grandpa's Civil War uniform. It is filled with memories and was hand sewn by the family. Mom suggests Dee get some more, but Dee rejects the offer because they were "machine sewn" (Walker, p. 114) and the old ones were handmade. Mom said she promised them to Maggie. Dee then responds that Maggie would be “sufficiently backward to use them on a daily basis” (Walker, p.114). Mom says she hopes Maggie uses them every day. It starts with the ways of using and abusing heritage. Mom hopes Maggie will use the quilt as a practical everyday item. She sees quilts for their functional purpose, for which they were designed to be used in everyday life. Meanwhile, Dee finds this absurd. She thinks they are too precious and priceless to be used as daily necessities. Instead, she will hang them. These two ideas of how to use quilts are complete opposites of each other. Mom finds them practical, Dee finds them fashionable...... middle of paper ...... practicality in articles. Depending on how one feels about the item, it would seem to dictate its use; like Dee wants to embrace her heritage, but not her roots, while Mama and Maggie can embrace their heritage regardless of the elements. That's why they use them in a practical way but appreciate where they come from. Works Cited Hoel, Helga. “Personal Names and Legacy: Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use.” American Studies in Scandinavia 31.1 (1999): 34-42. Rep. in News Criticism. Ed. Jelena O. Krstovic. Flight. 97. Detroit: Gale, 2007. Information Resource Center. Internet. July 24, 2010. “quilt”. Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. 2010. Merriam-Webster Online. July 24, 2010 Schakel, Peter J. and Jack Ridl. “Daily use.” Approaching literature: writing, reading, thinking. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin, 2008. 109-15. Print.