Everyday Use Group

Question:

wade88
wade88
Student
Graduate School

Why does the mother compare her daughters to different animals? What does this reveal about her attitudes toward Dee and Maggie?

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Posted by wade88 on Tuesday March 3, 2009 at 2:15 PM and tagged with characters, dee, everyday use, maggie, mother, symbolism.

Answers:

  1. accessteacher
    accessteacher Teacher
    High School - 10th Grade

    eNotes Editor

    One of the central descriptions of Maggie is her mother's image of her as "a lame animal". This description captures Maggie's attitude, her lack of self-confidence and self-belief and her way of interacting with others. We can see this when she falls back, backing away from her brother-in-law's embrace with fear, and her giving in to her sister's request for the quilts so quickly.

    The mother uses animal comparisons to describe Dee's new appearance: her hair "stands up like the wool on a sheep" and it has two long pigtails "that rope about like lizards". These comparisons serve to reinforce the strangeness of Dee's appearance to her mother now that she has embraced her cultural African past. She appears different, exotic and unusual.

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/everyday-use

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    Posted by accessteacher on Saturday March 14, 2009 at 6:53 AM