In "Everyday Use," compare and contrast Maggie and Dee.
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Seen through the eyes of their mother, Dee and Maggie have more differences than similarities. Dee's very presence makes Maggie uncomfortable; their mother notes that Maggie will "stand hopelessly in corners, homely and ashamed of the burn scars down her arms and legs, eying her sister with a mixture of envy and awe." While Dee seems to thrive, living a life that never says no to her, Maggie merely survives it with the support of her mother. She is neither bright nor beautiful, and she has spent her life living in the shadow of Dee's successes.
Dee felt it her duty when younger to try to better educate her sister (and mother), forcing Maggie to sit and listen to a "lot of knowledge [she] didn't necessarily need to know." Unlike her sister, Dee wants nice things from an early age and tells her mother that she could never bear to bring her "friends" to see where her family lives. Maggie is most comfortable in her home with her mother, enjoying the security that it allows her.
The sisters...
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