What could be a thesis statement for the short story "Everyday Use"?
In her short story “Everyday Use,” Alice Walker uses a first-person narrator who is the mother of two very different daughters. One has stayed home near her mother in their rural Southern community, while the other has gone off to college in the North. A succinct thesis statement for the story would be that individuals in the same family can develop highly distinct attitudes toward their family and to their racial and cultural heritage. Although the family members—in this case two sisters—shared most experiences growing up, a few key differences between the girls strongly influenced their views of these important aspects of their lives. When Wangero, formerly called Dee, returns home, the vast extent of the sisters’ divergence becomes even more obvious to their mother. The young women’s attitudes toward the handmade quilts highlight these differences.
In her absence, Wangero has developed a strong appreciation of her family’s...
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African American roots and a keen awareness of the oppression that was inflicted on them. That appreciation includes objects of material culture, especially the quilts made by her grandmother. She is especially interested in them as handmade works of art. She will treasure and admire them by hanging them on the wall:
“Maggie can’t appreciate these quilts!” she said. “She’d probably be backward enough to put them to everyday use …”
“Well … what would you do with them?” [her mother asks]
“Hang them!” she said. As if that was the only thing you could do with quilts.
The mother had thought to give the quilts to the other sister, Maggie, upon her upcoming marriage. When Maggie realizes how much these objects mean to her sister, she defers to her. Although her mother senses that she is giving in to Wangero’s dominant personality, it is quickly revealed that her understanding of the quilts is more involved with family and memory:
She can have them, Mama … I can ‘member Grandma Dee without the quilts.
References
What is a suitable thesis statement for Dee in "Everyday Use?"
Of course, it depends what you are trying to say about Dee. When you are writing a thesis statement about a literary work, it is important to consider using the title or author, a strong verb, and a position you have about what you are writing about.
In this case, a variety of thesis statements might work for you:
1. Walker's "Everyday Use" illustrates Dee's struggle for identity by juxtaposing her quest for a new identity against her family's desire for maintaining culture and heritage.
In this case, you could write a healthy first body paragraph about how Dee is venturing on her own and seeking to use the family's heirlooms for art, while your second body paragraph could express her mother and sister's urging to keep the items for everyday use.
2. Dee's character in Walker's "Everyday Use" illustrates the themes of heritage, materialism, and identity.
This simpler thesis sets the writer up to thematically explore her character throughout the storyline.
What could be a thesis statement for the relationships between Mama and her daughters in Alice Walker's "Everyday Use"?
A good way to begin organizing a paper on the relationship between Mama and her daughters is to annotate the story. Mark what Mama has to say about her daughters: how they carry themselves, what is important to them, how they treat her, how they treat each other, what they seem to want from their lives, and how Mama feels about all those descriptions.
A pattern should suggest itself once the annotation is complete. It seems, for instance, that Mama has always understood that Dee was a bit full of herself, but until Dee is so ungracious about helping herself to family heirlooms, Mama is willing to overlook Dee's arrogance. The quilts seem to be the breaking point. A thesis statement for this type of observation could look something like this:
Though Mama has a realistic perspective on both her daughters and is willing to accept them as they are, she draws a hard line when Dee's overreaching is hurtful to Maggie.
Use the annotation to organize the topic sentences that will drive the paragraphs in the essay.