Out On My Own?

Alice Walker's "Everyday Use" explored a new aspect of leaving home, one that had never occured to me before. Going out into the world and becoming an independent woman is a vision many young girls fantasize about as they battle the oppression of school and parental control. Yet, Walker illustrates a darker side of the separation that occurs between mother, daughter, and sister, as a young woman seeks a better life many miles from her drab childhood.

Dee (Wangero) appears to crave a lifestyle that reflects only the decades of her heritage which she finds trendy and socially accepted. As she forces her way into the "real" world, Dee (Wangero) deserts her reality. She is too embarrassed to see the bravery of her mother as she tries to let her daughter live a life she never could, and the sincerity and loyalty of her kind sister. Dee (Wangero) deserts the label that ties her to her less favorable heritage and chooses a name that relates to her deeper African roots. Although it may seem laudable to the reader that this young woman has emerged from her humble upbringing to redefine herself, Walker shows how Dee (Wangero) is actually an embarrassment to the hard work and goodness of her family. In her quest to discover her heritage, she looks foolish. Dee (Wangero)'s attempt to get in touch with her roots only results in a showcase of her greed and ignorance.

Dee (Wangero) is an example of the overzealous young woman who will stop at nothing to severe the strings that attach her to her unavoidable truth. She cannot escape her bloodline by being called an exotic name or dating a radical man. Dee (Wangero) can never truly be her own woman until she accepts that her past has made her what she is, and that her future will always be affected by the events which have created her character thus far. Although letting go seems to be easy for Dee, it is obvious that she has not let go of the embarrassment of her mother and sister, or the disdain for their way of life. She arrogantly states to Maggie that "[i]t's really a new day for us. But from the way you and Mama still live you'd never know it," which only reveals an immaturity and lack of understanding on Dee's part. Dee (Wangero) may choose to live her life in a different, more modern way, but she can never grow up until she can accept that where she came from is integral to who she is. It is evident this lack of understanding leads to Dee (Wangero)'s rudeness and disrespect she displays toward her sister and her mother. To truly grow up would require Dee (Wangero) to appreciate her mother and sister, even if she does not agree with their lifestyle.

Dee (Wangero) is a stranger in her own home, a wannabe who wants acceptance but cannot embrace her own family. Dee (Wangero) does not understand that sometimes the bravest women of all are those who sacrifice any aspirations they might possess to care for their family. Dee (Wangero) defines a successful woman as one who is independent with the privilege of controlling her future, yet could it be that her mother's ability to raise a woman with these opportunities is not the greatest success of all?


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