The Civil Rights Movement

The struggle for social justice which took place in the mid-twentieth century gave rise to the Civil Rights Movement. Through this movement, the blacks gained equal rights as the majority of the American people. Slavery was rather abolished before the movement but discrimination due to racial preferences did not come to an end. This form of discrimination was more rampant in the South where more African Americans were faced with racial prejudice and constant violence against them. Along with many whites, African Americans formed cultural heritage as part of the unprecedented fight for justice and equality in the country. Literal works have proven that the historical background evident in the characters life show how African Americans fought for recognition through their cultural heritage. This essay, therefore, seeks to discuss how the Civil Rights Movement influenced Alice Walker’s work in “Everyday Use”.

            In literature, the historical context is an essential part in the creation of meaning to stories, characters, and memories. The details surrounding an occurrence entail, the economic, religious, social and political conditions which exist during a given place and time enabling us to interpret and analyze literary works (Flemming 1). In “Everyday Use”, the historical background of the racial discrimination and the Civil Rights Movement influenced Alice Walker’s narration. She narrates the story of African- American heritage through the conflicted relationship between Mama and her two daughters, Maggie and Dee. Mama constantly rejects the superficial values imposed on her eldest daughter, Dee; who is rather more educated and successful. However, she supports the practical values of her younger daughter, Maggie. Maggie is rather less fortunate for growing up in a primitive environment. On a deeper level, Alice Walker explores the impact of the African American struggle and the heritage that was adored by those who underwent the struggle that shaped Mama, Dee and Maggie’s personalities and cultural acceptance.

            A strong comprehension of the historical context behind works of literature gives the reader an idea of what motivated the author to tell the story as they did. Moreover, through this comprehension, we are able to appreciate the narrative as it gives us meaning to the cause, and the outcome in a story. As Flemming (1) argues, “whether dealing with facts or fiction the historical context is crucial in the interpretation of the behavior of characters in a story.” He further argues that no works of literature can be fully understood and appreciated without the historical context attached to it. “Everyday Use” is set in the period when African Americans were struggling with the identities of heritage and culture. In the early 70s, the use of the term “negro” as used by white supremacists, was interchanged by African American enthusiasts to “black” (2). At the time many blacks in the country wanted to associate themselves with the spirit of nationalism and black pride. This association entailed the rediscovery of African roots and implied a rejection of American heritage that was accompanied by instances of injustices and racial discrimination.

            Alice Walker takes us through the struggle of mama, who portrays herself as a true African American woman. She is not accustomed to the American side of her heritage. The short story is told in the first person by the African American woman, Mama. Mama lives in the Deep South with one of her daughters, Maggie. Mama delineates herself as “a large, big-boned woman with rough man-working hands” (Walker 409).  She terms herself as a true African American woman when she states that “in the winter I wear flannel nightgowns to bed and overalls during the day, and kill a hog as mercilessly as a man” (409). Through this description of Mama’s alienation to the African side, Alice Walker’s short story leads the reader to conclude how the woman takes pride in the African aspects of her nature. Mama compares herself to a white woman through satire.

Mama has an inherent understanding of heritage based on the respect of those who came before her. This inherent understanding is evident in how she compares the pieces of fabrics in the two different quilts based on racial alienation. The quilts she wears, have a special significance in the African American struggle during the Civil War.

            In both of the scraps of dresses, Grandma Dee wore fifty and more years ago. Bits and pieces about the size of a penny matchbox that was from Great Grandpa Ezra’s uniform that he wore in the Civil War (412).

The quilts were worn to spread the significance of the struggle during the Civil Rights Movement, after the Civil War. The African American passed this quilts down the generation of family members as a symbol of African American heritage. Further, it served to remind them of how they were enslaved and are now on a more or less equal playing field in terms of rights (Keita, Jua and Lang 265). Alice Walker shows the influence of the Civil Rights Movement when the main character of the short story, comes out boldly and practically reveals how the quilts signify their heritage. Moreover, another device Walker employs that was significant during the struggle against racial segregation is the butter churn. Mama narrates how it bonds her with her ancestors.

In fact, there were a lot of small sinks, you could see where thumbs and fingers had sunk into the wood. It was a beautiful light yellow wood from a tree that grew in the yard where Stash and Big Dee had lived (412).

When she takes the dasher handle it symbolically represents the historical context of the dasher. She touches the hands of those who used the butter churn before her to show the strong bond between her and her family during the struggles. The small sinks in the butter churn are unique and meaningful since they belong to African Americans that struggled during slavery and the era of Jim Crow (Keita, Jua and Lang 270). Keita, Jua and Lang (270) argue that the instance after the Civil Rights Movement saw some African Americans acquiring second-hand Civil War butter churns (271). Some of the African Americans used them in their day to day lives as a reminder of what they underwent and to signify the bravery their relatives embraced.

            Dee, Mama’s eldest daughter, likes to call herself “Wangero” as a more superficial name, in embracing the idea of cultural heritage. Alice Walker portrays her as self-centered, beautiful and aggressive in her demands.  Walker uses Dee symbolically to signify the Black Power Movement. This movement was characterized by bright and beautiful blacks in the image of the oppressed. They were vocal in the demand for justice and equality as members of the society.

Dee, though. She would always look anyone in the eye. Hesitation was no part of her nature. She was detrained to stare down any disaster in her efforts. Her eyelids would not flicker for minutes at a time. At sixteen she had a style of her own and she knew what style she was (Walker 409).

In this quote, Walker symbolically identifies the characters of those in the Black Power Movement. When she mentions how Dee had a character of her own, she uses her to demonstrate the stance of the black pride commonly associated with the Civil Rights enthusiasts.  She challenges the reader to imagine the character of Dee and compare her with the many African-Americans that survived the hostility, despite enduring incredible hardships. In addition, Dee sees herself as an intellectual living in a higher social class than Maggie and Mama. She feels that her mother and sister need to honor her achievements as she embraces each side of her cultural heritage. She holds tight to the African heritage by calling herself “Wangero,” rather than Dee. On the other hand, she embraces the American consumer culture in the way she conducts herself during dinner time.

            In conclusion, through the characters of Maggie, Dee, and Mama; Alice Walker indirectly takes us through the struggle for equality during the Civil Rights Movement. She challenges the reader to imagine the character of Dee and compare her with the many African-Americans that survived the hostility despite enduring incredible hardships. Moreover, Walker uses the dasher handle and the quilts symbolically through the historical context of the Civil Rights Movement. She uses these items to show the strong bond between Mama and her family during the struggles of the Black Pride Movement. It is therefore clear that the historical background of “Everyday Use” influenced Alice Walker’s literary work.

Works Cited

Flemming, Grace. The Importance of Historical Context in Analysis and Interpretation. 27 September 2018. 28 November 2018. .

Keita, Sundiata, Cha Jua and Clarence Lang. "The Long Movement as Vampire: Temporal and Spatial Fallacies in Recent Black Freedom Studies."Journal of African American History 92.2 (2007): 265-288.

Walker, Alice. In Love & Trouble. San Francisco: The Library of Congress, 2004.