Point of View in Everyday Use by Alice Walker Essay

Point of View in Everyday Use by Alice Walker Point of view is described as the perspective from which a story is told (Literature, G25). In the story Everyday Use the point of view is that of first person narrator or major character. The story is told by the mother in the story. The theme of this story is that of a mother who is trying to cope with changing times and two daughters who are completely different. Having the story told from mommas point of view helps to reveal how momma feels about herself and how she defines her daughters Dee and Maggie. Everyday Use is told from mommas point of view which helps to reveal how she feels about herself. Momma feels that she is an uneducated person, she says I never had†¦show more content†¦Reading this story from mommas point of view creates the feeling that one is in the story. The reader can feel and picture every character in the story. Mommas point of view defines how she feels about her daughters and the degrees of separation that exist between the two girls. Momma describes Maggie as a partially educated child who does not look as appealing as her older sister. Maggie was burned in a house fire that left her scared all over her body. She does not wear revealing clothes, nor does she attract men as Dee does. Dee, on the other hand, is described as an educated young woman who is ready to take on any and every adventure. Momma says that Dee used to read to her and Maggie without pity (94). She describes Dee as the stylish child; she always prepared dresses out of mommas old suits and is always up on the current style. Momma likes the different qualities Dee possesses, but she is slightly threatened because they are unfamiliar to her. From the description that momma gives of her daughters the reader can feel the differences that exist in her thoughts about her daughters. Alice Walker uses point of view incredibly sound in her story Everyday Use. The character momma presents just enough information about the characters so thatShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of The Flowers, By Alice Walker1525 Words   |  7 Pageswas how Alice Walker grew up. She has written stories about her life, and stories that have had an impact on her life based on how she grew up. The two short stories The Flowers and Everyday Use have a common theme of feeling comfortable, safe, and at peace when one is home. Walker uses diction, syntax, and characterization to develop this common theme in her writing. 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