“How does Alice Walker’s stories represents heritage conflict in the 1970s?

Alice carriage is a contemporary Afro-Ameri bathroom generator who is renowned for her feminist beliefs and the manner in which she reflects her views of the inheritance of black Ameri tail women in her prose and stories. This essay explores devil of Walkers crops, Roselily and Everyday Use, twain of which appeared in Walkers collection of short stories entitled, In Love and raise up in 1973. The paper examines the mien in which the heritage conflict of the 1970s is stand for and symbolized in both of these stories.Alice Walkers short flooring Everyday Use, appeared in her. The paper was predominantly concerned with the concept of heritage and addresses the way in which traditional values, culture and beliefs dismiss be lose as a result of the pressure or desire to fit into other cultures and belief systems. deep down the story conflicting views of the importance of heritage are testifyed through the characters of the prose and the way in which they interact with the unremarkable items of their home.In Roselily the theme of heritage is perhaps a little more subtle, with the story containing other, more prominent themes such as isolation and loneliness, male domination and inner turmoil. This story tells the tale of Roselily, an African America charwoman who is to marry a Muslim man and centers around her thoughts and feelings as the wedding takes place. In Everyday Use, the story is told through the eyes of mammary gland and key messages and statements are made through the representation of her two daughters, Dee and Maggie.Whereas Mama represents a solid, cautious and thoughtful character, Dee is portrayed as frivolous and superficial, someone who is unable to look beyond the surface of the world in which she lives. Her actions and behavior have a profound effect on her infant who appears to walk in Dees shadow feeling ugly and worthless. The main characters of Roselily and, as with Mama in Everyday Things, everything is told from her pers pective.Whilst the man to whom she will marry is mentioned, he is never named, his presence in the story is on that point to represent a new life for Roselily, away from her departed and her independence She thinks of ropes, chains, handcuffs, his religion (Walker, 1). In both pieces of paternity the views of the individual characters are utilized to ensure that the importance of the heritage of Afro-Americans is not only recognize but that it is understood in the correct way. In Everyday Things the story is structured around the way in which each of the three characters views their heritage.Dee, successful and intelligent, feels the need to be progressive and modern and expresses embarrassment of her past. She feels that anything that occurred in her past is irrelevant to her current and rising life and appears to pick and choose the elements of her play down with which she wishes to affinitize herself with. Her African background, for example, exists to her as something thr ough which she can achieve aesthetic or artistic objectives. An example of this can be seen in the way she changes her name from what she believes to be an American name, Dee, to Wangero Leewamika Kemanjo.Although here her intentions are to try and associate herself with her tradition and background there is an irony to her rejection of the name Dee that, in itself, was more closely aligned with her African roots than she recognized. throw out evidence of Dees superficial embracement of her African culture can be seen within her appearance and the way in which she attempts to affiliate herself with her African background and form a statement about the culture from consequently she originated A dress down to the ground, yellows and oranges enough to throw back the light of the sun.Earrings gold, too. Bracelets dangling and making noises. (183, Walker). Dee is represent very differently from her sister and her mother and it is clear that their unique perceptions are purposely re hearsed by Alice Walker to represent conflicting views of heritage. This is played out through their relationship with the various items that are present in the family home. Whilst not of any financial value, the value that each of the characters places upon them is of significance. The quilts can be used as an example of this. disrespect the fact that they have no monetary value to speak of, each daughter would care to have them. Dee sees them as something that she can display in her city residence. They act as a mechanism through which she hopes she can show off her African background to her family and friends. For Maggie, they are everyday objects that she needs to use to survive whilst living in her current circumstances there are no real windows, only some hole cut in the side with rawhide holding the shutters up on the outside (Walker, 90). Despite their tatty appearance, the quilts are still of use to her in keeping her warm.Mama sees even further into the quilts, for her they represent her past and hold valuable memories of her family In both of them were scraps of dresses Grandma Dee had worn fifty and more days ago. Bits and pieces of Grandpa Jarrells Paisley shirts. And one teeny faded blue piece, about the size of a cent matchbox, that was from Great Grandpa Ezras uniform that he wore during the Civil War (Walker, 93). The quilts represent the history and heritage of the family and the struggles they have endured and overcome in order to survive in their current state.However, through the actions of Mama when she gives the quilts to Maggie, Alice Walker demonstrates her belief that heritage isnt something to preserved and worshiped as something of the past. It is a living, breathing element of life as it continues to develop and flourish not in Africa but in present day USA. In Roselily, the writing is structured entirely around the thoughts of the protagonist and she goes through the wedding ceremony. She is looking to her heritage, and her pa st, in order to make sense of her present and what may become of her in the future.Although the wedding and accompanying issues pertaining to women and their relationship with men takes forefront, the story also contains strong messages about the history and heritage of afro-American women. The story takes place at a time where the rights of blacks and whites in America were considered to be equal. Walker, however, does not seem to be in agreement with this and Roselilys thoughts and stories clearly depict the lives of black women as being slaves to both men and to the system.For Roselily this is captured by her arduous work in the sewing factory and the many unsuccessful relationships she has had. Despite the civil rights movement she remains a substandard citizen, there appears to be no equality for African-American women. Whilst Roselily yearns for something better for herself and her children, she does not know how this can be achieved, Her place will be in the home he has said, repeatedly, promising her rest she had prayed for. plainly now she wonders. When she is rested, what will she do? (Walker, 1). Her situation can be seen to be reflective of the turmoil of her roots past.Her recognition that she needs more but her inability to recognize how she can achieve this is smelling(p) of the black civil rights movements and the plight of the black people in their inability to recognize how they have a presence in America whilst maintaining their history and who they were. Whilst the men of this society seem to have achieved their objective of freedom and rights, the women are still struggling and fighting wars of their own. Both Roselily and Everyday Uses can be seen as lesson of Alice Walkers view of what it is to be an African-American.She believes that to be such to be to be both African and American to deny the American side of ones heritage is disrespectful of ones ancestors and, consequently, harmful to ones self. (White, 2001). In Everyday Uses De e sees her African background as something that can make her American self more interesting and appealing to her peers and friends. Her sister, on the other hand, is concentrated on the here and now. She can recognize all too well the struggles of the past and wants to utilize as something she can build upon in order to survive the future.In Roselily the negative impact of the consolidation of Africa and American traditions upon African American women is represented and is more vividly portrayed. Roselily is a women whose past means that she is unable to see a future for herself that doesnt depend upon the economic support of a man. The fact that the man to whom she is married remains unnamed throughout the story clearly reflects Alice Walkers concerns lie firmly with women. References Walker, Alice. In Love & Trouble Stories of Black Women. New York Harvest Books, 2003. White, David. White.AEveryday UseA Defining African-American Heritage.. Luminarium Anthology of English Literat ure. 3 Apr. 2009 . White, Evelyn C.. Alice Walker A Life. New York W. W. Norton, 2005. Wood, Kerry Michael. Literary analysis African-American women and heritage in Everyday Use, by Alice Walker by Kerry Michael Wood Helium. Helium Where Knowledge Rules. 3 Apr. 2009 .