Assimilation

3 Pages 750 Words

Assimilation

In the short stories, “Everyday Use” by Alice walker, “From Outside in” by Barbara Mellix, and “Becoming Literate: A Lesson from the Amish” by Andrea R. Fishman all discuss the struggle for assimilation in many different ways. Dee (Wangero) in “Everyday Use” manifests her struggle for assimilation through the customs and dress of her family as African Americans. Barbara, “From Outside In,” presented a struggle in her life through two different languages which she had to adjust according to the society she was in. Eli in “Becoming Literate: A Lesson from the Amish” presents his struggle for assimilation though his families beliefs as an Amish for literacy. Assimilation is the process of taking something new into oneself, as when we learn the values and customs of a new profession or social group. Assimilation is a factor one has to live and learn to adjust to in order to associate with others.
Alice Walker shows how the mother gradually rejects the superficial values of her older, successful daughter Dee, in favor of the practical values of her younger, less fortunate daughter Maggie. The mother is described as “a large, big-boned woman with rough, man-working hands. In the winter I wear flannel nightgowns to bed and overalls during the day. I can kill and clean a hog as mercilessly as a man,” and her 2nd grade education. Her uneducated self does not prevent her from having an inherent understanding of her heritage based on her love and respect for those who came before her. She associates this with the two quilts that have a special meaning to her. When she reaches out to touch the quilt it manifests Mama’s connection with her family. Her appreciation of the quilts is based on love for the people who made and used them. When Dee moved away from home to start a new life, she broke the family tradition. When she decided to come back she was looked as an outsider because Mama be...