What Is Heritage

4 Pages 1041 Words

What is Heritage?
In “Everyday Use,” the theme revolves around presence of heritage. Dee wants to take on the heritage of African decent. But her mother and Maggie realize that the real heritage lies in the everyday traditions that they practice. They use many things in the story as a part of their everyday traditions. The churn top, dasher, and quilts all are symbolically linked to the heritage of this family. Heritage is a tradition. Something passed down from generations that come before. A person determines their heritage by the traditions they learn from their parents and other elders. You cannot claim a heritage in which was not brought down to you through your family.
Dee came home with a new name. Dee states her name has changed saying, “No mama, not Dee. Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo.”(175) She takes a new African name. She is beginning to claim the heritage of an African from Africa. In leaving her home she has forgotten her family traditions and now takes an African one. She comes back to her mother’s house with all these ideas of being a culture before her time. Her name change is a symbol of her giving up her traditions of an African American for one of a Native African. In taking this new name she is denying the heritage she was brought up on and claiming another she was not taught.
Dee also sees things in her mother’s house and wants them for artistic decoration. One thing Dee was taking was the churn top. Dee asks her mother “Didn’t Uncle Buddy whittle is out of a tree you all used to have?”(177) This was something that a family member made by hand. Dee wanted it for decoration to show her heritage. In wanting it she did not realize the value of it. Her mother and sister use this top in everyday use. They need it to make their butter.
Bacchus 2
Dee wanted it because she thought it would make a nice centerpiece for her table. She was trying to get things to remind her of a heritage...