Character Analysis of Dee Johnson in Everyday Use by...

Alice Walker crafts the character of Dee Johnson in the short story â€Å"Everyday Use† in a clever way. Starting from the first paragraph, Walker creates an image of Dee, who at first seems very shallow. Dee then becomes a more complex character as the story progresses. Blessed with both brains and beauty, Dee emerges as someone who is still struggling with her identity and heritage. Dee is a flat character, who is described as arrogant and selfish. Through the eyes of Dee, one can see her egotistical nature. Dee is portrayed as a light-skinned black person who feels as though she is better than everyone else because her waist is small, her skin is light, she has a nice grade of hair, and she is somewhat educated. Although she may be†¦show more content†¦But she will never bring her friends† (162). From this quote, it is apparent that Dee is ashamed of her family’s home. In this story, Dee is completely unappreciative. One can get the feeling that the mother in the story had worked long and hard rearing her daughters, and has even gotten Dee into college somehow. Dee returns with her college education and new personality trying to preach to her mother and sister about what they are doing wrong. Plenty of times Dee spoke down to her mother and little sister, Maggie. Dees physical beauty can be defined as one of her biggest assets. The fact that Maggie sees Dee with a mixture of envy and awe (160) lets the reader know that Dee has the more favorable appearance. The simplistic way in which Walker states that â€Å"Dee is lighter than Maggie, with nicer hair and a fuller figure,† (161) gives the reader the idea that Dees beauty has made it easier for her to be accepted outside her family in society, â€Å"†¦her sister has held life always in the palm of one hand, that ‘no’ is a word the world never learned to say to her,† (160). One is left with the impression that Dees appearance is above average. Walker plays on Dees physical beauty to contrast the homeliness of Maggie and her mother. Walker goes so far as to describe her feet as being more favorable as if God only wanted Dee to have pretty feet, â€Å"Her feet were alwaysShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of The Flowers, By Alice Walker1525 Words   |  7 Pageswas how Al ice 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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As Maggie and Dee grow older they start to realize howRead MoreCritical Analysis Of Alice Walker s Everyday Use2414 Words   |  10 PagesTulsi Rizal Prof. Mary Huffer Eng122 24 April 2016 Critical Analysis of Alice Walker’s â€Å"Everyday Use† Alice Walker, most revered African American writer of the present time was born on 9th February 1944 in Eatonton, Georgia. She started her career as a social worker/activist, followed by teaching and and being a writer. She has won many awards for her fantastic social and literary works. Everyday use† was published in 1973, when African Americans were struggling to revive their original African cultureRead Moreevery day use3221 Words   |  13 PagesThe paper s title Your name Page number Character analysis of the story â€Å"Everyday Use† by Alice Walker 1) Pay attention to the character’s ethics. Does the character make just or unjust choices? Consider Atticus Finch in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. Atticus does not make morally correct choices only when it is convenient for him to do so. Rather, he shows he’s a truly just character by sticking to his principles even when his life is at stake. 2) Decide