The Character of Dee in Alice Walkers Everyday Use Essay -- Alice Wal

The Character of Dee in Alice handcarts general UseAlice Walker skillfully crafts the character of Dee Johnson in the short floor Everyday Use. From the first paragraph, Walker begins to weave the portrait of Dee, who at first seems shallow in many aspects. Dee becomes a more complex character, however, as the bol hotshoty unfolds. Blessed with both brains and good looks, Dee emerges as someone who is still struggling with her identity and heritage. 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 (409) cues the reader to Dees favorable appearance. The simplistic way in which Walker states that Dee is lighter than Maggie, with nicer hair and a heavy figure (410) gives the reader the idea that Dees beauty has made it easier for her to be accepted outside her family in society. We are left with the impression that Dees appearance is above average. Walker plays on Dees physical beauty to contra st the homeliness of Maggie and her mother. Walker goes so far as to describe her feet as always neat-looking, as if God himself had shaped them with a certain style (411). In describing Dees feet, Walker is giving the impression of perfection from head to toe. Dees outward beauty has made her transition from poor give rise girl to that of an educated, middle-class black woman possible (Allen-Polley 11). Needless to say, Dee doesnt seem comfortable with her past and therefore has a difficult time accepting her future. It is as though she is not really connected with her family anymore. She simply needs them to fulfill their positions in her recreated past. Dees motivation in returning home seems to be not skilful seeing her family ... ...ng part of ones life. The character of Dee has many facets. She is blessed with good looks and a strong desire to succeed, but her blind and self-serving desire for success does hamper how she perceives her past and her heritage. By hiding everything above the tip of her nose and her chin (415), she deftly manages to disguise herself from anyone who might discover true ancestry. She refuses to accept her past as it really happened. She wants to be able to create the images to her liking. The past is something that cannot be recreated to suit our new ideas, however It is a part of us that cannot be changed. Sources Allen-Polley, Kathryn. Dees Heritage. Ode to Friendship. Ed. Connie Bellamy. Virginia Wesleyan College, 1998. Walker, Alice. Everyday Use. Harper Anthology of Fiction. Ed. Sylvan Barnet. New York Harper Collins, 1991.