ABSTRACT

Everyday Use for Your Grandmamma written by African- American author Alice Walker is a narrative story in the first-person perspective. The story describes three women. The mother is a working woman without much education, but not without intelligence or perception. The two daughters form a sharp contrast in every conceivable way: appearance, character, personal experiences, etc. They have different interpretations and attitudes toward their cultural traditions. This paper analyzes the different characters and their attitudes toward black culture to show the conflicts between the mother and daughter. The paper attempts to help readers better understand the meaning of the story and the purpose of the author. 

Key words: Everyday Use; Dee; conflict; culture

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

ABSTRACT

摘要

Chapter One: INTRODUCTION-1

1.1 A Brief Introduction of Alice Walker and Alice Walker’s Main Achievement-1

1.2 The Purpose and Significance of the Present Study-2

1.3 Structure of the thesis-2

Chapter Two: LITERATURE REVIEW-4

2.1 A Brief Introduction of Previous Studies-4

2.2 Critical Inadequacy of Past Studies-5

Chapter Three: MAIN CHARACTERS IN THE SHORT STORY-7

3.1 Mother and Maggie---heirs of the black traditional culture-7

3.2 Dee---A rebel of the black traditional culture-8

Chapter Four: THE CONFLICTS BETWEEN MOTHER AND DAUGHTER-10

4.1 Mother’s Disapproval of Dee’s Behavior-10

4.2 Dee’s Dissatisfaction of Mother-11

4.3 The Author’s Attitude towards the Conflicts-13

Chapter Five: CONCLUSION-14

WORK CITED-15