"Everyday Use" by Alice Walker

"When I looked at her like that something hit me in the top of my head and ran down to the soles of my feet. Just like when I'm in church and the spirit of God touches me and I get happy and shout, I did something I never had done before: hugged Maggie to me, then dragged her on into the room, snatched the quilts out of Miss Wangero's hands and dumped them into Maggie's lap. Maggie just sat there on my bed with her mouth open" (page 181).

After reading this story, I struggled to think of its central theme. I believe that maybe it has something to do with justice. Dee was always living on the high end of life, even though she just took everything for granted. Maggie, on the other hand, was always too afraid to show people who she truly was and felt undeserving of anything given to her. Perhaps the theme is not to do with justice but rather humility. It's kind of like that saying in the Bible: "The first shall be last, and the last shall be first." As a reader, I felt it was a sense of accomplishment for myself to find out that Maggie received the quilt in the end instead of her sister. It just showed that we must try to be humble in order to get what we want instead of just expecting things to happen for us all the time.

I feel that the differences in characters was also important. Dee was the outgoing one who always cared about how she looked. She was fortunate in all aspects of life, not only with looks and confidence but also with intelligence. However, she took everything for granted, and people disliked her. Maggie was always the shy one, who tried her hardest but struggled at succeeding. She always felt unworthy and lived in her sister's shadow. She did all things unnoticed. Dee's hatred of the old house is reflected in her present actions because she tries to be someone she's not. Because she got rid of the person she was in the old house, she changed who she was entirely. She wanted to dress more properly and change her name to get rid of the person she was before. Dee also was able to "stare down any disaster" because she felt that she was invincible and that no one could say no to her. Maggie's burns from the fire symbolize that she allows herself to get hurt in situations. She cannot stand up for herself, and she constantly is suffering the aftermaths of other's actions.