Mama And Maggie Makes The Reader Essay - 1,044 words

I believe the topic of heritage is always a difficult topic to approach in any discussion. Heritage means so many different things to so many different people. This idea of ones heritage transcends all barriers, and it is possible to spend a lifetime, literally, debating which individuals heritage everyone should be obliged to follow. For some, heritage serves as an omen for the future, a glimpse into what is to come as it is continually passed down through their offspring. Everyone agrees that heritage withstands the tests of time, important in present times as it was in the past. Alice Walker takes an in-depth look at the principle of heritage in the African-American community and why the belief is African-Americans value heritage more importantly than any other culture of people.


The story revolves three central characters; all try to define their own definitions of heritage, with each holding on to their beliefs as though they were the only treasures worth saving in the world. It is inevitable that these beliefs will result in a conflict within the family unit. In order to better understand where the conflict in the stories lies, I believe an analysis of each character is required to better understand their motives and actions in the story. Walker structures the story so that it makes the reader believe that Dees perception of heritage is the most important because it is the most volatile.


Dee feels that the heritage forced upon her by white slave and sharecropper owners through generations in her family will never be her own and she refuses to lay claim to it. In fact, within the story she becomes the strongest advocate against it: what happened to Dee? Shes dead I couldnt bear it any longer being named after the people who oppress me (Diyanni Literature/ English Textbook Pg. 411) Dee is also very intent on tracing her heritage back to her Afro-centric roots: No, Mama Not Dee, Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo (Pg. 411) However, as we began to near the mantle of the story, we began to interpret Dees behavior as her way of slowly relinquishing all ties to Mama and Maggie, and instead finding comfort in a man who follows in the same spirit as she does, Asalamalakin. Mama and Maggie share most perceptions of their heritages, which lead to only a few differences. Both cling to the old pattern of their history and neither seeks to stray far from it, and neither seems to take much interest in Dees new friend and his new ideas. However, Maggie's quietness throughout crucial points in the story makes the reader think that either her mother or her older sister can easily persuade her to join their side of the argument.


I think Maggie's definition of heritage varies between whether it is the right belief at the right time and the right place. Mama, on the other hand, stands firm behind her belief, all though not in a boisterous and rambling way, but she seems to know that quietness toward Dee s ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

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Essay Tags: dee, african american, mama and maggie, heritage, makes the reader

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