"Everyday Use" by Alice Walker

After reading “Everyday Use,” a short story by author Alice Walker, one character in particular that caught my attention was Dee, the speaker’ daughter. In my opinion, Dee is the epitome of a round character. Throughout the few pages of the story, she reveals a personality of confidence, ambition, and even cruelty. As a child, Dee was always very pretty and popular, yet her attitude pushed away true friends. Those who paid attention to her were mesmerized by her persona and wanted to imitate her, yet this constant desire to be someone they are not led to nervousness about others’ perceptions and attitudes towards them. As written by Walker, “impressed with her [Dee], they worshipped the well-turned phrase,” (Walker, 176). This constant attention seems to have fed Dee’s confidence immensely. Furthermore, Dee also displays ambition. Obviously she has, as the speaker called it, “made it” (Walker, 173), meaning that she has overcome her background and setbacks in order to create a name for herself. It is very likely that the constant confidence boosters provided by her childhood friends allowed Dee to embody this characteristic, and Dee’s ambitious personality no doubt aided her in her quest for a distinguished future. However, as confidence and ambition can oftentimes have positive aspects, one characteristic Dee shows throughout the short story is cruelty. The author writes background information into her story about a house fire and Dee’s little sister getting burned, but Dee is described as feeling happiness at that time. Dee “had hated that house so much. I used to think she hated Maggie, too,” (Walker, 175). Whether she liked it or not, Dee and her family lost their home, and her nonchalant attitude towards that loss evokes a sense of cruelty. Furthermore, Dee’s sister Maggie was badly burned in the fire, yet Dee only thinks of the positives of losing her home. This story shaped Dee into the round character that she is as it formed and enhanced her various personality traits.