Cultures in Conflict: An Interpretation of Alice Walker's "Everyday Use"

Abstract

Alice Walker is an African American writer whose novels, short stories and poems are noted for their insightful treatment of black culture. In her short story "Everyday Use," Alice Walker introduces the conflict between two different cultures of African Americans: the oppressive culture of the dominant majority who struggles to survive in hostile environments and an emerging consciousness which challenges cultural bias and fights against racial class, creating a different culture from the earlier one. It is a story of cultures in conflict.