The Importance Of Family Quilts In Everyday Use By Alice Walker

I’m an African-American woman, I grew up in the rural South, the characters of Mama, Dee, and Maggie remind me of my mother, my sisters, and I. The three of us look alike, share some DNA, and have spent most of our lives together, but other than that, we have nothing in common. While it would be expected for three closely related women to have much in common, Mama, Dee, and Maggie each have a very different life story, perspective on life, and concept of history. Walker informs mothers and daughters that bonding between family members is important by her endearing tone, the symbol of the quilt and the relationship between mothers and daughters.
Walker conveys emotion with the narrator’s relationship to her daughters. Walker uses the contrasting daughter’s attitude and feelings; to express this, like how Maggie makes her feel. “When I looked at her like that something hit me in the top of my head…Just like when I’m in church and the spirit of God touches me and I get happy and shout.” (Walker 10-11) Walker connects to her audience by showing that feelings can be beyond description spiritual even. Mama has a deep, rich personality, and although she has not lived an easy life, the rough life she has lived has turned her into a strong woman.
The quilts are pieces of living history, documents in fabric that chronicle the lives of the various generations and the trials that they faced. “These are all pieces of dresses Grandma used to wear.” (Walker 9) “Some of the pieces, like the lavender ones, come from old clothes her mother handed down to her,” (Walker 9) The quilts serve as a testament to a family’s history of pride and struggle. With the limitations that poverty and lack of education placed on her life, Mama considers her personal history one of her few treasures. She mentions that "After second grade the school was closed down." (Walker 3) and because of this she is not educated and cannot