A Question of Value in Everyday UseBased on the fashionable and expensive clothes worn by the character Dee in "Everyday Use" by Alice Walker, the young girl seems almost immediately to be a person of great value. and its importance. It may also seem, at first glance, that Dee's mother and sister Maggie, in their tin-roofed house and shabby clothes, are worth little or nothing in "Everyday Use." The story ironically shows, upon further reflection, that the very outward characteristics that deem Dee the most valuable character are the ones that prove the mother and Maggie to have the most powerful inner value. At the beginning of the story, Dee is depicted as having more physical value than her mother and Maggie. Dee's outfit reeks of a money-based society, very different from that of her heritage. Dee wears "A floor-length dress...There are enough yellows and oranges to reflect the sunlight. Earrings too, gold and hanging down to her shoulders" (Walker 1151). Dee's mother even reflects on her eldest daughter's generous figure and beautiful hair (1150). The mother and Maggie, on the other hand, look plain and unattractive. The mother is described as a tall, strong-boned laborer whose usual attire consists of overalls and flannel nightgowns. Maggie, described as a “lame animal,” is thin and poorly dressed (1150). From Dee's vivid description and the rather bland ones from Mother and Maggie, one can easily assume that Dee has much higher extrinsic value than her family members. Despite Dee's outward attractiveness and the unattractiveness of her mother and Maggie, differences in the groups' behavior indicate a shift in the characters' presumed value judgments......middle of paper... ...Thus. The first glimpse of "Everyday Use" may suggest that Dee surpasses her mother and sister in worth, but a closer look at the work reveals that Mother and Maggie have as much, if not more, merit than Dee.Works CitedWalker, Alice. “Daily use.” The Harper Anthology of Fiction. Ed. Sylvain Barnett. New York: HarperCollins, 1991. 1149. Baker, Houston A., Jr. and Pierce-Baker, Charlotte. Review of a short story. Ed. Thomas Votteler. Flight. 5. Gale Research Inc.: Detroit, MI, 1990. 402.Mickelson, Anne Z. Short story review. Ed. Thomas Votteler. Flight. 5. Gale Research Inc.: Detroit, MI, 1990. 406. Works consulted Matriz, Roger, ed. Contemporary literary criticism. Detroit, MI: Gale Research Inc., Vol. 5, 6, 9, 19, 27. 1991. Draper, James P., ed. Criticism of black literature. Detroit, MI: Gale Research, Inc., Vol... 3. 1992.