At the end of Alice Walker's "Everyday Use," Ms. Johnson (the mother) awards Maggie the family quilts knitted by her grandmother over Dee. Dee claims that Maggie is not deserving of the quilts, as she will put them to everyday use. In her opinion, heirlooms such as these should not go through such wear and tear; they should be celebrated by being hung and put on display. Ms. Johnson awards Maggie the quilts not because she agrees with her opinion on how the quilts should be put to use, necessarily, but rather because she feels that ultimately, Maggie is more deserving and wants the quilts for better reasons than those of Dee, since Dee is only showing interest because African style has become a new trend. Dee's comment raises an interesting question, though: is putting family heirlooms to actual use appropriate? What is the best way of honoring the item?Maggie (we assume, since she never actually says this herself) will use the quilts in an everyday sense. This is a way of honoring the family heirloom, in one sense, since it is using it for what it was meant to be. It will be noticed and appreciated every single time it is used. That cannot be said in the other scenario, because if the quilts are hung up on display, they will tend to be forgotten (at least more so than if they were used regularly) and taken for granted. On the other hand, if they are put to everyday use, they will undoubtedly get worn down over time, and eventually, won't be in as good condition when passed down to future generations.
All things taken into consideration, I do not think one way of honoring the heirloom is definitely better than the other; it simply depends on personal decision. Both ways have their respective advantages and disadvantages, and all people have different ways of honoring personal items that mean something to them. The most important thing is that the item must be kept in the family lineage, and the item must never get lost or become unappreciated over time. However one decides to go about ensuring that is up to them.
The best way to honor something is to use it the way it was intended to be used. In the example you brought up, the quilts were not intended to be put to everyday use, so the best way to honor them is to keep them safe so they can be passed down to others.
ReplyDeleteWell, just to play devil's advocate, say that somebody broke the MLB home run record. Instead of sending the bat that was used to hit the home run to the Baseball Hall of Fame to be displayed, they should continue to use the bat in other games until it breaks?
ReplyDeleteI agree with Steve about the different ways to honor something. I think quilts should be put to use, while items more precious and valuable should be kept for show. Basically, just use something until it gets too old and then keep it safe. I think the Dee in this situation was being irrational because she wouldn't share the quilts with Maggie. There are two quilts. The best way to honor them would have been to share them among the sisters so they could continue to be passed down to different families.
ReplyDeleteI see what you mean, Jess, but isn't the purpose of an heirloom the ability to be passed down?
ReplyDeleteSteve, I don't think your example applies--what should happen to the bat depends on the desires of its original owner; if that person wants to keep using the bat, that's fine. But the point is that other people must respect that person's wishes, especially if the bat is passed down to them.
Okay, I agree with that if you're saying that it should be used how the original owner wanted. But that wasn't what you said in your first comment - you strictly said it should be it's intended use, which is NOT necessarily the will of the original owner.
ReplyDeleteI should have clarified; by "intended use" I meant as in what is intended by the original owner.
ReplyDeleteOh, okay. I can agree with that.
ReplyDelete