Everyday Use人物分析

CharacterAnalysisoftheEverydayUse王鹤澎英语1201201202902014/10/25CharacterAnalysisoftheEverydayUseTonyWang20120290AliceWalker,thesplendidwriterwhomainfocusedatAmericanWomenliteratureandblackliterature,wrotetheEverydayUseatthebeginningofthetwentiethcentury.AsoneofthemostfamousshortstoryofAliceWalker,EverydayUserepresenttheconflictsofthreeblackwomen.AndthisstorybecameclassicworkinAmericanliteraturebecauseofitsprofoundideologicallevelandperfectartisticquality.Therearethreemaincharacterinthestory.TheMama,alaboriouswoman;Dee,eldestdaughterofMama,whoisbeautiful,smartandwell-educated;Maggie,incontrastwithhersister,whoisugly,cowardiceandself-abased.Thewriterusedsymbolize,metaphorandothersrhetoricaldevicesexpressthedifferentattitudesofNegroswhentheirculturewasimpactbyastrongerone.DeeisthesymbolofBlackCultureNationalismActivity.Inthe1960s,someAfrican-AmericanstartedtheBlackCultureNationalismActivity,whichaimedatdenytheunfairculturepositionandfindNegro’snativeculture.Inthecolonialistcultureblacksbecomeinferiornation,soDeewanttochangethissituation.Shethoughtshelovetheeverydayuseofherfamily,changedhernamewhichshethoughtwaswhiteimposedtoher,wornthenativeclothes(inhermind)ofblack.However,shestillcannotfindherpositioninhermind.Infact,Deewasthewomanwhowanderedbetweenthefirstworldandthethirdworld.ShewanttoenterthemainworldwithherdignityandhonorofNegros,butfellintothemarshofconfuse.Facedwithwesterners,shecannotsayawordorinaccordancewithhernativeculture.Intheotherhand,facedwithherfamily,shehadsuperioritycomplexstrangely.Becausesheabandonedoneimportantpartofhernativeculturestage–Negros’humiliatinghistory.Shewasnotgrievedwhenthehouse,whichwasfullofherfamily’ssuffering,burnedintoash;sheignorethefeelingofheryoungersisterMaggie,thesymbolofAfrican-American’ssuffering;sheevenwanttorapthequiltswhichistheonlythingMamagavetoMaggie.ShethoughtshewasfindingtherootofAfricanculture,butwhatshedidwasdeviatefromheroriginalintention.Atall,Deeisonlyaperplexedwomaninfectedbycrowdmentality.Shedidn’tknowthattherightattitudetocultureheritageisuseitaseverydayuseandrenewitcontinually.PoorMaggieistheyoungestdaughterofthiscomplicatedfamily.Itseemedthatallthepainswereconcentratedintoherbody.Sheenduredthreedifferentkindofpain.Thefirstisthepaincausedbyslaverysystem.TheMamausedthiskindofsentencetodescribeMaggie-“Haveyoueverseenalameanimal,perhapsadogrunoversomecarelesspersonrichenoughtoownacar,sidleuptosomeonewhoisignorantenoughtobekindofhim?”.Therichmanistherepresentationofwhite.Mama‘smeaningisthatthescarsofMaggieweregivenbywhite,inotherword,slaverysystem.ThesecondpainistheignoranceanddenyofBlackCultureNationalismActivity.ThereaderofEverydayUsecaneasilyattractedbythebigdifferencebetweenDeeandMaggie.Thisdifferencecanmakereadersrealizedtheconflictofblacks’nowadayswanderandtheheavyhistory.Someradicalblacknationalistsfeelshamebecauseoftheexistof“Maggies”,theywanthidethishistorystagetotally.ThisirresponsibleactionisnootherthanthemurderofAfrican-Americans’nativeculture.ThethirdpainwascausedbyMama’sintentionaldodge.MamaisoneofthemostclassicNegrowomen,alsotherepresentationofcommonblackpeople.Thiskindofdodgecanberealizedasthedodgeofcommonblackpeopletotheirsufferinghistory.ButattheendofstoryMamastillinsistedtogivethequittoMaggie.Thiscanindicatethatthecommonblacksstillstandattherightpositionwhentheyfacingtheirculture.ThisisthechoiceofMama,alsoAliceWalker.Mamaisthemostcomplexcharacterinthisshortstory.ToDee,shewaspoundofherabilityandappearance.MamawanderedDeecangiveherselfandherfamilyabetterlife.ButshewasdisappointedbyDee’sperformances.ThisalsomeansthatthecommonweredisappointedbyBlackCultureNationalismActivity.MamadidalotefforttoknowDee’snewlife.ButwhenDeewantedtoraptheeverydayuseofherfamilytofindso-callednativeculture,Mamawastotallydespair.ToMaggie,Mama’sinchoativeattitudewasdodgeandignoreintentdeliberately.WhenMaggiesaidthat“HowIlook,Mama?”Mamajustsaid“Comeoutintotheyard.”anddivergethetalk.BecauseMamawashelplesswhenshefacedMaggie,justasblackcommonwerehelplesswhentalkingaboutthesufferinghistory.Atlast,onesentenceofMaggiedisenchantMama.“IcanmemberGrandmaDeewithoutthequilts.”ThiswordsshockedMamadeeply,letherknewwhowasthebestheirofthequiltsandthewholefamily.Andthisbehavioralsomeansthattheblackcommonfoundtheirsenseofculturebelongingatlast–onlythepeoplewhocanaffordthewholehistoryofblackscanbetheheirsoftheblackculture.AliceWalkergavedifferentsymboltothesecharacter.JustasoneoldsayinginChina,truegoldwillfinditsprice.AliceWalkerleadedblackpublicfaceuptotheirtrueculture,criticizedtheerroroccurredwhenblacknationalistslookingforwardtotheirnativecultureroot.Shegavethisactivityanewbeginning.