Everyday Use by Alice Walker is about a family. Mama is a strong, loving mother. She is sometimes threatened and burdened by her daughters, but she is brutally honest. Mama sometimes does not understand Dee’s life, which explains Dee’s actions about the fire.
Dee is someone who gets jealous easily and gets upset among family members. Helping someone out of a fire seems like an action that no one should have to think about. They should just notice and realize that the person is in need of help but Dee is not like that. “And Dee. I see her standing off under the sweet gum tree she used to dig gum out of; a look of concentration on her face as she watched the last dingy gray board of the house fall in toward the red-hot brick chimney,” shows how Dee did not care about her family burning (146-147). She should have helped Mama when she was rescuing Maggie from the fire.
They do not treat each other very well. If that was my sister, or any family member, I definitely would have helped the person who was in the fire. I find that unusual. As a family, everyone is supposed to care about each other. As Christians, we are supposed to treat everyone equally and help when someone is in need. In the Bible, it says “And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased” (New International Version). God will be pleased no matter how small or big the action is. More people should pay attention to others and realize that there are more important things than standing around and watching and doing nothing. Dee was insensitive to others, unlike Mama. Maggie was severely burned in the fire and is now scarred for life. Dee could have prevented that a little bit. Maggie’s relationship with Dee is rife with envy and respect. They do not have a great relationship. Family should love one another equally and not favor certain people. Sometimes people believe an action will not impact the person in need, but in this circumstance it would have helped a lot.
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