In Alice Walker's 1973 short story Everyday Use, a mother chooses to validate one daughter's values over another's, and in so doing affirms her own value system. The mother, called Mama, is also the narrator of the story, and so the events that unfold are seen through her perceptions. Mama is poor in education and opportunity, but rich in spirit and pride. She understands the limitations of her birth and environment, but goes beyond these limitations. She also understands the positive values of her heritage and possesses strength, black pride and the work ethic of the older generation Mama represents. She cites her positive qualities with pride:
I am a large, big-boned woman with rough, man-
working handsą.My fat keeps me hot in zero weather.
I can work outside all day, breaking ice to get water
Mama is accepting of all people, even when they are critical of her life style, and even when she rejects theirs, as is the case with her older daughter Dee who left the hard life of her youth for greater opportunities in the city, and in the dominant, market-driven society. Dee is portrayed as someone with misguided black pride, whi
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