Character of Dee in Everyday Use

The reader is first introduced to Dee through the eyes of the narrator, her mother, who sees Dee as someone who has always been single-minded in achieving her goals, from leaving home to obtaining the nice things that she wanted. Dee's mother describes her as someone who "would always look anyone in the eye" (29). She was determined to be better, to move on from her present circumstances, which she hated, to her preconceived notion of what was better. As her mother points out when she wants nice clothes for example, "[s]he was determined to stare down any disaster in her efforts" to get a yellow organdy dress or a pair of black pumps (30). This determination shows how Dee is not content with her life the way it is and how much she wants to leave it behind for something better.

Besides being determined, however, Dee is also portrayed as critical of those around her unless they can live up to her exacting standards. For example, the mother describes how Dee "hated the house" so much that she just stared in deep concentration as it burned down, while her mother struggles to save Maggie, the younger sister (29). The new house is jus

. . .
Some common words found in the essay are:
Alice Walker, Alice Everyday, dee's mother, past real, , mother describes, mother maggie, character dee,
Approximate Word count = 820
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page)

More Essays on Character of Dee in Everyday Use