In Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use” we observe several levels of conflict among the four main characters. A wonderful example of the power and limits of a first-person narrative, Walker weaves a tale that speaks to several important themes and issues. In fact, there are those who have interpreted this story as being somewhat autobiographical and quite revealing of Walker as a person. Here are the links:

Everyday Use (Text)

Study Guide No. 1

Study Guide No. 2

Analysis of “Everyday Use”

Shmoop Analysis of “Everyday Use”

As for your tasks on this assignment, please see our Google Classroom page. The details are there.

Finally, I would strongly encourage anyone who is interested in doing a little research to look into the importance and relevance of the main artifact in this story – quilts. There is some evidence to suggest that Walker chose quilts because of their importance in the African American story. That should be enough to get you started on your search.