Everyday Use by Alice Walker

I really liked this story because i could relate to it. Me and my sister are very close in age and we often fight over belongings just like Dee and Maggie. I see myself sometimes playing Dee, selfish and confident, and I also see myself be Maggie, quiet and generous. The author sets Maggie up to be a character that you immediately feel sorry for. She is a burn victim, she lives at home, and she isn't very intelligent. Dee got all the "goods" of the family. Her mother raised enough money to send her off to college. She comes back with a husband and a fancy dress. Dee clearly holds herself over her family. She takes from Maggie the quilt that was already said to be Maggie's wedding gift. Also, Dee makes sure that she doesn't get the house in any of the pictures. We see that Dee had changed from the time she went off to college by the time she came back by Maggie's reaction. She is shocked by the transformation her sister has gone through. Also, Dee rejects the nickname her mother had called her her whole life.