ABSTRACT
APRILIANA, PUTRI. Different Self-Defense Mechanisms in Major Characters in Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use”: A Psychoanalytic Reading.
Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2014.
A literary work is a work that represents the form of life. It has many similarities to the real life itself. The characters, situation, and problems in it are the reflection of human life. This study discussed one of those literary works. It is a short story by Alice Walker, “Everyday Use”. From psychoanalytic angle, the main characters have a few core issues and different self-defense mechanisms.
The objective of this study is to analyze the different self-defense mechanisms of the major characters in “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker. This study used two questions stated in the problem formulation, first is how are the major characters, Mama, Dee, and Maggie characterized in the story? Secondly, what are the core issues of each character and the defense mechanisms that are reflected on each character to cope with those issues?
This study applied primary and secondary sources. A library research was a method to get the material or data taken from the library. So the primary source was the literary text itself, a short story by Alice Walker, “Everyday Use”. The secondary sources were some articles, journals and criticisms from the internet which were related to the work, and books. The sources were used for evidence to support this undergraduate thesis.
ABSTRAK
APRILIANA, PUTRI. Different Self-Defense Mechanisms in Major Characters in Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use”: A Psychoanalytic Reading.
Yogyakarta: Program Studi Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma, 2014.
Karya sastra adalah sebuah karya yang menggambarkan bentuk kehidupan. Karya ini mempunyai banyak kesamaan terhadap kehidupan nyata itu sendiri. Tokoh, situasi, dan masalah yang ada di dalamnya adalah refleksi dari kehidupan manusia. Studi ini membahas salah satu dari karya sastra tersebut. Karya tersebut adalah sebuah cerita pendek yang ditulis oleh Alice Walker berjudul “Everyday
Use”. Dari sudut psikoanalitik, para tokoh utamanya mempunyai beberapa permasalahan utama dan mekanisme pertahanan diri yang berbeda – beda.
Tujuan dari studi ini adalah untuk menganalisir perbedaan mekanisme pertahanan diri dari tokoh – tokoh utama dalam cerita pendek “Everyday Use” karya Alice Walker. Studi ini menggunakan dua pertanyaan, pertama adalah bagaimana para tokoh utama, Mama, Dee, dan Maggie digolongkan dalam cerita tersebut? Kedua, apa permasalahan utama yang dimiliki tiap tokoh dan mekanisme pertahanan diri apa yang di cerminkan dalam setiap tokoh untuk mengatasi permasalahan – permasalahan tersebut?
Studi ini menggunakan sumber pertama dan kedua. Penelitian perpustakaan adalah metode untuk mendapatkan data dengan mengambil data dari perpustakaan. Jadi sumber pertama itu adalah teks sastra itu sendiri, cerita pendek karya Alice Walker, “Everyday Use”. Sumber kedua yang digunakan dalam studi ini adalah beberapa artikel, jurnal dan kritik dari internet yang berkaitan dengan karya tersebut, dan beberapa buku. Sumber – sumber ini digunakan sebagai bukti untuk mendukung study ini.
i
DIFFERENT SELF-DEFENSE MECHANISMS IN MAJOR
CHARACTERS
IN ALICE WALKER’S “EVERYDAY
USE”: A PSYCHOANALYTIC READING
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirementsfor the Degree of Sarjana Sastra in English Letters
By
PUTRI APRILIANA
Student Number: 094214103
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAM
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
ii
DIFFERENT SELF-DEFENSE MECHANISMS IN MAJOR
CHARACTERS
IN ALICE WALKER’S “EVERYDAY
USE”: A PSY
CHOANALYTIC READING
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirementsfor the Degree of Sarjana Sastra in English Letters
By
PUTRI APRILIANA
Student Number: 094214103
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAM
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
vii
DREAMS
BECOME P’OSSIBLE
IF YOU SET UP
THE GOALS
viii
For My Beloved Parents, My
Brothers, My Lovely Friends
who have supported me and helped me a
lot (Billy, Drew, Yuni, Nindya,
Dela, Angelin, Anien, Hilma,
Galuh, and many more)
ix
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
My entire grateful is for Allah SWT, who has always given me the strength to struggle in accomplishing this undergraduate thesis. Your guidance is always with me.
My sincere gratitude goes to my advisor, P. Sarwoto, S.S., M.A., Ph.D., for his kindness, endless and thorough guidance and advices while I was working on this thesis. Without his helps, I would not be able to finish this undergraduate thesis. I also thank my co advisor, Dewi Widyastuti, S.Pd., M.Hum., for more guidance and help in correcting this thesis.
My most affectionate gratitude goes to my parents and my brothers, who always support me in every condition. They gave me reasons that encouraged me to finish this thesis. I would like to thank Billy, who supports me and wishes me a better future; Drew, who supports me and tells me things that inspire me, and gives me a lot of good advices; Yuni, who supported me and helped me in the process of writing this undergraduate thesis; Angelin, Bagas, Mbak Yayuk, Hilma, Anin, Galuh, Ucil, Eky, Tika, Maya, Ana, Rini, Metya, Alice, and many others that cannot be mentioned by name here, for their supports and companionship. I’m thankful for everything you all have done for me.
x A. The Characterization of the Major Characters ... 23
1. Mrs. Johnson (Mama) ... 24
2. Dee ... 27
3. Maggie ... 34
xi
1. Mrs. Johnson (Mama) ... 38
2. Dee ... 40
3. Maggie ... 44
CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION ... 48
xii
ABSTRACT
APRILIANA, PUTRI. Different Self-Defense Mechanisms in Major Characters in Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use”: A Psychoanalytic Reading. Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2014.
A literary work is a work that represents the form of life. It has many similarities to the real life itself. The characters, situation, and problems in it are the reflection of human life. This study discussed one of those literary works. It is a short story by Alice Walker, “Everyday Use”. From psychoanalytic angle, the main characters have a few core issues and different self-defense mechanisms.
The objective of this study is to analyze the different self-defense mechanisms of the major characters in “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker. This study used two questions stated in the problem formulation, first is how are the major characters, Mama, Dee, and Maggie characterized in the story? Secondly, what are the core issues of each character and the defense mechanisms that are reflected on each character to cope with those issues?
This study applied primary and secondary sources. A library research was a method to get the material or data taken from the library. So the primary source was the literary text itself, a short story by Alice Walker, “Everyday Use”. The secondary sources were some articles, journals and criticisms from the internet which were related to the work, and books. The sources were used for evidence to support this undergraduate thesis.
xiii ABSTRAK
APRILIANA, PUTRI. Different Self-Defense Mechanisms in Major Characters in Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use”: A Psychoanalytic Reading.
Yogyakarta: Program Studi Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma, 2014.
Karya sastra adalah sebuah karya yang menggambarkan bentuk kehidupan. Karya ini mempunyai banyak kesamaan terhadap kehidupan nyata itu sendiri. Tokoh, situasi, dan masalah yang ada di dalamnya adalah refleksi dari kehidupan manusia. Studi ini membahas salah satu dari karya sastra tersebut. Karya tersebut adalah sebuah cerita pendek yang ditulis oleh Alice Walker berjudul “Everyday
Use”. Dari sudut psikoanalitik, para tokoh utamanya mempunyai beberapa permasalahan utama dan mekanisme pertahanan diri yang berbeda – beda.
Tujuan dari studi ini adalah untuk menganalisir perbedaan mekanisme pertahanan diri dari tokoh – tokoh utama dalam cerita pendek “Everyday Use” karya Alice Walker. Studi ini menggunakan dua pertanyaan, pertama adalah bagaimana para tokoh utama, Mama, Dee, dan Maggie digolongkan dalam cerita tersebut? Kedua, apa permasalahan utama yang dimiliki tiap tokoh dan mekanisme pertahanan diri apa yang di cerminkan dalam setiap tokoh untuk mengatasi permasalahan – permasalahan tersebut?
Studi ini menggunakan sumber pertama dan kedua. Penelitian perpustakaan adalah metode untuk mendapatkan data dengan mengambil data dari perpustakaan. Jadi sumber pertama itu adalah teks sastra itu sendiri, cerita pendek karya Alice Walker, “Everyday Use”. Sumber kedua yang digunakan dalam studi ini adalah beberapa artikel, jurnal dan kritik dari internet yang berkaitan dengan karya tersebut, dan beberapa buku. Sumber – sumber ini digunakan sebagai bukti untuk mendukung study ini.
1 CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION A. Background of the study
A literary work is a work that represents the form of life. It has many
similarities to the real life itself, for example like the characters, situation, and problems in it are the reflection of human life. In his book An Introduction to The Study of Literature, Hudson says that literature presents some kinds of
human aspects of life such as history, psychology, social, and many more. It is an important record of what they have experienced, seen, thought, and felt in
life and they express those through the medium of language (1960:10).
Since literary work is a realization of the authors’ opinions of life, the
emergence of it cannot be separated from them. An author is an individual
who cannot be free from the influence of his community. According to Meyer Howard M.H Abram’s Theory of Mimesis, a work of art is the imitation of nature. Their life is influenced by the culture, religion, idea, and any convention of their society (Abrams, 1985:36).
A literary study using psychological perspective is known as
psychoanalytic criticism. Peter Barry in his book Beginning Theory explains the definition of psychoanalytic criticism.
Through an analysis of the characters in a literary work, the psychological aspects can be seen. The feeling, thought, attitude, and view of the characters can be analyzed through a psychological theory. It is because the characters have a great similarity to the real life of human beings.
An author’s social background, ideology, and experience have an
important role in the process of creating the work of literature, that’s why literature and the author have a close relationship. The main sources for the author to create their works are society and personal experiences. They use literature to express their feelings. In his book How to Analyze Fiction, Poetry, and Drama, Kenney says that literature is an imitation of life, literature is not merely a copy of the world; there’s a creative process (1966:3). The main point of Kenney’s statement is quite the same with M.H Abram’s that the author’s life has an important role in a literary work. This study will discuss
about one of those literary works. A short story by Alice Walker, “Everyday Use”, is a literary work which the story is really related to the author’s life.
background has an important role in the process of creating her works. It
influences this story, and seeing that these three major characters have very
different characteristics even though they come from the same world is the
reason why the writer is interested to analyze one of her short stories,
“Everyday Use”. The two of major characters, Maggie and Dee, have some
similar story to Walker. She gives the hints are at the beginning. Walker left
her home town, Georgia, for the city and an education, just like Dee left her
home town for college. Walker also was handicapped by an accident, just like
Maggie who was handicapped by the house fire.
In this study the writer is going to analyze three of the main characters’
characteristics. Why? Because these major characters have different
characteristics even though they come from the same world especially the two
sisters. Each character has their own issues and their own self – defense
mechanisms to cope with those issues. So the writer wants to analyze further
about their characteristics and emotional problems. This topic interests the
writer since the writer has known the author from her great novel The Color Purple which encouraged the writer to read more about her works and carry out this small research. In analyzing this topic, the writer will use the theory of
character and characterization. After that the writer is going to analyze the
different self – defense mechanisms in major characters using the theory of
B. Problem Formulation
Considering the phenomenon that has been clarified above, the writer
proposes two problems:
1. How are the major characters, Mama, Maggie and Dee,
characterized in Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use”?
2. What are the core issues of each character in “Everyday Use” and
the defense mechanisms that are reflected on each character to
cope with those issues?
C. Objectives of the Study
First of all, the writer will analyze the characterization of the major
characters in the short story “Everyday Use”, Mama, Maggie and Dee, to help
the writer understand the characteristics of them and to answer the problems
stated.
After the writer analyzes the characterization of the characters, the writer
will list the characteristics of them. Then the writer will use the result of the
characterization of those major characters to find out important elements of
core issues and self – defense mechanisms within the theory of Tyson’s
psychoanalysis which are reflected in the Alice Walker’s short story,
D. Definition of Terms
There should be an explanation about the meaning of psychoanalytic
criticism. It is to avoid any kinds of misinterpretation in understanding this
thesis. In his book Beginning Theory: An Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory, Peter Barry explains that Psychoanalysis is a form of therapy that its aim is to cure mental disorder by investigating the interaction of
conscious and unconscious in the mind (2002:96). He also defines that
psychoanalytic criticism as a form of literary criticism that uses some of the
techniques of psychoanalysis in the interpretation of literature. In Critical Theory Today: A User – Friendly Guide (Second Edition) Lois Tyson states that Psychoanalytic concepts such as sibling rivalry, inferiority complexes,
and defense mechanisms are in such common use that most of us feel we
know what they mean without them define it (2006:11). So psychoanalytic
criticism is a literary approach which useful to understand human behavior by
using some of psychoanalysis techniques.
In Theresa Mae Thompson, Ph. D’s notes, Freudian Psychoanalytic Theory, anxiety, according to Freud, is an unpleasant feeling or signal that people try to avoid. It acts as a signal that things are not going right. We will
feel this anxiety when our defense mechanisms break down. So it is an
unpleasant feeling that makes people worry about something is going not right
too much.
the processes by which we keep our repressed experiences in the unconscious
to avoid knowing things that we feel we can’t handle (2006:15). So defense mechanism is a tactic or a way that people use to protect themselves against
their anxiety and emotional problems and it’s developed by the ego.
When we feel anxiety, core issues are revealed. In his book, Learning for a
Diverse World, Lois Tyson states that core issue is the main cause of recurring
self-destructive behavior. They define our being in fundamental ways
7 CHAPTER II
THEORETICAL REVIEW
A. Review of Related Studies
In this chapter, the writer tries to show and explain some studies which are
done to analyze Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use” and some criticisms from
books and internet. These will prove that this short story is worth reading and
interesting to discuss. The writer also explains some theories which are needed
to characterize the three major characters, to analyze the core issues and self –
defense mechanisms that they use to cope with those issues. The first thing
that the writer is going to review is some studies which are done to analyze
this literary work.
According to Elaine Showalter’s observation in her essay Piecing and
Writing, that has been quoted by David White in his essay “Everyday Use”:
Defining African – American Heritage (2001), “In contemporary writing, the quilt stands for a vanished past experience to which we have a troubled and
ambivalent relationship” (1986:228). This statement seems to apply
specifically to the quilts of “Everyday Use”. It explains that the quilt
represents the past experience that has been erased, and which we have a
trouble with.
This analysis by Elaine Showalter is different from Lori Jackson’s.
represent a challenge for the black people. The challenge is to value and
recognize their own American roots (2009:3). So it means that the black
people use the quilts to show how they value and recognize their own roots.
In Literary Analysis of “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker by Niwar A.
Obaid, the quilts in “Everyday Use” are also the clothes that Dee’s great grandma used to wear and Dee’s great grandpa uniforms that he used to wear
during the Civil War. It gives a sense of history to the African American
history because it symbolizes value in Negro-American experience. The quilts
also show that women at that time had creative activities that they came up
with. They did that to pass down history from generation to generation (Obaid,
2013:9). Walker also wants to show the women roles in that era and how they
use their roles and creativities to appreciate their heritage.
Obaid also states that these two sisters portray their contrasting family
views on the heritage and it builds a conflict about the meaning of the heritage
for the family between them. But what the narrator is trying to point out is that
the idea of a quilt as a part of a family’s history (Obaid, 2013:9). The main
conflict in this short story is about the different views on the heritage among
the three major characters.
In Rhetoric Analysis of Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use”, Santosh Aryal explains that the different lives and experiences that Mama, Maggie and Dee
had in the past creates different ways of viewing the world between them.
lives in a better world, educated, and has a better lifestyle than Maggie and
Mama (Mrs. Johnson) (Aryal, 2012). Mama and Maggie never leave their
hometown and never know what the other side of the world looks like, while
Dee leave her hometown and study many things during her youth. Dee learns
new things out there but she never learns her own heritage, while Mama and
Maggie never learn new things but they learn a lot about their heritage.
After the writer explains some studies about the symbolism and the
meaning of the quilts and heritage, now the writer wants to explain another
study about “Everyday Use” related to the theme. The main theme of the story
itself is about heritage meaning. What Walker tries to point out is that a quilt
is a part of family’s history. They represent their ancestor’s lives not only
parts of cloths put together to make a blanket. The author also gives important
understanding that valuing the culture and traditions of your family is
extremely meaningful. In the story shows that Maggie, the younger sister, is
different from Dee, the older sister, because she knows how to sew and
appreciate the quilts personally and emotionally. This is according to “Theme
of Heritage in Everyday Use” essay on the internet.
The writer tries to discover something new. This study does not focus on
the symbolism of the quilts, the meaning of the heritage, the themes or the
struggle for women’s rights in African American community in that era, but it
focuses on analyzing the three major characters, Mama, Maggie and Dee, in
Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use” in psychological angle concerning the core
B. Review of Related Theories 1. Character and Characterization
In his book, A Glossary to Literary Terms, Meyer Howard Abrams
explains that character is the person, in dramatic or narrative work, endowed
with moral disposition and emotional qualities. The qualities are expressed in
what they say-the dialogue-and what they do-the action (1981:2).
M.J. Murphy in his book Understanding Unseen: An Introduction to
English Poetry and English Novel for Overseas Student exemplifies some ways in representing the characters. These are some of the ways that the
writer will use in this study (1972:161).
The first is by the Character as seen by another. The author can describe
the character through the eyes and opinion of another instead of describing
the character directly. The second is by the Speech. Through what the
character says, the author can give us insight into the characteristic of one of
the characters in the story. The third is by the character’s Past Life. The author can give the reader a clue that has helped to shape a character’s characteristic as they are now at present by learning about a character’s life. It
can be done by direct comment by the author, through the thought of the
character, through the person’s conversation or through the medium of
another character. The fourth is by the Conversation of Others. It is the conversation of other character and the things they say about the character.
Reactions. The character shows their character from their reactions to various situations and events (Murphy, 1972:161).
2. Lois Tyson’s Theory of Psychoanalysis
According to Lois Tyson’ explanation in his book Learning for a Diverse World, that has been quoted by Cecilia Lam’s English paper “Psychoanalysis of Maggie”, everyone has at least one core issue. He states
in the book that a core issue is the main cause of some sort of recurring
self-destructive behavior, whether that behavior is really mild or really serious
(2001:26).
In his educational book Critical Theory Today: A User Friendly Guide (second edition), Tyson also explains that this literary theory explores how much repressed desire and unresolved emotional distress, motivate a
character’s actions, conflict and resolution in a story. According to Chicago
Literature Examiner named Magdalene Paniotte in her literary article,
Overview of Lois Tyson’s “Critical Theory Today” (2012), Tyson explains
that psychoanalytic criticism assumes that human behavior and conflict is
mostly determined by internal factors originating in early developmental
stages.
According to Tyson, the unconscious consists of repressed wounds,
fears, unresolved conflicts and guilty desires. It has been stated in his book
2006:12). Tyson also states in his book Using Critical Theory: Using Critical Theory to Read and Write about Literature that the theory of psychoanalysis focuses on events that we go through in our life as we grow
up, affects and shapes our psychological development, and we can see this
development as we get older. These early experiences tend to perform in our
adult lives (2013:23). He also explains that we all experience some sort of
psychological problems in our lives, and psychological problems are a
natural and unavoidable part of being human means that we all have at least
one problem that related to our psychological, and it is important to try to
identify and understand them because, according to psychoanalytic theory
that is how we can start to heal the problems (2013:23).
For psychoanalytic theory, the result of the emotional experiences we
had growing up is our adult personality, which means our early emotional
experiences have a big impact on our personality. And according to Tyson,
the most important source of our early emotional experiences is the family.
Because it is in the family that our sense of self and our way of relate to
others are first established (2013:25).
Psychoanalytic theory is more interested in understanding the origin of
personal problems. This theory wants to offer ways to overcome personal
problems. According to this theory, we all have core issues, so analyzing the
three main characters from this perspective does not necessarily mean that
personal problems. But psychoanalytic focuses on the family because it is
the basic concept, and cultural factors as race, class, and gender play
different roles in different families.
Tyson describes in his book Critical Theory Today: A User
Friendly Guide (second edition) that our unconscious desires do not acknowledge or change our destructive behaviors because we have formed
our identities around them and we are afraid of what we will find if we look
at them closely and carefully, and these unconscious desires are served by
our defense mechanisms (2006:15). Defense mechanisms are the processes
by which we keep the repressed not allowed to be expressed in order to keep
ourselves from knowing things we do not want to know because we feel we
can’t handle the feelings (2006:15). In other words, defense mechanisms are
the processes by which the contents of our unconscious are kept in the
unconscious (2006:15). The unconscious is the storehouse of those painful
experiences and emotions, those wounds, fears, guilty desires, and
unresolved conflicts that we do not want to know about because we feel we
will be affected very strongly by them (2006:12).
In his book Using Critical Theory: Using Critical Theory to Read and
Write about Literature, Tyson states, “Many of our defense mechanisms develop during childhood as ways of protecting ourselves emotionally”
(2013:26). It means that during our childhood we develop these defense
mechanisms unconsciously to protect ourselves emotionally. These defense
these become a way for us to protect ourselves in a wrong way. These defense mechanisms keep us from understanding, and then healing, our psychological problems. Those defense mechanisms include Avoidance, Denial, Displacement, Selective Perception, Selective Memory, Projection, and Regression. Displacement is when we take out our negative feelings about one person on someone else less threatening that the person who caused our fear, hurt, frustration, or anger. Avoidance is we stay away from people, places, or situations that might make us anxious by stirring up repressed experiences. Denial is when we believe an unpleasant situation
doesn’t exist or an unpleasant even never occurred (2006:15).
Sometimes our defense mechanisms break down for a moment, and this is when anxiety happens. Tyson also states that anxiety is an important experience because it can reveal core issues (2006:16). Core issues do not consist of unsteady negative feelings such as insecurity or low self-image, they stay with us throughout life and they determine our behavior in destructive ways of which we are usually unaware, unless they have effectively addressed (2006:17). Tyson explains in his book Using Critical Theory: Using Critical Theory to Read and Write about Literature, that:
“A core issue is the underlying cause of some sort of
recurring self-destructive behavior, whether that behavior is something as mild as being habitually late for important appointments or something as serious as being habitually
involved with abusive romantic partners” (2013:26)
example, always late for an interview, or something serious like always involved with abusive partners. A problem is considered as a core issue only
if responsible for most or all of the emotional difficulties we have as adults.
Core issues include, Low Self Esteem, Insecure or Unstable Sense of
Self, Fear of Intimacy, Fear of Abandonment, and Fear of Betrayal. Low Self Esteem is the believe that someone less worthy than the others and don’t
deserve attention, love, or any other form of life’s rewards (2006:16).
Insecure or Unstable sense of self is the feeling of vulnerable and when we
may have a tendency to repeatedly change the way we look or behave as we
become involved with different individuals or groups (2006:16). Fear of Abandonment is the unshakeable belief that our friends and loved ones are going to desert us (physical abandonment) or don’t really care about us
(emotional abandonment) (2006:16). Fear of Intimacy is the chronic and overpowering feeling that emotional closeness will seriously hurt or destroy
us and that we can remain emotionally safe only by remaining at an emotional distance from others at all times (2006:16).
Besides as a core issue, fear of intimacy also can function as a defense mechanism. But if this particular defense mechanism occurs continually,
then it is probably a core issue.
C. Theoretical Framework
All the theories above will be used to find the answer all of the problems.
The theory of character and characterization by M.J Murphy is needed to
analyze their characteristics. This theory will be used to answer the first
problem formulation. It is really needed in order to get a clear insight about
how the main characters are characterized.
In finding main character’ core issues it is important to understand their
characters, to understand their characters the writer will analyze it from the
way the character as seen by another, through their speech, their past life, their
reactions, personal description, and from the conversation of others. For
example, by analyzing it from the way the character as seen by another, it
means the writer will describe Maggie through the eyes and opinionof Mama
or Dee, instead of describing Maggie directly. By analyzing it through their
speech means the writer will give us insight into the characteristic of Maggie
in the short story through what Mama or Dee says. By learning about the
characters’ life, the writer also can give the readers a clue that has helped to
shape a character’s characteristic as she is now at present. Through personal
description, we can know a character’s physical appearance. Through the
conversation of other characters about a character and the things they say
about her also will give more clues to her character. Also by seeing the
character’ reactions to various situations and events, she can show her
characters.
The second theory will help the writer to answer the second problem
formulation. By using the Lois Tyson’s psychoanalysis theory the writer can
analyzing their self - defense mechanisms that are reflected on each character
of the three main characters in the story according to the theory. This theory is
taken from Tyson’s book Critical Theory Today: A User Friendly Guide
(Second Edition) which has been published in 2006.
According to Tyson the goal of psychoanalysis is to help us resolve
psychological problems, often called disorders and none of us is completely
free of psychological problems (2006:12). That is why this theory is needed to
answer the second problem formulation. After the writer analyze and
understand the characterization of each character, the writer will be able to
analyze the core issues that the characters have, and analyze the defense
mechanisms that are reflected on each character to cope with their core issues
18 CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY
A. Object of the Study
“Everyday Use” is a short story by Alice Walker. The story is set in the
late 1960s or early 1970s when black American life and identity were
undergoing a radical transformation. In 1960s during the African-American
Civil Rights Movement while analyzing the worlds of three black women
spirit worlds and symbols of significance in terms of Feminine Consciousness
to project the literature topic of the novel (Stacy, 2012). This was a time when
African-Americans were struggling to define their personal identities in
cultural terms. This story was first published in 1973 as part of Walker’s short
story collection, In Love and Trouble: Stories of Black Women.
In 1994, the story was honored by a critical edition published in the
Rutgers University Press series “Women Writers: Texts and Contexts.” The
work was reviewed enthusiastically upon publication, and “Everyday Use” has since been called by some critics the best of Walker's short stories. A film
version was released in 2003. The stories in this collection take place in
settings ranging from Walker’s home territory in the American South to the
multicultural world of New York City to the east African nation of Uganda.
Walker’s protagonists are portrayed as victims. According to the
information that the writer found in Sparknotes, “Everyday Use” has been
the protagonist’s confidence in defending her family’s legacy” (SparkNotes
Editors, 2007). According to West’s Encyclopedia of American Law, African
Americans struggled to gain equal treatment. In the South, African Americans
had been treated like second-class citizens since the time of slavery
(Encyclopedia Editors, 2005). Finally, southern African Americans’ lives were
changing. Their expectations were also changing.
According to Katherine Raz’s paper, the story involves characters from
both sides of the entire African American culture. Dee/Wangero represents the
“new black,” with her natural hairdo and brightly colored clothing. Mama and
Maggie remains traditional people, unchanged and unaffected. The characters
never directly mention their feelings about the Americanization of African
tradition. By telling the story from the mother's point of view, Walker's
representation of Wangero is seeped in irony. The way Wangero loved her
African heritage becomes an exploitation of it (Raz, 2005).
B. Approach of the Study
To answer the problem formulation in this study, the writer applies
psychoanalytic criticism by Lois Tyson. Psychoanalytic criticism is a literary
approach which useful to understand human behavior. It is the most suitable
approach to analyze this short story because according to Tyson in his book
Critical Theory Today: A User-Friendly Guide (second edition),
“psychoanalysis concepts have become part of our everyday lives” (2006:11).
Peter Barry in his book Beginning Theory: An Introduction to Literary and
techniques of psychoanalysis in the interpretation of literature (2002:96). Tyson states in his book Critical Theory Today: A User-Friendly Guide
(second edition), “the goal of psychoanalysis is to help us resolve our psychological problems, often called disorders or dysfunctions” (2006:12). He
believes that everyone at least has one psychological problem. He also says, “the focus is on patterns of behavior that are destructive in some way”
(2006:12). It also certainly can help us to understand human behavior and literary texts, which are about human behavior. The characters’ repetition of
destructive behaviors reveal the existence of some psychological difficulties
that have been influencing them for some time. This is why the writer thinks that this approach is the most suitable to analyze this short story.
This literary approach will help the writer to analyze the psychological problems and self-defense mechanisms of the main characters, Mama, Maggie and Dee. Although psychoanalytic criticism comes from the field of
psychology, it is relevant to be used as an approach to analyze literary work because psychology and literature are closely related subjects. Lindauer in Bornstein’s Psychology and Its Allied Disciplines states that literature is best
at describing human condition in dramatic form (1984:144). While Lindauer also states that psychology studies human characteristics systematically, both in real life as well as in literature, which is “the reflection of human feeling,
experience, and life” (Wellek and Warren, 1956:94). Thus, both psychology
Psychoanalysis is considered the most suitable approach to analyze the
topic and work in this study. Tyson states that unconscious desires are served
by defense mechanisms which include Avoidance, Denial, Displacement
(2006:15). Tyson also states that anxiety is an important experience because it
can reveal core issues which are includes Low Self Esteem, Insecure or
Unstable Sense of Self , Fear of Abandonment, and Fear of Intimacy
(2006:16). The psychoanalysis will help the writer to analyze the core issues
and self-defense mechanisms that are reflected on each character. Therefore,
the writer employs this method in order to answer the question in the problem
formulations.
C. Method of the Study
This study applied primary and secondary sources. A library research was
a method to get the material or data taken from the library. So the primary
source was the literary text itself, a short story by Alice Walker titled
“Everyday Use”. The secondary sources include some articles, journals and
criticisms from the internet related to the work, and books. The sources were
used for evidence to support this thesis.
There are several steps that are taken in the research. First of all, it was
reading the short story carefully and repeatedly in order to understand the
story. The second step was finding out some references related to the theory of
literature that was needed to help the writer analyze the elements in the story
The next was analyzing the characteristics of the two main characters by
using the theory of character and characterization by M.J Murphy, and tried to
focus on any “dysfunctional” or abnormal behavior of them, because then it is
possible to implement the psychoanalytic concepts from Tyson’s Critical
Theory Today: A User-Friendly Guide (second edition). Finally, after writing
the analysis, the last step was bringing a conclusion based on the overall
23 CHAPTER IV
ANALYSIS
The writer will answer the two questions that have been stated in the
problem formulation, which have been presented in the previous chapter.
Firstly, the writer will explore the three major characters, Mama, Maggie and
Dee. Theories of character and characterization will support to know their
characteristics as well. The second problem that is the core issues that the
major characters have and the defense mechanisms that are reflected on each
character to cope with those issues will be discussed by applying the theory of
Psychoanalytic by Lois Tyson.
A. The Characterization of the Major Characters
Like what Abrams says that character is the person, in dramatic or
narrative work, endowed with moral disposition and emotional qualities. And
the qualities are expressed in what they say-the dialogue-and what they do-the
action (1981:2).
In this short story the major characters are Maggie, Dee, and Mama, and
the writer will discuss all of them. Their emotional qualities are expressed in
the dialogue and the action. That is why the writer will apply theory of
character and characterization by Murphy. Murphy says that there are nine
techniques to describe a character of a story. Their characterization can be
conversation of others, direct comment, manners and character as seen by
another. In this study, the writer will only use six of them which are character
as seen by another, speech, past life, conversation of others, personal
description, and reactions to answer the first problem formulation.
1. Mrs. Johnson (Mama)
Mama is a single parent who raises two daughters, Maggie and Dee. She is
one of the protagonists in the short story and also the narrator of it. She is a
woman with a solid foundation and tough roots, which means that she has a
great appreciation to her own heritage and family. Now the writer will analyze
Mama‟s characteristics through her personal description, her speech, and her
reactions.
Mama is characterized by her personal description. Mama describes
herself as a large, big-boned woman with rough, man-working hands. She
proudly tells of her ability to kill and clean hogs as “mercilessly” as any man.
Mama describes:
In real life I am a large, big-boned woman with rough, man-working hands. In the winter I wear flannel nightgowns to bed and overalls during the day. I can kill and clean a hog as mercilessly as a man. My fat keeps me hot in zero weather. I can work outside all day, breaking ice to get water for washing (p. 315)
From her description we can imagine how Mama looks like in real life.
Mama is characterized by her speech. Mama is characterized as a patient
woman. We can see it when Dee changes her name and Mama did not even
get mad at her.
“How do you pronounce this name?” I asked.
“You do not have to call me by it if you do not want to,” said Wangero.
“Why shouldn‟t I? I asked. “If that is what you want us to
call you, we‟ll call you.”
“I know it might sound awkward at first,” said Wangero. “I‟ll get used to it,” I said. “Ream it out again” (p. 318)
From what Mama says above she is willing to back down and call Dee
with the name that she wants them to call her by. As a parent, Mama has the
right to reject what Dee wants because she is named after their ancestors and
she cannot just change it easily. It is a kind of disrespect. But in this case
Mama does not even get mad but back down instead. She is willing to learn
how to pronounce Wangero‟s name. Mama is also honest. It is shown when
Dee wants to have the quilts which Mama promises to give to Maggie. Mama
tells Dee, “The truth is, I promised to give them quilts to Maggie, for when
she marries John Thomas” (p. 320). From that sentence, Mama shows that she
is not afraid to tell the truth to Dee even though she knows that it might hurt
Dee‟s feeling and makes her angry.
What Mama says about Dee, that “no” is a word that the world never say to
her. But this time Mama really does say no to Dee. She knows that Dee might
not like the truth she tells but she says it anyway. Mama can think of any other
reasons why she can‟t give the quilts to Dee instead of telling that those are
not do it. She prefers to tell the truth to Dee. By now we can conclude that
Mama is a patient and honest person.
Another characteristic‟s of Mama is wise or fair. We can see when Mama
says that Maggie knows how to appreciate the quilts. Mama says, “I reckon
she would. God knows I been saving „em for long enough with nobody using
„em. I hopeshe will!” (p. 320). Mama did not want to bring up how she offers
Dee a quilt when she goes away to college, then she says they are
old-fashioned and out of style. So Mama tells Dee that she can have the other
quilts to make it fair. Mama says, “Take one or two of the others” (p. 321).
Even though Dee does not want to take the other ones, Mama still does not let
Dee to take Maggie‟s portion because she promises to Maggie that she will
give them to Maggie. After Mama knows that Dee cannot appreciate the quilts
like Maggie does, she even more sure that the decision to give them to Maggie
is the best for all of them because Maggie always can make some more.
Maggie knows it better than Dee does and that is just how you appreciate your
heritage.
Mama is characterized by her reactions. Mama is a caring mother. It can
be seen when Maggie says that Dee can have those quilts, and Maggie looks at
her sister with something like fear but she does not mad at her. Mama says, “I
did something I never done before: hugged Maggie to me, then dragged her on
into the room, snatched the quilts out of Miss Wangero‟s hands and dumped
them into Maggie‟s lap” (p. 321). From Mama‟s reaction of hugging Maggie
Maggie deserves to have. She acts like she wants to protect her daughter from
danger. And the part when Mama snatches the quilts out of Wangero‟s hands
and dumps them into Maggie‟s lap also shows her firmness as a parent. So we
can conclude that beside she is caring, she is also a firm mother. She can act
caring and firm at the same time. This reaction also shows us her wisdom.
2. Dee
Dee is Mrs. Johnson‟s (Mama) oldest daughter. She is characterized by her
speech, and Dee as seen by another. She exhibits the most diverse
characterization in the story.
Dee is characterized by her speech. It is shown when Dee arrives home,
her mother called her with her birth name “Dee” but Dee says, “No, mama.
Not „Dee‟, Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo!” (p. 318). Dee tries to cut herself
off from her own family. It is shown when she states, “She is dead. I couldn‟t
bear it any longer being named after people who oppress me” (p. 318),
whenever her mother asks her why she changes her name.
Some words and statements characterized Dee as an unappreciative
woman. She does not appreciate her own heritage by changing her name to
Wangero. She knows that her parents named her after their ancestors, but she
thinks that she is being named after people who oppressed her when actually
no one oppressed her. Dee also does not appreciate what Mama has done to
her in the past. She should have known that her mother in the story works hard
somehow, but she returns with her college education and new personality.
Moreover, we can say that she is quite disrespectful. Dee also begins to take
their personal properties that she did not want earlier when she had been
asked. Mama says, “I did not want to bring up how I had offered Dee
(Wangero) a quilt when she went away to college. Then she had told me they
were old-fashioned, out of style” (p. 320). Here, we can see that Dee does not
really appreciate her family heritage. She says that those quilts are
old-fashioned and she does not want them because she is ashamed of them even
though in the end she wants them. If she really appreciates the quilts she will
accept them when her mother offers her.
Some other speech also shows that she is uneducated. Not the usual
education, such as in college, because she had that, but the education of
heritage or past. It is also showed when she tells her mother that she changes
her name to Wangero, follows by the statement that Dee is dead and that she
can no longer bear the name of the people that oppress her. There is nothing in
the story that shows or mentions Dee is being oppressed in the past. And then
she tries to track back where her name comes from, and her mother also tracks
it back as far as she can remember and no such thing is pointed out. It is just
Dee who cannot appreciate the name that her family gives her. Her lack of
education about heritage makes her think that it is okay to change her name
without thinking about the value or history behind her real name.
To move on to another situation where Dee makes herself look uneducated
“You just do not understand.” Her mother asks, “What do not I understand?”
Dee replies, “Your heritage” (p. 321). Her mother knows exactly where she
comes from and is still living that life. It is Dee who forgets where she comes
from and feels like she can tell her mother where she comes from.
Dee is also arrogant. She tries to make Mama and Maggie change the way
they live just like the way she does. She believes herself to be above them
instead of honoring and embracing her roots. It is shown when she turns to
Maggie, she says, “You ought to try to make something of yourself too,
Maggie. It is really a new day for us. But from the way you and mama still
live you‟d never know it” (p. 321). Another speech of her that shows her
arrogance is when she says Maggie cannot appreciate the quilts. She says,
“Maggie can‟t appreciate these quilts! She‟d probably be backward enough to
put them to “Everyday Use”” (p.320). From her statement she acts like she can
appreciate her heritage better than Maggie does when the fact is the opposite.
She thinks that by putting those quilts to “Everyday Use” will damage the
quilts and that is not how to appreciate them.
Dee does not allow her desire to be prevented. It is shown when she says
Maggie cannot take care of the quilts.“But they are priceless! ” she was saying
now, furiously; for she has a temper. “Maggie would put them on the bed and
in five years they‟d be in rags. Less than that!” (p. 320). From her speech, Dee
does not like anyone to prevent her desire. When Mama will not let her have
furious. She says that Maggie cannot keep the quilts well and she also claims
that Mama and Maggie do not understand her heritage.
By analyzing her speech, Dee is also showing disrespect towards her
mother and sister. First off is when they sit down to eat. Hakim asks if Uncle
Buddy whittled the dash and Maggie answers that it is Aunt Dee‟s first
husband who does it. Maggie talks in a very low voice that almost everyone
cannot hear her and Dee makes fun of her. She says, “Maggie‟s brain is like an
elephant‟s” (p. 319). She says that while laughing at her. It shows a little
disrespectful towards her sister. The second proof is when Mama will not let
her to have the quilts she wants, she acts very rude and disrespectful to her
mother. Dee (Wangero) looks at Mama with hatred and says, “You just will
not understand. The point is these quilts, these quilts!” (p. 321). From Mama‟s
explanation and Dee‟s statement, we can see that Dee acts disrespectful to her
own mother. She talks very harsh to her mother as if her mother is wrong for
giving those quilts to Maggie and thinks that she knows about heritage better
than her mother does. We know that it is not how you treat your own mother.
Now we analyze the emotional qualities of Dee by applying the theory of
Abrams, the qualities are also expressed in what she does or her actions. For
example, when she arrives home she pulls out a Polaroid and begins taking
pictures. She snaps photographs of her mother, sister, and the entire house.
She turns showing her white heels through her sandals, and goes back to the car.
never takes a shot without making sure the house is included (p. 318).
She is able to show that she is well educated by degrading her own family
with these pictures. When she takes a shot of her mother and sister, she also
makes sure to include the livestock as well as the entire house. She treats her
family and her house as if they‟re something unique, out of style and
unfamiliar for her. When she is inside, she goes around picking out items such
as butter churn, quilts, and other household luxuries she wants to take back
with her.
She jumped up from the table and went over in the corner where the churn stood, and the milk in it clabber by now. She looked at the churn and looked at it. “This churn top is what I need (p. 319)
She wants to take back the churn with her and use it as a centerpiece for
the alcove table. As she taking the churn top and asking about Uncle Buddy
who whittled the churn out of a tree, she says, “And I want the dasher too. I‟ll
think of something artistic to do with the dasher” (p. 319). She wants to take
the dasher that Aunt Dee‟s first husband had whittled. And then after dinner
Dee went to her mother‟s bedroom.
After dinner Dee (Wangero) went to the trunk at the foot of my bed and started rifling through it. Maggie hung back in the kitchen over the dishpan. Out came Wangero with two quilts. They had been pieced by Grandma Dee and then Big Dee and me had hung them on the quilt frames on the front porch and quilted them (p. 320).
From this action Dee wants to take the quilts too. By taking her mother‟s
butter churn, the dasher, and the quilts, she without any remorse, leaves her
I see her standing off under the sweet gum tree she used to
By Mama‟s words, the writer can sense that the burning of their house
brought happiness to Dee because she had hated the house. She just standing
off under the tree as she watched the house burnt to the ground with a look of
concentration on her face instead of trying to help or sad. And when she off at
college years later, she writes a letter to Mama and Maggie telling that she will
visit them no matter where they choose to live, but she will never bring any of
her friends. And as Mama and Maggie read the letter, Maggie asks, “Mama,
when did Dee ever have any friends?” By seeing Mama‟s statement about
Dee‟s reaction when the house burned down and Maggie‟s question, Dee can
be characterized as egotistical or selfish. She is excessively conceited or
absorbed in herself because she only had a few friends which are furtive boys
in pink shirts and nervous girls who never laughed. “Impressed with her they
worshiped the well-turned phrase, the cute shape, the scalding humor that
erupted like bubbles in lye. She read to them” (p. 317).
Another proof that she is arrogant is when reads to her mother and sister.
She looks down on her surroundings. Mama explains:
She used to read to us without pity, forcing words, lies,
other folks‟ habits, whole lives upon us two, sitting trapped
Dee forces all her education to her mother and sister, when she knows they
are not educated like her. She acts like she is better than others, showing her
arrogance.
3. Maggie
Maggie is Mrs. Johnson‟s (Mama) youngest daughter. She is characterized
by her past life, conversation of others, her speech, and Maggie as seen by
another.
Maggie as seen by another. She is described as an unattractive and shy
person. We can see it from Mama‟s sentence, “Maggie will be nervous until
after her sister goes: she will stand hopelessly in corners, homely and ashamed
of the burn scars down her arms and legs, eying her sister with a mixture of
envy and awe” (p. 315). The burn scars down her arms and legs make her look
rather unattractive. And the way she walks shows that she is shy. This can be
seen from Mama‟s another explanation:
Have you ever seen a lame animal, perhaps a dog run over by some careless person rich enough to own a car, sidle up to someone who is ignorant enough to be kind to him? That is the way my Maggie walks. She has been like this, chin on chest, eyes on ground, feet in shuffle (p. 316)
The dialogue above shows that Maggie is a shy person. We can see it from
the way she walks as her chin on her chest, her eyes on ground, and how she
shuffles her feet. That is just how a shy person generally walks. Another proof
what her mother thinks about her look, she stands there but almost her mother
cannot see her. “Maggie says, showing just enough of her thin body enveloped
in pink skirt and red blouse for me to know she is there, almost hidden by the
door” (p. 316). This also shows that Maggie has a low self confidence. Then
when Mama admits that she never had an education herself, she also says that
sometimes Maggie reads to her. “Sometimes Maggie reads to me. She
stumbles along good-naturedly but can't see well. She knows she is not bright”
(p. 316). From that, we can see that Maggie is uneducated and not as smart as
Dee.
Maggie is characterized by her past life. As Mama tells about the house
fire that happened around ten or twelve years ago, “That is the way my
Maggie walks. She has been like this, chin on chest, eyes on ground, feet in
shuffle, ever since the fire that burned the other house to the ground” (p. 316).
From that description, we can conclude that the accident shapes Maggie‟s shy
and low self confident characteristics. The house fire also leaves some burn
scars down her arms and legs that make her become more low self confident
and feel ashamed. Mama explains this in the beginning of the story, “Maggie
will be nervous until after her sister goes: she will stand hopelessly in corners,
homely and ashamed of the burn scars down her arms and legs” (p. 315)
If we analyze the emotional qualities of Maggie by applying the theory of
Abrams, the qualities are also expressed in what she does or her actions. For
example, when Hakim-a-barber asks if Uncle Buddy whittled the dasher that
whittled the dash," said Maggie so low you almost couldn't hear her” (p. 319).
From that dialogue, Maggie‟s action of talking in a very low voice shows that
she is quiet and withdrawn. She is hardly a presence even when she does
manage to utter a complete sentence.
Despite her weaknesses, Maggie has some significant strength. This can be
explained by looking at the conversation of others, which is the conversation
between Mama and Dee. When Dee thinks that Maggie cannot appreciate the
quilts and they would be in rags less than five years, Mama replies, “She can
always make some more, Maggie knows how to quilt” (p. 320). From Mama‟s
statement that Maggie knows how to quilt, we can say that Maggie is
respectful especially towards her family heritage. Even though she hasn't been
able to go away to school and learn the things her sister has, she has learned to
quilt. She shows her respect by learning how to quilt. Her ability to quilt is
something she shares with her ancestors, which connects her strongly to them.
The last, Maggie is characterized by her speech. She is characterized as a
nice person who always back down, and always give everything when Dee
asks for. Even when Dee asks for the quilts which Mama promised to give to
Maggie when she marries to John Thomas, she says, “She can have them,
Mama” (p. 321). She let her sister to keep those quilts. She also seems also to
have a true, un-superficial sense of heritage when she says, “I can „member
Grandma Dee without the quilts” (p. 321). This statement, again, shows that
B. The Core Issues of Each Characters in “Everyday Use” and the
Defense Mechanisms that are Reflected on Each Character to Cope
with those Issues
Brothers and Sisters, when they are raised by the same mother and grew
up together as siblings usually they have things in common. But this is not the
situation that happens in Alice Walker‟s “Everyday Use”. These two sisters,
Maggie and Dee, are raised by the same mother, Mrs. Johnson, and grew up as
siblings indeed, but from their personalities and the way they think, they are
really different.
As human beings, we all have to deal with a lot of things with different
kinds of problems. Tyson explains in his book Learning for A Diverse World
that everyone has “at least one core issue…” (2001:16). In this short story by
Alice Walker, “Everyday Use”, Mama, Maggie and Dee show psychoanalysis
problems that Tyson talks about in “Using Concepts from Psychoanalytic
Theory to Understand Literature”. Tyson says that psychoanalysis has to deal
with core issues, which includes, Low Self Esteem, Insecure or Unstable
Sense of Self and the defense mechanisms they face which are Avoidance,
Denial, and Displacement. In this story these three main characters are going
1. Mrs. Johnson (Mama)
Mama‟s core issue seems to be low self-esteem. It is shown when she says
she does not look at people‟s eyes when she talks. Mama says:
Who ever knew a Johnson with a quick tongue? Who can even imagine me looking a strange white man in the eye? It seems to me I have talked to them always with one foot
uneducated. The school she attended in the second grade closes down.
Another core issue of Mama is fear of abandonment. Mama has the fear
that Dee might leave her someday. It is shown when Mama agrees to call Dee
by Wangero.
“I know it might sound awkward at first,” said Wangero. “I‟ll get used to it,” I said. “Ream it out again” (p. 318)
From the conversation between Mama and Dee above, we can see that
Mama agrees to call Dee by Wangero and wants to learn how to pronounce it
just for the sake of her daughter. She is afraid that Dee might leave her if she
does not want to call her by it so she tries to respect Dee‟s choice. The fact
thinks that Dee does not like to live with her and Maggie. We can see that Dee
and Mama‟s relationship are not as close as Mama and Maggie‟s. That is why
Mama is afraid if Dee might leave her someday just because she cannot give
what Dee wants. They know that “no” is a word that people never learned to
say to Dee. Another proof that she has the fear of abandonment is when she
tries to tell Dee that she cannot have the quilts that she promises to give to
Maggie. Mama says, “I did not want to bring up how I had offered Dee
(Wangero) a quilt when she went away to college. Then she had told me they
were old fashioned, out of style” (p. 320). This tells us that Mama is afraid if
she brings it up, Dee will be embarrassed, angry and leaves her. That is why
she does not want to talk about it anymore.
Now, let‟s take a look at self-defense mechanism that Mama shows to
cope with her core issues. Mama shows avoidance as her defense mechanism.
It is shown when Mama does not bring up how Dee rejected the quilts that
Mama had offered in the past. Mama says, “I did not want to bring up how I
had offered Dee (Wangero) a quilt when she went away to college. Then she
had told me they were old-fashioned, out of style” (p. 320). Mama fears that
Dee might leave her so she does not want to bring up any situation that might
make Dee angry. Mama is also willing to call Dee by her new name, Wangero.
She does anything that Dee wants just for the sake of her daughter, because
she does not want Dee to leave her and Maggie. This is why she avoids any
