Thursday, February 24, 2011

In "Everyday Use" from whose point of view is the story told?

Your question touches upon a very interesting question to
do with point of view in the story. The narrator, though, is Mama - the mother of two
daughters, Dee and Maggie. The mode of narration is first person, and because of this we
must be aware that we might not be receiving an entirely reliable narrative - the
"unreliable narrator" is a key aspect of first person narration, though perhaps here it
is not so unreliable. However it is clear that the speaker is withholding information
from both of her daughters. When Maggie asks her, "How do I look, Mama?", her mother
dodges the question, and then goes on to tell us the readers how Maggie really looks. We
are also left to infer how the speaker feels about her second daughter, the renamed Miss
Wangero. However, it is clear from what she says and does that she disapproves of her
and her actions.


What is interesting is that by choosing
first person narration we are shown up close the various conflicts and tensions that
exist in this family between a mother and her two daughters, who have each turned out
very differently. First person narration makes this conflict more poignant and
understandable, as we are presented with the thoughts of Mama as she tries to work out
how to respond to both of her daughters who both have their own
challenges.

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