e priceless. . . Maggie would put them on the bed and in five years theyd be in rags. Less than that! (Walker 77). Mama will not allow her daughter to take the quilts because she has been saving them for Dees sister, Maggie, and she wants the quilts to be put into everyday use. By helping and living with Mama, Maggie uses the hand-made items in her life, experiences the life of her ancestors, and learns the history of both, exemplified by Maggies knowledge of the hand-made items and the people who made thema knowledge in which Dee does not possess. Dee attempts to connect with her heritage by taking picture after picture of me sitting there in front of the house. . . She never takes a shot without making sure the house is included (Walker 74). Therefore showing Dees quest for heritage is external, wishing to have these various items in order to display them in her home. She wants these items because she perceives each to have value, as shown in the argument yet again. Mama finally realizes that Dee does not understand her heritage when she says, This was Maggies portion. This was the way she knew God to work (Walker 77). She allowed Dee to run over her enough, and now she would not allow her foolish behavior to carry on, because heritage needs to be put to everyday use and not just be hung up on a wall for people to see. After Mama gives Maggie the quilts, Dee says, You just dont understand Your heritage (Walker 77). Dee believes heritage to be the quilt on the wall or the churn in the alcove. She knows the items are hand-made, but she does not know the knowledge and history behind the items. Yet, Mama does know the knowledge and history and she also knows that Maggie does too. Ironically, Dee criticizes Mama for not understanding heritage when, in fact, Dee fails to understand heritage herself. Throughout this story, heritage is understood by two characters and avoided by one character. Readers can understand that now there are two d...
