hes that her father had made long ago. Her excitement grows when she realizes that she can “feel the rump prints” (295) in the benches. These “rump prints” act as a physical representation of a past that cannot be denied. She has similar feelings about the butter churn. She has no intention to use the churn to make butter. Instead, she wants it to be the centerpiece of her alcove table. She literally wants the churn to be the center of attention for people sitting in the alcove, a part of the house that is generally set apart from the rest. Thus, she wants to present it in such a way as to honor her heritage, but she doesn’t want it to hold a very prominent position within the house. By doing this, Dee is able to hold on to her heritage without losing her ability to form a new identity for herself. Maggie plays a very different role than Dee. She acts as an anchor for the mother, a reminder that the way of life she knows will still continue, despite Dee’s attempts to modernize. Maggie doesn’t have a whole lot going for her. Like her mother, she is dumb and ugly. Like her mother, she doesn’t have a lot of chance at upward mobility. Like her mother, she is resigned to live her life the way it has been given to her. She will not go to college or get married to a respectable man or buy a nice, new house, like her sister will. She is everything that Dee is not, and vice versa. The one advantage that Maggie does have over Dee is that she is satisfied. Along with Maggie’s lack of hope comes a sense of security. She isn’t afraid of forgetting her heritage, so it doesn’t matter to her if her sister takes the quilts. Maggie is content with life. Although she doesn’t have a lot of depth, she understands herself and she is happy with the way her life is. Dee will never have this satisfaction. She constantly wants more out of life. From this perspective,...
