What is the moral of the story?

The
primary theme explored throughout 's short story "" concerns the different ways in
which individuals choose to value their heritage and traditional culture. In the story, Dee
chooses to value her African heritage by changing her name to Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo and
collecting "priceless" family heirlooms crafted by her enslaved ancestors. In
contrast, Dee's timid sister, Maggie, plans on using the traditional quilts for "everyday
use." Dee's embrace of her cultural heritage is depicted as a trend, and she does not
sincerely value her ancestors' items. Dee's African name confuses Mama, which corresponds to her
naive perspective regarding her family's history. Dee then criticizes Maggie for using the
traditional quilts instead of treating them as expensive objects which are only to be admired
from a distance. Dee is presented as pretentious and confused about her family's history, while
Maggie and her mother are portrayed in a more sympathetic light because they genuinely value
their heritage. By depicting Maggie and Mama in a positive light, Walker suggests that the
proper way to honor one's heritage is to exercise self-understanding and adopt a commonsense
approach to sincerely valuing one's traditional culture.