Ä°n "Everyday Use" by Alice Walker, is Dee wholly unsympathetic? Is the mother's victory over her altogether positive? What emotional ambivalence is...

In
"," Dee is not a wholly unsympathetic character.  In the story, she represents the
voice and ideology of the Black Power Movement, so her motivation for wanting to preserve her
family's items as cultural artifacts is understood.  As a result, Mama's victory over Dee in the
end is not entirely positive; in fact, the story suggests that Mama and Maggie may never see Dee
again because they cannot come to a compromise on where they stand regarding how best to honor
the family's heritage.  Mama does not buy into the notion of "preserving" culture.
 

The emotional ambivalence at the end of the story occurs when Dee tells
Mama that she does not understand anything about her heritage.  She goes on to say that "it
is a new day for us," meaning that black people have more opportunities in the country than
ever before, but Maggie just smiles and Mama says nothing.  The reader is left to consider which
side to support:  Dee's or Mama's.  The story does imply that Walker's message sides with Mama's
perspective; however, readers are left to consider Dee's perspective too.  This ambivalence
represents the tension in critical thought at the time regarding the ideas posited by the Black
Power Movement.