Into the body, “Casual Explore” tells exactly how a mother slowly denies the fresh shallow viewpoints away from the girl earlier, successful daughter and only the fresh new practical viewpoints away from her more youthful, less lucky girl. With the a deeper peak, Alice Walker are examining the thought of society because applies so you can African-People in america. “Everyday Use” is set regarding later ‘sixties otherwise early ‘seventies. This was a period when African-Americans was basically incapable of establish the private identities inside social words. The phrase “Negro” is has just removed from new language, together with been replaced with “Black.” There can be “Black colored Energy,” “Black Nationalism,” and you will “Black Pride.” Of numerous blacks desired to rediscover its African origins, and you may have been happy to deny and you may reject their American lifestyle, that was full of reports of problems and injustice. For the “Relaxed Use,” Alice Walker argues one to a keen African-Western is both African and you can American, and reject brand new American side of one’s tradition is disrespectful of your ancestors and you may, consequently, bad for yourself. She uses the main letters regarding Mom, Dee (Wangero), and you can Maggie to clarify this motif. Mommy narrates the story. Mommy refers to by herself as “a large, big-boned woman having rough, man-working hand. Regarding winter months We don flannel nightgowns to sleep and you will overalls during the day. I can kill and you will brush a great hog once the mercilessly as good man” (Walker, “Casual Play with” 408). So it breakdown, along with her regard to a 2nd degrees knowledge (409), leads the person to summarize that this lady requires pride inside new basic aspects of the lady nature and therefore this lady has not invested a lot of day thinking about abstract 
axioms instance heritage. It is clear regarding this lady capacity to representative pieces of cloth in 2 quilts toward somebody whose clothing they had started slash out of:
You did not need to appear close to find where give moving brand new dasher top to bottom and work out butter had leftover a type of drain regarding wood
Both in of those have been scraps from attire Grandmother Dee had worn 50 and years back. Odds and ends regarding Grandpa Jarrell’s Paisley tees. Plus one teeny faded blue portion, in regards to the measurements of a penny matchbox, that was out of High Grandpa Ezra’s consistent which he used inside the brand new Civil Conflict… “Some of the bits, like those lavender ones, come from dated gowns [Grandma Dee’s] mom passed in order to the lady,” [Mama] said, upgrading to the touch brand new quilts. (Walker, “Casual Fool around with” 412)
Whenever [Dee] completed wrapping this new dasher the fresh handle caught out. We took they for a moment in my hands. Indeed, there had been a number of quick basins; you could see where thumbs and you can hands had sunk into timber. It actually was a lovely light yellow timber, off a forest you to definitely became in the yard where Larger Dee and Hide had existed. (Walker, “Relaxed Use” 412)
But not, the girl diminished education and you can refinement doesn’t end their off that have a built-in knowledge of heritage based on her love and you will admiration just in case you appeared before the woman
. accustomed read so you’re able to you rather than pity; forcing words, lays, other folks’ habits, whole lifetime on all of us one or two, resting trapped and you can ignorant underneath the woman sound…[She> pushed me to the lady on severe ways she read, to help you shove all of us aside just when, including dimwits, we seemed planning to know. (Walker, “Everyday Have fun with”, 409)
She really wants to make the cover of your own butter turn toward good focal point on her desk. She desires hang quilts toward wall surface. She wishes, simply speaking, doing what light some one manage into the imaginative and you will unusual tools and you can activities of the past. Wangero fails to see the mote in her own attention when she reproaches their mom and you can cousin to have faltering to worth their heritage – she, who would like merely to maintain one to community given that bad index so you’re able to her own sophistication. (175)