Mrs. Johnson Mama The Characterization of the Major Characters

somehow, but she returns with her college education and new personality. Moreover, we can say that she is quite disrespectful. Dee also begins to take their personal properties that she did not want earlier when she had been asked. Mama says, “I did not want to bring up how I had offered Dee Wangero a quilt when she went away to college. Then she had told me they were old-fashioned, out of style” p. 320. Here, we can see that Dee does not really appreciate her family heritage. She says that those quilts are old- fashioned and she does not want them because she is ashamed of them even though in the end she wants them. If she really appreciates the quilts she will accept them when her mother offers her. Some other speech also shows that she is uneducated. Not the usual education, such as in college, because she had that, but the education of heritage or past. It is also showed when she tells her mother that she changes her name to Wangero, follows by the statement that Dee is dead and that she can no longer bear the name of the people that oppress her. There is nothing in the story that shows or mentions Dee is being oppressed in the past. And then she tries to track back where her name comes from, and her mother also tracks it back as far as she can remember and no such thing is pointed out. It is just Dee who cannot appreciate the name that her family gives her. Her lack of education about heritage makes her think that it is okay to change her name without thinking about the value or history behind her real name. To move on to another situation where Dee makes herself look uneducated is when she gets into the car to leave, she turns towards her mother and says, “You just do not understand.” Her mother asks, “What do not I understand?” Dee replies, “Your heritage” p. 321. Her mother knows exactly where she comes from and is still living that life. It is Dee who forgets where she comes from and feels like she can tell her mother where she comes from. Dee is also arrogant. She tries to make Mama and Maggie change the way they live just like the way she does. She believes herself to be above them instead of honoring and embracing her roots. It is shown when she turns to Maggie, she says, “You ought to try to make something of yourself too, Maggie. It is really a new day for us. But from the way you and mama still live you’d never know it” p. 321. Another speech of her that shows her arrogance is when she says Maggie cannot appreciate the quilts. She says, “Maggie can’t appreciate these quilts She’d probably be backward enough to put them to “Everyday Use”” p.320. From her statement she acts like she can appreciate her heritage better than Maggie does when the fact is the opposite. She thinks that by putting those quilts to “Everyday Use” will damage the quilts and that is not how to appreciate them. Dee does not allow her desire to be prevented. It is shown when she says Maggie cannot take care of the quilts. “But they are priceless ” she was saying now, furiously; for she has a temper. “Maggie would put them on the bed and in five years they’d be in rags. Less than that” p. 320. From her speech, Dee does not like anyone to prevent her desire. When Mama will not let her have the quilts to display and says that those quilts are for Maggie, Dee becomes furious. She says that Maggie cannot keep the quilts well and she also claims that Mama and Maggie do not understand her heritage. By analyzing her speech, Dee is also showing disrespect towards her mother and sister. First off is when they sit down to eat. Hakim asks if Uncle Buddy whittled the dash and Maggie answers t hat it is Aunt Dee’s first husband who does it. Maggie talks in a very low voice that almost everyone cannot hear her and Dee makes fun of her. She says, “Maggie’s brain is like an elephant’s” p. 319. She says that while laughing at her. It shows a little disrespectful towards her sister. The second proof is when Mama will not let her to have the quilts she wants, she acts very rude and disrespectful to her mother. Dee Wangero looks at Mama with hatred and says, “You just will not understand. The point is these quilts, these quilts” p. 321. From Mama’s explanation and Dee’s statement, we can see that Dee acts disrespectful to her own mother. She talks very harsh to her mother as if her mother is wrong for giving those quilts to Maggie and thinks that she knows about heritage better than her mother does. We know that it is not how you treat your own mother. Now we analyze the emotional qualities of Dee by applying the theory of Abrams, the qualities are also expressed in what she does or her actions. For example, when she arrives home she pulls out a Polaroid and begins taking pictures. She snaps photographs of her mother, sister, and the entire house. She turns showing her white heels through her sandals, and goes back to the car. Out she peeks next with s Polaroid. She stoops down quickly and lines up picture after picture of me sitting there in front of the house with Maggie cowering behind me. She never takes a shot without making sure the house is included p. 318. She is able to show that she is well educated by degrading her own family with these pictures. When she takes a shot of her mother and sister, she also makes sure to include the livestock as well as the entire house. She treats her family and her house as if they’re something unique, out of style and unfamiliar for her. When she is inside, she goes around picking out items such as butter churn, quilts, and other household luxuries she wants to take back with her. She jumped up from the table and went over in the corner where the churn stood, and the milk in it clabber by now. She looked at the churn and looked at it. “This churn top is what I need p. 319 She wants to take back the churn with her and use it as a centerpiece for the alcove table. As she taking the churn top and asking about Uncle Buddy who whittled the churn out of a tree, she says, “And I want the dasher too. I’ll think of something artistic to do with the dasher” p. 319. She wants to take the dasher that Aunt Dee’s first husband had whittled. And then after dinner Dee went to her mother’s bedroom.