In the story "Everyday Use", the author Alice Walker uses everyday objects, which are described in the story with some detail, and the reactions of the main characters to these objects, to contrast the simple and practical with the elegant and bizarre. The main characters in this story, "Mama" and Maggie on the one hand, Dee on the other, each have opposing views on the value and value of various objects in their lives, and the author uses this conflict to emphasize that the the substance of an object, and of people, is more important than style. The main characters in this story seem to be polar opposites. Mother, the narrator of the story, describes herself as a “large, bony woman with rough, manly hands” (paragraph 5). She doesn't paint an attractive picture of herself, yet she goes on to list the many things she can do. Like the objects in the environment around her, she seems more interested in practicality and less in aesthetics. Dee, on the other hand, is defined by her sense of style and appears to do nothing. When her name was Dee, she hated the objects around her for their lack of beauty and style. When he became a member of the Nation of Islam and changed his name to Wangero, he saw these old objects as part of his legacy and works of art. At no point, however, did he ever have any real use for it. Examples of such objects are the butter churn and butter press. The churn and the masher are both described in detail by the mother, which underlines their value. The butter churn, which had been carved by Dee's Uncle Buddy, was something Dee wanted to take with her, although she only wanted to use the top of the churn as a "centerpiece for the alcove table" (paragraph 53). The bottom half would presumably go to waste. Dee also allegedly "thought of something artistic to do with the dasher" (paragraph 53). Dee never seems to consider that she is taking away her mother's churn, a useful object, for a mundane use. The objects that lead to the final confrontation between Dee and Mama are old quilts. These quilts are described as being made from antique material by family members, which adds to their value to the mother, and the detail with which they are described adds to the sense of setting..