"Everyday Use"

"Everyday Use"
by Alice Walker

In this story, Maggie seemed like a static character- shy, thin, and nervous.  Dee serves as a stark contrast to her- loud, outspoken, and stubborn.  "Maggie will be nervous until after her sister goes: she will stand hopelessly in corners, homely and ashamed of the burn scars..." while "Dee though. She would always look anyone in the eye. Hesitation was no part of her nature" (Walker, 173-174).
Dee's stubbornness is shown in her insistence at being called Wangero, as recognition of her African heritage. Then she suddenly demanded her mother's quilts, even though she had refused them earlier in her life and would only hang them up as decoration.  Maggie was really supposed to get the quilts, and planned on actually using them for their intended use, on a bed.  But Maggie consented like she was never used to winning anything, and said that Dee could have them.  The narrator, Maggie and Dee's mother, had a sudden act of courage and snatched up both the quilts and Maggie and pulled them into another room.  Maggie was happy- she smiled a real smile, then shared some snuff with her mom.  I believed Maggie and the mother to be static characters, but they seemed to have gained some courage and become closer to each other by the end of the story.  We cannot be sure if these changes are permanent, but the recent events seemed to have a large impact on their relationships and futures together.