Week 7

“Everyday Use” Questions #3/ “Kasper Hauser” Question #3

In, “Everyday Use”, the author does a great job of making the reader aware of Maggie’s imperfections from the beginning. Pointing out her physical scars from the fire that burnt down the family’s house, assigning her personality to traits of shame and envy, and describing her walk as that of a lame animal are only a few of the ways we are introduced to the character of Maggie.

Dee, on the other hand is someone who is obviously much superior to Maggie in every way. “Dee is lighter (referring to coloring of the skin) that Maggie, with nicer hair and a fuller figure” (356) is one of many ways that Dee is portrayed as a much better person. All of these words make the reader feel sympathy and pity for Maggie, but also bring about high expectations for Dee.

Would anyone truly want to be Dee? Although Maggie holds shame in her scars, the shame Maggie holds for her family and home is far more deplorable. The mother, speaking of Dee says, “She wrote to me once that no matter where we “choose” to live, she will manage to come see us. But she will never bring her friends” implying that Maggie has a lack of respect, understanding, and appreciation for the heritage that she has. Maggie appears to be intelligent, but lacks the empathy needed to truly connect with those around her.

Obviously indoctrinated, when Dee arrives at the house for a visit in the story, she has changed her name, and renamed herself, suggesting that her former name was a reminder of oppression. Although her mother can trace the name back to before the Civil War, Dee insists on the new name. In a miraculous turn, Dee insists on having some items from the house that she now finds “priceless”, quite contradictory to her previous claims regarding her name and her distain for their home. When Dee inquires about the quilts, she again behaves with abandon for others’ feelings and hurls accusations at Maggie. Maggie graciously obliges and gives her the quilts, but not before the mother realizes what virtue abounded in her other daughter. She insists on Maggie having them.

“I can ‘member Grandma Dee without the quilts”, and “This was Maggie’s portion” are two of the most powerful lines in the story and punctuates everything about Maggie that is wonderful, understanding, humble, and giving. Not once does Maggie falter about who she is or where she comes from, and not only does this exude from her in the story, but she is content to be who she is and aware of her being so. So, once again, who would want to be Dee?

First and foremost, "Kasper Hauser" lost his life for seventeen years. In speaking of this unimaginable horror and cruelty, it is summed up best by the words “For it was only in leaving myself behind that I saw what I had been, although it is equally true that by the time I was able to see myself at all, I had already advanced so far that when I glanced back I was scarcely visible.” In this loss of seventeen years, Kasper has left behind the shell of a human life and assumed an overwhelming transformation into normal society. This gain of a somewhat “normal” existence does imply the loss of his former life, but nobody would call this a loss by any means.

In the last few moments of his speech, Kasper reflects on his losses and gains in the few years that he has regained a human existence. He’s lost his nervousness, and gained a bit of confidence. He attributes this gain of confidence to a loss of childlike rapture at the world around him. His ability to learn has not faltered, yet his progress and zeal for learning have lessened. His sense of touch is normal after being hypersensitive, and the loss of this, undoubtedly, is helpful.

With the understanding of the monumental changes that have been made, he acknowledges the loss of who he was before. “Sometimes I feel that I am slowly erasing myself, in order for someone else to appear, the one I long for, who will not resemble me.” These words truly shine perspective on the whole process of his assimilation into “normal” society. As he broods over the uniqueness that set him apart from the average person, he longs to be among them -- to be common, and un-interesting. In his desperation to be normal, he has ignored the beauty of who he actually is.