In the short story "everyday use," by alice walker, why does the narrator think maggie will appreciate the quilts more than dee?

The narrator, Mama thinks that Maggie will appreciate the quilts more than Dee because she knows the value they hold, the memories and the family connection they embody. Dee, on the other hand, maintains no real value for the importance of family and one's heritage.

Explanation:

Alice Walker's short story "Everyday Use" is about two very different daughters of the narrator and their perspectives about their family heirloom and in general, their heritage. They are the opposites of each other, signifying the gap in their approaches to what a family really means.

Mama's two daughters Dee and Maggie are two contrasting characters who have a conflicting approach to their life and their background. This difference is shown in the scene regarding the quilts where Maggie had already had her eyes on the handmade quilts passed down from her grandmother. She knows the value they hold in their making, the memories they retain and the 'history' of the family quilts. But Dee, on the other hand, is the educated modern westernized daughter who even had her name changed according to her boyfriend's African identity. To her, her family represents all that is old and underdeveloped, with no such improvement or efforts to change their lives. She wants the quilts just for decorative purposes, knowing that in her city life, 'vintage' is 'the norm'. She wants the quilts to 'decorate' her place when entertaining guests, while she thinks that Maggie will only use it everyday and probably wear them out. And when Maggie knows her sister wants them, she replied that she can have them, and that she "can 'member Grandma Dee without the quilts". Mama then resolves that Maggie will indeed make more important use of them and decides to give them to her.