<Li> Maggie--Described by Mama as dull and unattractive, the youngest daughter Maggie has burn scars and marks from the burning down of their prior home, and is very nervous and self - conscious because of it . She leads a simple and traditional life with her mother in the South while her elder sister, Dee, is away at school . She has very limited reading ability, unlike her sister Dee . </Li> <Li> Hakim - a-barber - Dee's partner, he is referred to as "Asalamalakim", which is a Muslim greeting, by Mama throughout the story because he is Muslim . Eventually he tells Mama to call him "Hakim - a-barber" due to Mama being unable to pronounce his actual name . He is short and stocky and has long hair that reaches his waist and a long, bushy beard . We do not learn in the story whether they are dating, engaged, or married . </Li> <P> One of the primary themes of "Everyday Use," is the idea of a person's relationship to their culture . In the story, Dee's mother remained close to immediate family traditions, while Dee herself chose to search more deeply into her African roots . Because of her different mindset, she does not have the same ideals as Mama and Maggie, particularly in regard to cultural preservation and the best way to go about it . In Mama's mind, Maggie learning to make her own quilt is preserving the culture--in Dee's, it is preserving the quilt itself . </P> <P> In the essay "' Everyday Use' and the Black Power Movement" by Barbara T. Christian, the story is discussed in reference to slavery and the black power movement . The characters in the story focus a lot on African culture and heritage . Traditional African clothing is described throughout the story, and this is a symbol of the family's heritage . The mentioning of changing names relates back to slavery as well; the characters were trying to forget about their slave names, and think of more traditional names to remember their culture and "(affirm) their African roots ." </P>

Who wrote everyday use and the color purple