III. Text Introduction and Organization

3.1 Text Introduction

a short story

It focuses on the relationship among black people. It is one of the best-writtenshort stories by Alice Walker. •Themain elementsof a short story include: plot, characters, point of view, setting, climax,theme and the methods to develop the theme.

1. Plot

Dee’s coming back to fetchGrandma’s everyday use

(especially the old quilts) andher changed attitude

toward them.

2. Characters

1)  Dee — a round character 叛逆者

•fashionable,rebellious, strong-minded and ill-tempered, a sense of vanity•asymbol of the modern black women•superficiallove of black tradition

2)  Maggie — a flat character 继承者

•docile,timid, shy, good-tempered, kind-hearted and unselfish, a strong sense ofinferiority•inherenceof black culture, genuine love of black tradition•asymbol of the traditional black weak women

3) “I” — a flat character 捍卫者

•uneducatedbut sensible•physicallystrong but spiritually weak, a sense of inferiority•cherish“grandma’s everyday use”•asymbol of the black working women: the majority of black women

4) Asalamalakim —a flat character

•ablack Muslim boya symbol of another kind  of African culture

3. Point of view

The first-person narrator

4. Setting

Place — “my courtyard”; Time — inthe middle of 1960s

5. Climax

Dee wanted to take away the oldquilts but “I” took them

back and gave them to Maggie.

6. Theme

Howto deal with the black traditional culture

7. Methods

flashback,foreshadowing, contrast

3.2 Text Organization

•Part 1 (Paras. 1-2):    para.1 describes the placewhere the story takes place, and para.2 introduces the narrator’s two daughters. 

•Part 2 (Paras. 3-16):This section is what we call exposition, providing background and preparing for the mainaction, which is what happens during Dee’s visit. 

•Part 3 (Paras. 17-81):This section describes the visit of Dee and her boyfriend. Around the issue of changingnames conflict is being developed as part of therising action.

climax: when Dee tries every possible way to get hold of the quilts but is refused flatly by Mama.