Comparative Writing
Analyze the symbol of the quilt in both texts. How does each author describe the quilts featured in their work? What language does each author use to convey the quilt’s meaning and significance? Why do you think quilts carry so much meaning for the characters and authors? Refer to both texts to support your analysis.
Write your response in the box below.
To provide a comprehensive analysis of the quilts as symbols in both texts, it's important to know which specific texts you're referring to. Since you haven't specified the texts for comparison, I will provide a general comparative analysis based on two common literary works that feature quilts as pivotal symbols: Alice Walker's short story "Everyday Use" and Tracy Chevalier's novel "The Last Runaway."
In "Everyday Use," Alice Walker uses the quilt to symbolize heritage and the different perspectives of honoring one's culture. The quilts in Walker's story are described as hand-stitched by the narrator's ancestors, which includes pieces of clothing worn by family members as well as scraps from Civil War uniforms. Walker uses language that evokes a sense of history and continuity as well as skilled craftsmanship, as the narrator describes how the quilts were "pieced by Grandma Dee and then Big Dee [...] hand-stitched by me." The quilts are very much a representation of family, memory, and the tangible link to past generations.
The significance of the quilts arises when Dee, the educated daughter, comes to visit and wants to take the quilts with her. She sees them as precious artifacts rather than practical objects. In contrast, Maggie, her sister, sees the quilts as a part of everyday life, indicative of her connection to her heritage. The use of language highlights this divide: Dee uses words like "priceless" to describe the quilts, while Maggie has an intimate knowledge of the quilts' construction, representing her closeness to her heritage. This difference reflects the theme of cultural appreciation versus appropriation.
In Tracy Chevalier's "The Last Runaway," quilts represent a language of their own, conveying messages and aiding in the communication between characters, especially the protagonist, Honor Bright. Chevalier describes the quilting process in rich detail, emphasizing the colors, patterns, and the act of quilting as a form of expression and a comfort to Honor in her new life in America. The quilts carry personal significance, and the Quaker protagonist uses them as a means of both adapting to a new culture and preserving her own.
Language used to describe the quilts in Chevalier's work often draws attention to their aesthetics and emotional significance, like how Honor feels when piecing them or the reactions others have to her handiwork. Quilts in this context are not only a utilitarian object of everyday life but also a powerful symbol of identity, artistry, and moral standing—particularly in relation to the Underground Railroad and the abolitionist movement.
Quilts carry so much meaning for the characters and authors because they are imbued with history, emotion, and cultural identity. They serve as a metaphor for the characters' lives—pieced together from different fabrics of experiences, memories, and relationships. For the authors, quilts can symbolize the coming together of stories and traditions, acting as a canvas upon which social and personal narratives are stitched. Both Walker and Chevalier use quilts to navigate the intersections of personal identity and cultural heritage, making these objects central to their storytelling and to the understanding of their characters' worlds.