Deconstruction Theory

Example:

Alice Walker Everyday Use (Short Story)

Summary:

The story centers around one day when the older daughter, Dee, visits from college after time away and a conflict between them over some heirloom family possessions. The struggle reflects the characters' contrasting ideas about their heritage and identity. Throughout the story Dee goes back and forth on being proud and rejecting her heritage. For example, when she decides at dinner that she wants the butter churn, she shows that she respects her heritage because she knows that her uncle carved it from a tree they used to have. However, she wants it for the wrong reason, saying that she will use it only for decoration. Another example is when she wants the quilts that Mama has. She states that she wants them because of the generations of clothing and effort put into making the quilt, showing her appreciation for her heritage. The fact that she changes her name, though, from Dee to Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo disrespects her heritage because "Dee" is a family name that can be traced back many generations. The story is narrated by the mother.

Interpretation:

Everyday use can be viewed under Deconstruction Theory because as what Deconstruction means, it seeks out contradictions in the text to prove that it lacks unity and coherence. This story is about a mother and two daughters' conflicting ideas about their identities and ancestry. Their outlooks in life are different with each other which shows deconstruction theory.Also, it falls under Deconstruction Theory because the start of the story has twist that you can't easily decipher what the story is all about unless you read until the end. At first you will conclude possible ending regarding the twists in the story but if you come up on the end, you'll see that what you  conclude about the ending is wrong and that's Deconstruction is all about, it makes the reader to conclude possible endings but it's actually not.