POINT OF VIEW
If I were to make one of our short stories into a film, I would choose "Everyday Use" by Alice Walker and make it a suspenseful movie. One of the most significant changes would be changing the point of view. In the original work, Mama tells the story giving her own personal thoughts and feelings about situations with her children. In the film version, Maggie would be narrating the story. In the original, Maggie never says much to Mama or Dee. In the film, the viewer will get to hear what Maggie is actually thinking during her sister's visit. For a film, Mama's consistent support of her daughters even when she disagrees would not keep the audience interested. When the audience hears Maggie's views, jealousy, and feelings of insufficiency, they will sympathize more with her character and find a basis to relate with her on.
The beginning of the film would begin the same, with Mama and Maggie waiting outside for Dee to come home for a visit. We first see Mama's face, joyful at the fact her daughter Dee was coming home to see her. Then we see Maggie's face: bitter, hard, and cold. As she silently waits beside her mother, her thoughts narrate to the audience, beginning with the statement, "I will never forgive her for that day." She goes on to describe the day their house caught on fire and she was severely burned while a flashback appears on the screen of Mama carrying her out of the house. The camera then zooms into Maggie's eyes which make eye contact to Dee standing beside the tree. Dee's face is seen next with an expressionless stare. Maggie continues to narrate how she knew in her heart she started that fire out of her jealousy for the attention Mama always gave to Maggie instead of her. Dee finally arrives and the story continues very similarly to the story, the only difference being that Maggie continues expressing her thoughts about Dee and also how she resents Mama for not believing that Dee started that fire. Maggie keeps her mouth shut around Dee and Mama for the duration of Dee's visit. As everyone goes to sleep at night, Maggie is the last one awake and she uses this quiet time to think of ways to finally get revenge. She comes up with many ideas, but can never quite carry out her plan. This only angers her more and she hates herself for not being able to stick with her plans. One day when Dee demands the quilts from Mama, Maggie loses it when her mother gives in to Dee and hands over the blankets that were supposed to be Maggie's. That night, Maggie decides she will do to her sister what she had done to her a few years ago. When Dee goes to sleep that night, she uses the quilts to keep her warm. Maggie walks into her room and sets fire to the quilt and runs outside to stand by a tree in the front yard. Maggie watches while her house becomes engulfed in flames with the same emotionless stare Dee had years before. Suddenly a figure runs outside the house. Maggie expects it to be Mama, but it was really Dee. Maggie panics and cries out to Dee if she has seen Mama. She says she is still in her room, so Maggie runs into the house to save her. As she enters the burning house, Mama pulls into the driveway and runs to Dee to ask what was going on. Dee said someone must have left the oven on. Maggie still believes Dee that Mama is in the house so she continues her search. Mama then asks where Maggie is, but at that moment the burning house collapses. The camera then looks to Dee where she is standing with a disturbing smirk.
CHARACTERIZATION
Mama remains pretty much the same in the film as she did in the story. The changes are in Dee and Maggie. The main thing that changes is the relationship between these two sisters. The story did not show much hate and revenge between the girls. They just merely did not speak much in the original version. The characterization is more dramatic and unrealistic compared to the story. Dee is out to get Maggie when in the story that is not necessarily true. Maggie also is not portrayed as revengeful in the story while she is in the film.
SETTING
I would change nothing about the setting of "Everyday Use." The location on farmland spread out in the country seems ideal. For revenge to occur, it would not be beneficial to have neighbors witnessing the events that take place. I would keep the same time period as well because for the initial fire, an investigation would not have been done in that time to determine what caused the fire, which helps to make Mama not believe her daughters when they discuss what started each fire.
THEME
The original themes of the story deal with the meaning of heritage and the barrier education can make between individuals. Education has little to do with the film. The meaning of heritage is still relevant in the film because Dee continues to view her family as those who "oppress" her. However, there is less stress placed on this theme because the main storyline of the film has to do with the tenseness between Dee and Maggie. Their suspenseful struggle mainly deals instead with themes of jealously and what individuals may do to get revenge. The overall point of the story is mainly for entertainment purposes for those who enjoy suspenseful films. There is not an extremely important message to be relayed to the audience. The story provides a more substantial message and is less for entertainment purposes.
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