In the story "Everyday Use", the theme is based on the passing on of a family heirloom through generations. Mom has two daughters, Dee and Maggie. Dee had the opportunity to go to college and live a new life. Maggie on the other hand is at home, living with her mother. Mother's daughters are very different from each other; he describes Maggie as "a lame animal, perhaps a dog run over by a careless person rich enough to own a car." While Dee is said to be more outgoing, with nicer hair and pretty. Mom and Maggie are actually very similar; they both share a love for their heritage. Mom has her mother's quilt that will be passed down to one of her daughters. When Maggie returns home from college she expresses that she wants the quilt, and not because she cares about her inheritance, she just wants to use it as a blanket. Maggie on the other hand has already been promised the quilt as she will use it better. In this story we see how a mother may have “favored” one child over another, because she had more in common with one. Maybe Mom could have resolved the conflict before it started by giving Dee something else from her grandmothers to have in her house like "every day"