Long Ago
...d she judges her merely on looks. Dee does not realize that Maggie is her only sister because she chooses not to. She takes Maggie for granted by judging her looks, not acknowledging her as her only sister, not acting like she is happy to see her when she comes home, and by not realizing she could have lost her sister in the fire that claimed their first house. The orchid represents how people are taken for granted each and every day in life. More importantly, the orchid is a symbol of how family is very important and should not be taken for granted, because one day they may be gone. Another symbol Walker uses to emphasize the importance of family and how they are sometimes taken for granted, is the mishap of Maggie’s burns and scars. Maggie demonstrates pain, humiliation, and fear through the existence of her burns and scars. She also feels as if she is not good enough, and that she never will be seen in the same way as Dee. Maggie, again, is taken for granted by her sister. Dee has her looks going for her, but unfortunately, Maggie does not. In a way, not only is Maggie taken for granted by the way Dee treats her, looks at her, and feels about her, but Dee takes her own looks for granted. Maggie is compared to her sister throughout the story and through it, it is easy to see Maggie’s pain. She is humiliated by the way she looks. “She has been like this, chin on chest, eyes on ground, feet in shuffle, ever since the fire that burned the other house to the ground.” Maggie has deep wounds, both physically and emotionally. She is completely taken for granted by her sister’ which is a common circumstance in the families today. It is through Maggie’s burns and scars that we see how easily family is taken for granted. Walker also employ’s the incident with the quilts to restate the importance of family and that they should not be taken for granted. Dee finds two quilts that “had been pieced by Grandma Dee” and asks Mama if she can have them. Mama already told Maggie she could have them though. Dee is upset and yells, and she practically pitches A fit, “Magg...