in "Everyday Use," why does Dee want the quilts that her mother has?

My reading of "Everyday Use" is a little different from that of the previous post. Yes, Dee wants to acknowledge her heritage, but at heart, she wants her mother's things for materialistic reasons. All her life, Dee has looked down on her upbringing. When her mother and the church collected the money to send her to school, she thanked her mother by writing to her that "no matter where we 'choose' to live, she will manage to come see us." She didn't offer to have them come and live with her.

Now educated and socially aware, Dee has changed her name to one that sounds more African, and she wears clothing and has adopted a lifestyle that reflects that heritage. But she has forgotten her real heritage. She doesn't want the quilts because they were lovingly stitched from old clothing that tells a story. She wants to hang them on the wall and show her friends how "hip" she is. Dee was named after grandmother and her aunt, but she ignores that heritage by calling herself Wangero. She has lost sight of what is really important. It is by using those things as they were meant to be used that she honor her true heritage.