Everyone grew up within a culture with a set of customs and morals passed down from those generations before them. Most individuals see and experience identity in different ways. Throughout history, different ethnic groups have struggled to find their place within society. In the mid-1900s, African Americans faced a great deal of political and social discrimination based on their skin tone. After the civil rights movement, many African Americans no longer wanted to be identified by their African American lifestyle, so they began to practice African culture by adopting African hairstyles, African-influenced clothing, and adopting African names. By moving away from their roots, many African Americans embraced a culture that was not inherited, thus leaving behind the unique and significant characteristics of their inherited culture. Therefore, in an African American society, the search for personal identity is a pervasive theme. The search for identity in "Everyday Use" written by Alice Walker uses the contrasting views of family to illustrate the importance of understanding present life in relation to ancestral culture traditions. Using careful descriptions and attitudes, Walker uses the voice of the protagonist (the mother) to demonstrate what factors contribute to the values ​​of one's heritage and identity; illustrates that these are not represented by the possession of objects or simple appearances, but by one's lifestyle and attitude. Additionally, in the illustration “Girl,” Jamaica Kincaid uses the voice of a mother, like Walker, to illustrate the meaning of the mother's identity. Both mothers in each story have their own vision of what defines a person's identity. Although every mother has a different......half of the card......ath; it is that child's choice of which path. It is through the forces of family, friends, media and school that influence a child's identity. In the words of Amiri Baraka “It is knowing your history and where you come from that determines who you are,” meaning that your heritage is a reflection of your identity. In Alice Walker's stories, she illustrates the importance of knowing one's heritage through one's mother's character. Kincaid also passed on the knowledge of her heritage to her daughter, thanks to her mother who gave her the life challenges she faced at her age, thus guiding her daughter to not make the same mistakes she had made. Both literary works help readers understand that a person's state of mind is filled with thoughts about who they are and what they want to be. People can try to change their identity all they want, but that can never change.