Each of the symbols used throughout, to help show how much mother's heritage means to her. Walker uses quilts as a major symbol of family heritage. “These are all pieces of dresses that grandmother wore. She did all this sewing by hand” (Walker, 320). These quilts show how their family lived and what they experienced. Like the only remains of their former family members. “In both cases were pieces of dresses that Grandma Dee had worn...pieces of Grandpa Jarrell's paisley shirts. And a tiny, faded blue piece...that came from his great-grandfather Ezra's uniform that he wore during the Civil War. » (Walker,