What conflicts exist between Dee and her mother and sister?

Various conflicts exist between Dee, her mother, and her sister, Maggie. The conflicts that rock the family seem to have started a long time ago. Dee despised their initial house, which got burnt down. On the contrary, her mother liked the house and was saddened by the fact that it got destroyed in a fire. This shows that Dee and her mother have conflicting ideologies and preferences when it comes to the kind of life each wants to live. The conflict in ideology and preferences within the family is evident in different instances in the story. For example, Dee’s value for education conflicts with her mother’s ideology about the same. The author indicates that

Dee’s mother resented the intimidating world of ideas and education that Dee forced on her family during her trips home.

Dee’s mother and her sister, Maggie, did not hold the same value for education as Dee did. According to the story, her mother had not gone beyond the second grade, whereas Maggie could only read in a limited capacity. Additionally, Dee and her sister Maggie had not been close to each other since their childhood. Maggie always felt intimidated by Dee, and their mother had to grip Maggie to prevent her from running back into the house when Dee arrived home. The conflict between the two sisters is further evident when Dee insists on taking the quilts that their mother had reserved for Maggie. Dee describes Maggie as not being smart enough to be able to preserve the quilts. This is a further depiction of the conflict in ideology between the two sisters. However, at this juncture, their mother decides to take Maggie’s side and stamps her authority as to whom the quilts belong. Thus, the story is characterized by the conflicting ideologies of Dee, Maggie, and their mother.