Maggie is a more traditional person than Dee. While Dee is away at school Maggie is the one at home. The guilt represents the African American experience because it is a piece of uniform that their Grandfather used to wear during the Civil War. Dee wants to take the quilt for public display, but the narrator prefers to give it to Maggie, who will wear it as a symbol of taking on the traditions that come with it and to take on the heritage.