Gender Roles in The Colour Purple and Oranges are Not the Only Fruit

Gender Roles in The Colour Purple and Oranges are Not the Only Fruit

In the novels, The Colour Purple and Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit a

masculine quality in a female character or, a feminine quality in a

male character is seen as a sign of strength and change. Both authors’

portrayal of gender and sexuality is an extremely significant aspect

in the novels. This essay will be focusing on how Alice Walker and

Jeanette Winterson present men and women as well as how the authors

present the idea that gender is distinct from sexual identity and if

rigidly enforced, gender roles can be highly destructive.

In The Colour Purple and Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, male

characters are represented in a variety of different ways. There are

some positive representations of men, however, they are mainly

portrayed as oppressors. The characters of Mr. _____ and the Pastors

are shown to be typical men who show authoritarian and tyrannical

values. In The Colour Purple Celie chooses not to acknowledge Mr.

_____‘s name, this shows that Celie is denying him a presence and

sense of individuality until right at the end of the novel. This is

the only way Celie can attain power. However, not recognizing

Mr._____’s name reinforces the fact that he has complete authority and

power over Celie and she is fearful of him as. The use of names is

also significant in illustrating power and status in Oranges Are Not

the Only Fruit. Pastor Finch and Spratt’s names are important in

showing that Jeanette is also living in a patriarchal society. Both

Pastors have a lot of respect and power in the church however their

names, Finch and Spratt show that they are named aft...

... middle of paper ...

...Furthermore, Walker compares the attributes of

the sisters to "amazons", reflecting how Sofia's sisters are turning

around the appearance of women being the inferior race by adopting

masculine traits.

In conclusion, The Colour Purple and Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit

are two novels which present the two genders as variety, where there

are no specific qualities assigned to each gender. However, although

the representation of men as oppressors dominates, men are also shown

to have different, positive qualities. Furthermore, women characters

are presented as symbols of hope in deeply patriarchal societies by

possessing strong, dominant qualities. By challenging these

traditional representations of men and women, it shows that there is

hope for change and we can move away from fixed gender roles expected

by society.