Reflections of Alice Walker
Alice Walker pours events and conflicts from her life into her works, using her rural roots as settings and Ebonics she brings her stories to life. Everyday Use and The Color Purple reflected the negative views Alice walker took upon herself because of her deformity. While also showing how things were in the Jim Crow era; where African-Americans were not afforded the same opportunities of whites. These two works explore events from her entire family, not just events she faced solely on her own. While also having the same rural setting as Walker’s Georgia upbringing. In this paper, I will go into detail of Alice’s two works Everyday Use and The Color Purple and what events are reflected in these works.
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background on Alice as many may know she was born in rural Georgia in 1944 to Minnie Grant and Willie Walker. Alice parents were sharecroppers which were common for African Americans during that time. She was raised in the midst of the Jim Crow era. Jim Crow era was when African Americans were seen as separate but equal. Meaning there were colored water fountains, colored bathrooms etc., everything was separate between coloreds and whites. Although not completely equal as many things for coloreds were not on the same level as the things for whites, like schooling for example. At age 8 while playing with her brothers Alice was shot in the right eye with a bb gun. Her family tried to find money to pay for the $250 surgery to fix her eye. When Bill her brother asked his boss for a loan his boss stated “Why you wanna waste, $250 getting your sisters eye fixed? She’s just gonna end up marrying a no-good nigger like you.” This is a prime example of the world in which Alice grew up and why in her stories the highlight for African Americans were not to move and become lawyers and doctors in her time those opportunities weren’t available for African Americans. The Color Purple tells the tale of Celie a young girl who suffers physical and sexual abuse at the hands of her stepfather. She gets married off to a man named Albert where she suffers the same abuse. Celie is looked down upon by many for her outer looks as she is not what they would call beautiful. This correlates with Alice’s life as she felt ugly and less than, in her adolescence much like Celie she felt as if her physical appearance was holding her back as if it was all people could see. While in the story Celie was simply looked down upon because her skin and kinky hair, vs Alice who had a deformity because of the incident with a bb gun. In an interview with John Obrien Alice stated about the scar from the incident: “For a long time, I thought I was very ugly and disfigured,”. Another projection of the incident in her work is the rape featured in the movie The Color Purple, Celie is raped by her stepfather who is supposed to be a father figure to her. While also not having her mother or sister to help her she felt helpless and to blame, much like Alice with the bb gun situation with her brothers. While Mrs. Walker was never sexually assaulted she was quoted by Evelyn White in her biography as stating (about the bb gun incident) that “The unhappy truth is that I was left feeling a great deal of pain and loss and forced to think I had somehow brought it on myself. It was very like a rape” (40). Her brothers told her not to tell anyone they shot her and to make up a lie or else they would get a whopping. With the threat of getting in trouble with her mother, Alice kept the truth hidden for years. In the book The Color Purple Celie’s stepfather said after the rape “You better not tell nobody but God, It’d kill your mommy” (1), Mirroring Alice life experience with the fear of upsetting her parents. The biggest connection from Alice life is from The Color Purple yet again, the main character Celie is arranged to marry a man Albert. He had just lost his wife and needed help raising his kids. She marries him only to be mistreated and abused. Albert resented Celie since he truly wanted to be with the love of his life Shug Avery but Shug was always on the move singing and dancing at juke joints. Albert took his anger of not being able to have Shug out on Celie. Surprisingly Celie then begins to have a somewhat emotional affair with Shug Avery. Alice’s grandparent's story is almost identical to Albert and Celie. In a biography titled ‘Alice Walker a Life’ written by Evelyn White, Alice’s father tells the story of his father Henry who feel in love with a woman Estella who he described as seeing him differently than everyone else she saw the ‘real him’ (18). She was the one that got away and Henry was stuck to marry Kate they had kids and he never loved her and treated her terribly going on drunken rampages and cheating blatantly. This pushed Kate to cheat and because Kate wouldn’t run off and live with her lover he murdered her in front of her son. That was one of the only blatant connections between Ms. Walkers life and The Color Purple. In the short story Everyday use, we see that the church had raised money to send Dee (Wangero) off to college. Just like Alice’s life her family and family friends had raised 75$ to send her off to further her education. This is confirmed in an interview with John O’Brien when Alice reminisces of a time she got pregnant and wanted to end her life rather than face the disappointment of everyone close to her. When the film The Color Purple was released Walker faced huge controversy for the way black men were portrayed in the film. Tony Brown host of Tony Brown's Journal has called the film THE COLOR PURPLE "the most racist depiction of Black men since THE BIRTH OF A NATION and the most anti-Black family film of the modem film era." With almost every male character having no redeeming qualities many males were angered towards Alice and everyone behind the film. Oprah fighting back against the negative remarks stated “This movie is not trying to represent the history of black people in this country any more than The Godfather was trying to represent the history of Italian Americans. In this case, it’s one woman’s story.” through the backlash The Color Purple came out a success with a box office revenue of 142 million and with nominations for best motion picture, best actress while also being nominated for four golden globes Color Purple was praised by many in the end. Many writers find comfort in basing stories off their own life experiences just like screenwriters. When writing the person can control the outcome and show the reader only what they want them to see. In Everyday use, Dee begins to embrace her culture and look down on where she was raised. Her hardworking mother is seen as ignorant for wanting to use quilts for everyday uses. Dee wants her mother and Maggie to embrace their culture yet Dee is slightly contradicting herself because she looks down on where she was raised. The setting and southern Christian views are present in both of these works.
In Everyday use Maggie and Dee are raised on a farm in a rural area. Much like Ms. Walker who grew up in a very country setting since her parents were sharecroppers. In both Everyday Use and The Color Purple God is mention, In The Color Purple Shug tells Celie “God is inside you and inside everybody else. You come into the world with god.” Celie confines in God throughout the story, first starting off about the rape and then continuing to write him letters. God in the story is basically Celie’s lifeline of hope to get her through all the pain of her life, as she waits for Gods response back. In the end, Celie never gets a response and loses her faith. She begins to question God and everything he stands for, much like Walker who in her speech given at the Uburn Theological Seminary stated “What kind of God would be so cruel as to curse women and men forever for eating a piece of fruit, no matter how forbidden? after describing her small church, she grew up going to in her hometown. Showing in this speech a time she questioned god much like Celie. This speech was latter adapted into a poem title ‘The Only Reason You Want to Go to Heaven is That You Have Been Driven Out of Your
Mind’. The dialogue in Everyday Use and The Color Purple are very much alike, both were using what is described by Mona from the wall street journal as ‘black folk English’. Changing pronunciation of words like sing to sang and you’re to ya, Walker embraced her rural roots Instead of ignoring them. Hitting controversy in the black community with many saying black people do not talk like how the ones she portrays in her stories. Her response when questioned by Essence magazine on the backlash, was “Are you crazy? Did you have a grandmother?” Yet with statements in Everyday use containing words like fellow and courting many found it hard to connect with her use of Ebonics. One of the most descriptive definitions of Ebonics I have found was from poet Steven Wills. “Ebonics is the official language of the undefined black culture. The native tongue to the undescribed black American.” There was a common theme in Ms. Walkers works of women simply being portrayed as nothing more than housewives. Caregivers to their family yet again the timing of when the works were written correlate with the theme. Everyday Use was written in 1973. The 60s and early 70s an era in which woman’s rights were basically unheard of. A mother reported in a survey in 1962 “She’s here as someone’s keeper — her husband’s or her children’s.” That is exactly how one can explain both main characters of Everyday Use and The Color Purple. With Celie being married off to take care of Albert’s children and cook and clean. While similar in Everyday Use the mother who narrates speaks only of her children and how she has provided for them never of herself. Alice Walker projected many conflicts and events from her upbringing into her works. With using her background, she shows a clear image of the life of blacks in the Jim crow era. She paints a vivid picture of woman’s duties in the 60s to early 70s while also projecting conflicts of her life into her stories. Not letting success get in the way of showing her Georgia roots. In conclusion, Alice not only showed her life through her work but also used her works as an outlet to embrace her culture.
Alice Walker, author of The Color Purple, wrote "Everyday Use," which tells a story of a rugged, independent mother of two girls who celebrate their African-American heritage in completely different ways. One daughter, Maggie, celebrates her heritage by enjoying and appreciating the use of family heirlooms whereas the other daughter, Dee, feels it is more honorable to display these heirlooms for artistic show. Walker's use of imagery illuminates the story's theme of family heritage and, quite possibly the most respectful way of celebrating such heritage.
Wade-Gayler, Gloria. Black, Southern, Womanist: The Genius of Alice Walker // Southern Women Writers. The New Generation. Ed. By Tonette Bond Inge. The University of Alabama Press, Touscaloosa & London, 1990
Bloom, Harold. Modern Critical Interpretations: Alice Walker's The Color Purple. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publisher, 2000. Print.
In the short story “Everyday Use,” Alice Walker explored the results of the Civil War and the Emancipation Proclamation in African American society during the early 1900s. The “Reconstruction Era” marked a time when the United States, especially African American sects, sought to start over again from the aftermath (PBS, 2004). In the allegorical short story, Dee, or “Wangero,” watches the old family dwelling burn until the last dingy gray board lay in ruin--she showed relief (Walker, 1337).
Alice Walker as a novelist, poet, short story writer, activist and feminist has built a well-known reputation worldwide. In her short story Everyday Use it is one of her popular and wonderful short stories in which she addresses the predicament of African and Americans who were struggling to define their personal identities in cultural terms. The story goes around some issues of heritage which construct a conflict between the characters of the story, each with different point of views. Walker's use of symbol of "quilt" and the difference of understanding the legacy of family, between Mama and Maggi with Dee, creates a
There are numerous works of literature that recount a story- a story from which inspiration flourishes, providing a source of liberating motivation to its audience, or a story that simply aspires to touch the hearts and souls of all of those who read it. One of the most prevalent themes in historical types of literature is racism. In America specifically, African Americans endured racism heavily, especially in the South, and did not gain equal rights until the 1960s. In her renowned book The Color Purple, Alice Walker narrates the journey of an African American woman, Celie Johnson (Harris), who experiences racism, sexism, and enduring hardships throughout the course of her life; nonetheless, through the help of friends and family, she is able to overcome her obstacles and grow into a stronger, more self-assured individual. While there are numerous themes transpiring throughout the course of the novel, the symbolism is one of the strongest prospects for instigating the plot.
“Everyday Use” is a story based in the era of racial separation between communities of diverse ethnicity. “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker merely scratches the surface of racial heritage and the elimination of previous ways of living. This discontinuation of poverty driven physical labor shines through Dee as she grows to know more of her heritage throughout her years in school. An example of this is when Dee changes her name; this is an indication of Dee/Wangero wanting to change her lifestyle after the harsh truth she is hit with while going to school. Dee learns about the struggles of African Americans during this time, which changes her view on the unforgiving reality of her family’s lifestyle. In “Everyday Use”, the author opens the mind
Alice Walker’s writings were greatly influenced by the political and societal happenings around her during the 1960s and 1970s. She not only wrote about events that were taking place, she participated in them as well. Her devoted time and energy into society is very evident in her works. The Color Purple, one of Walker’s most prized novels, sends out a social message that concerns women’s struggle for freedom in a society where they are viewed as inferior to men. The events that happened during and previous to her writing of The Color Purple had a tremendous impact on the standpoint of the novel.
Alice Walker is an African American essayist, novelist and poet. She is described as a “black feminist.”(Ten on Ten) Alice Walker tries to incorporate the concepts of her heritage that are absent into her essays; such things as how women should be independent and find their special talent or art to make their life better. Throughout Walker’s essay entitled “In Search of Our Mothers’ Gardens,” I determined there were three factors that aided Walker gain the concepts of her heritage which are through artistic ability, her foremothers and artistic models.
Walker brought most of the horrific and even sickening scenes of the book to life, with the help and influence of society in history. One of the greatest influences to have an effect on Walker's style of writing and especially The Color Purple, were instances from slavery and prejudice. The whites owned and empowered America during the time of slavery. They had no respect for any other race, which they thought of as substandard. As Lean'tin Bracks stated, blacks were considered to be racially inferior, and they were used for the exploitation of the white culture. The whites used the black people as animals, and made them do their every bidding. Blacks and whites were separated form each other and this segregation of the two races barred blacks from legal and economic access, and they were put to punishment by the white culture. Interaction between the two races rarely occurred other than specific affairs or whites intruding on blacks. There were no penalties to pay by whites, therefore intrusions were common, and they took advantage of the African-Americans. The intrusions varied from breaking and entering to rape and murder for no apparent reason (84). Walker used this basis of racism to grip the reader and take them through a story of a women, who survives physical, verbal, and emotional abuse, everyday.
Walker made known she believed that despite the challenges in your life you can over come with guidance and motivation. “ Women in general are not a part of the corrupt of the past so they give a new kind of leadership” (Royster 85). The novel is based on the revolution of women out of a form of slavery.” Celie finds a glimpse of courage when she identifies with the character, Shug Avery. Celie is exposed to confidence and self- love. “Transformation from a life of shame to self esteem occurs when Celie receives the embrace of the real Shug Avery”(Byerman 91) This foreign world of cherishing one’s self was amazing. After carrying herself as irrelevant and empty, suddenly she aspired to be more. “Celie’s ability eventually to stand up and leave due in part to her discovering a definition of God that is large enough to encompass even the poor, ugly black women that feels to be herself. Also a part in discovering within herself the ability to love and to be loved”(Winchell
In 1982, Walker published her most controversial and famous book, ‘The Color Purple’. It is written in the form of epistolary (letter), the novel included vivid descriptions of rape, incest, bisexuality, lesbianism, and “black- on – black” violence and abuse. It recounted the tragic but ultimately triumphant life story of Celie, a young victimized black woman. A year later it appeared it got Pulitzer Prize in fiction and National Book Award, and in 1985 it was adapted as motion picture. Walker’s longtime best- seller transcended black and gender
The progression of civil rights for black women that existed throughout the twentieth century mirrors the development Celie makes from a verbally debilitated girl to an adamant young woman. The expression of racism and sexism that evidenced itself during the postmodern era presented Walker with an opportunity to compose a novel that reveals her strong animosity toward discrimination. Without these outlets, Walker would not have had the ability to create a novel with such in-depth insights into the lifestyle of an immensely oppressed woman. The novel The Color Purple by Alice Walker is the story of a poor, young black girl, growing up in rural Georgia in the early twentieth century.
The novel explores the idea that domestic violence is a trait that is passed on from generation to generation but can be unlearned. Domestic Violence was one of the most important and most critical topics that were explained in The Color Purple. The book begins as Celie describes her initial family. Her father beats her mother and proceeds to rape Celie after her mother becomes too ill to satisfy her father’s sexual needs. She lives in constant fear of “him” and makes it her underlining goal to protect her sister Nettie from him at all costs. In the story her father states to Celie “You better never tell nobody but God. It’d kill your mammy” (Walker 1) making it clear that she is forced to comply with all his needs. Celie’s father impregnates her and when she is to give birth her father takes the infant away from her, and makes it seem like he has killed the baby in t...
One of the most popular works by Walker was, The Color Purple. In this Alice Walker story, the reader meets a girl named Celie. In this novel, Walker takes the reader on a journey through much of Celie’s life. While taking the reader through this tale, Walker draws attention to a number of social aspects during this time period. Through Cilie’s life, Walker brings to light the abuse and mistreatment of African American women from 1910 through the 1940’s. “Women were also regarded as less important than men-both Black and white Black women doubly disadvantage. Black women of the era were often treated as slaves or as property” (Tavormina page 2...