Alice Walker’s The Color Purple

2188 Words5 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Contribution of women in literature

Change is the law of life. A person goes through different stages of life, and at every stage there is transformation in the personality of the person. This new individual is entirely different from the previous one. For this change, different circumstances and events are responsible. Alice Walker’s The Color Purple and Monica Ali’s Brick Lane are two texts of feminism in which we find the theme of evolution among the life of the characters like Celie and Nazneen who, happened to highlight the oppression of women in universal phenomenon irrespective of caste, creed, culture and nation. My paper is an attempt to study these two characters and see how their personality is evolved because of the different circumstances of life.
Nazneen and Celie both belong to different culture, religion and nation, but they both are women, the weaker sex. They both belong to that gender which is always identified with the man. Therefore, they both are identified by their respective husband Chanu and Albert. Clara Nubile writes: “In childhood a women should be under her father’s control, in youth under her husband’s and when her husband is dead under her sons. She should not have independence” (1).
Nazneen, who is just sixteen years old is married to Chanu aged forty years. It a case of mismatch marriage. This decision is taken by her father after her elder sister Hasina elopes with nephew of the saw mill owner. As passivity is expected from young girls at the time of marriage, Nazneen accepts this match made by her father. There is no resistance on her part. She reaches England with her husband. Here she has everything. She has well- furnished house, food to eat and above all an educated husband. A husband who is the identity of a women. Monica A...

... middle of paper ...

...er. Becoming financially independent is the biggest achievement of both of them. They can live alone and make their own identity in the world. They realize their importance as an individual.

Works Cited

Ali, Monica, Brick Lane. Great Britain: Scribner, 2003.
Print.
Gaur, Rashmi.Women’s Writing: Some Facets. New Delhi:
Sarup and Sons, 2003. Print.
Hall, Devon Campbell “Subversive Migrant Labour in Monica Ali’s Brick Lane and Zadie Smith’s WhiteTeeth.”Nation in Imagination.Ed.C. Vijayasree et.al. Hyderabad: Orient Longman, 2007. Print.
Nubile, Clara. The Danger of Gender: Caste, class and Gender in Contemporary Indian Women’s Writing. New Delhi. Sarup and Sons, 2003. Print.
Walker, Alice. The Color Purple, New York: Pocket Books, 1982. Print.
---The Same River Twice: Honoring the Difficult. London: Phoenix, 2005. Print.

Show More
Related

  • Leaving The Iron Lung Summary

    1401 Words  | 3 Pages

    When Marie tries to ask the protagonist to take a walk, this action shows that she is trying to achieve Pauline’s dream by getting her outside of the house. Therefore, she could finally feel the true meaning of freedom. Nevertheless, Pauline’s mother’s response demonstrates that she wants her daughter’s safety more than anything. The mother tries to keep Pauline away from the danger, so the protagonist can at last have a healthier life. However, Agathe’s reply shows that her mother is willing to sacrifice Pauline’s dream to keep her secure. Therefore, the author uses contrasting characters to mention that safety is more valuable. Furthermore, the protagonist starts to describe Tante Marie and reveals that she always has her hair “around her shoulder” (85). When Pauline describes Marie, Pauline shows how her Tante is open-minded. In fact, Marie helps Pauline to let go of her limitations and to get a taste of her dream. Therefore, Marie always wants Pauline to go outside and play hockey or even to take a walk. These actions that Pauline’s Tante takes show how she is determinate to make Pauline’s dream come true. Thus, the author

    Read More

  • Compare and Contrast Women in The Yellow Wallpaper and Story of an Hour

    1712 Words  | 4 Pages

    Women have traditionally been known as the less dominant sex.  Through history women have fought for equal rights and freedom.  They have been stereotyped as being housewives, and bearers and nurturers of the children.  Only recently with the push of the Equal Rights Amendment have women had a strong hold on the workplace alongside men.  Many interesting characters in literature are conceived from the tension women have faced with men.  This tension is derived from men; society, in general; and within a woman herself.  Two interesting short stories, “The  Yellow Wall-paper and “The Story of an Hour, “ focus on a woman’s plight near the turn of the 19th century.  This era is especially interesting because it is a time in modern society when women were still treated as second class citizens.  The two main characters in these stories show similarities, but they are also remarkably different in the ways they deal with their problems and life in general.  These two characters will be examined to note the commonalities and differences.  Although the two characters are similar in some ways, it will be shown that the woman in the “The Story of an Hour” is a stronger character based on the two important criteria of rationality and freedom.

    Read More

  • Under The Persimmon Tree Najmah Quotes

    939 Words  | 2 Pages

    I’m so relieved. It will be much easier to help you if I know more about you. I knew you were a girl because of the way your hands are callused. Your work is carrying wood and cutting grass and sweeping, is it not? she asks. Najmah nods once. That’s a girl's work.” (Staples 194) (STEWE-2)”Najmah, my name is Najmah” (Staples 195)(SIP-B)Later on Nusrat brings on a new student, and it turns out to be Nur.(STEWE-1)”I run to Nur and i throw my arms around him” (251)(STEWE-2)”Baba-jan? i ask before we even say hello….. The world we knew had come to an end” (252)(CS)Najmah meeting Nusrat caused Najmah to have part of her family

    Read More

  • Symbolism In Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette's 'The Hand'

    935 Words  | 2 Pages

    Through the use of symbolism, and characterization that involves an instance of imagery, the author advocates this notion through the newlywed’s decision of neglecting her personal feminine taste to make her husband’s preferences her own, and embracing her title of submissive partner by kissing the hand. Also, the choice of words to describe each partner differs tremendously, as the author seems to give more importance to the man by making him appear handsome, and particularly strong. On the contrary, the young woman appears to be weak and minor, which supports this idea of submissive women in a couple through the perception of the woman being way behind her husband. This story demonstrates a great symbolic significance when it comes to the hand, which can lead to other important ideas surrounding the message the author is trying to

    Read More

  • The Creation of Women's Identities in the Color Purple by Alice Walker

    550 Words  | 2 Pages

    If we read The Color Purple with 'gender on the agenda' as required we can identify how the form contributes to the impact of the narrative. The Color Purple is a story that unfolds through the writing and exchange of letters. Opening with the line 'You better not never tell nobody but God. It'd kill your mammy.' A warning issued by the abusive 'father' (later and importantly discovered to be step-father) of the central character Celie who indeed pours out her secret to God and later to her sister Nettie about her life and her pain.

    Read More

  • Non-Traditional Relationships in The Storm and A Doll´s House

    1731 Words  | 4 Pages

    Finally, even though, for a long time, the roles of woman in a relationship have been established to be what I already explained, we see that these two protagonists broke that conception and established new ways of behaving in them. One did it by having an affair with another man and expressing freely her sexuality and the other by breaking free from the prison her marriage represented and discovering her true self. The idea that unites the both is that, in their own way, they defied many beliefs and started a new way of thinking and a new perception of life, love and relationships.

    Read More

  • Gender Roles In 'The Awakening' By Kate Chopin

    1474 Words  | 3 Pages

    The 19th and 20th centuries were a time period of change. The world saw many changes from gender roles to racial treatment. Many books written during these time periods reflect these changes. Some caused mass outrage while others helped to bring about change. In the book The Awakening by Kate Chopin, gender roles can be seen throughout the novel. Some of the characters follow society’s “rules” on what a gender is suppose to do while others challenge it. Feminist Lens can be used to help infer and interpret the gender roles that the characters follow or rebel against. Madame Ratignolle and Leonce Pontellier follow eaches respective gender, while Alcee Arobin follows and rebels the male gender expectations during the time period.

    Read More

  • The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

    603 Words  | 2 Pages

    The fact that the fictional mothers and daughters of the story have unhappy marriages creates a common ground on which they can relate. However, marriage has different meanings for each generation in this book. In the mothers’ perspective, marriage is permanent and not always based on love. Especially with their marriages in China, which was a social necessity that they must secretly endure in order to be happ...

    Read More

  • Loyalty In I, The Divine By Rabah Alameddine

    808 Words  | 2 Pages

    In a troubled household, the Nour El-Din family find themselves in a series of compelling moments in their lives where arguments about identity, religion, customs, and tradition ensue. Every time something terrible happens, everyone is out the door, and on their way home.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Color Purple By Alice Walker

    2348 Words  | 5 Pages

    Alice Walker is the pride of African Americans, who are considered as the most suppressed community within United States. She was born on 9th February 1944 in Georgia. She started her career as a social worker activist, followed by teaching and writer. She has secured many awards for her unprecedented works. The third novel of Alice Walker “The Color Purple” was published in 1982, which gave the real flight to her publications; as she received massive credits from around the world. Her works basically include short stories, novels and essays that are always evidently centered on the struggles and adversities of black women particularly in United States. Walker uses the writing as her standard to spread her voice and to process experiences of

    Read More

  • The Influence Of The Color Purple By Alice Walker

    1943 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Color Purple By Alice Walker

    2211 Words  | 5 Pages

    My reaction to this article was quiet agreeing. I agreed with many things stated in this article, the article explained the story exactly right. For example when it states the relationship between Shug and Celie because Shug was always there for Celie. The article did a really good job explaining the novel and gave a really good report. (The New York Times).

    Read More

  • The Search For Self-Acceptance in the Color Purple by Alice Walker

    1396 Words  | 3 Pages

    If any woman had to answer if she ever had trouble accepting herself, the response would be yes. According to Susan David, “All healthy human beings have an inner stream of thoughts and feelings that include criticism, doubt, and fear” (125-128). Depending on the person Alice Walker has as the recipients of Celie’s and Nettie’s letters, the text alters. The Color Purple is about a girl named Celie, who grows up in the south during the early 1920’s, surrounded by racism, sexism, and abuse from her father and husband. Alice Walker wrote The Color Purple in epistolary style and it traces Celie’s journey of finding her identity and path of finally accepting herself. On her journey she encounters a couple of women including one named Shug Avery, who helps turn Celie’s life around. Throughout The Color Purple, Alice Walker uses the epistolary structure to demonstrate self-acceptance in women.

    Read More

  • Political Critique of Race Relations in Alice Walker's Color Purple

    2167 Words  | 5 Pages

    work for her as a maid, Sophia is brutally beaten by the mayor and six

    Read More

  • Feminism In Zahra By Al-Shaykh's Zahk

    1229 Words  | 3 Pages

    Throughout century, man has being also the center of all activities. Man are related to active, violence, and more active than woman, The society has made it this way and still has the concentration of dominance and superiority of man all over the world. This injustice on women is so getting crucial to a point where many women activists are trying to stop this bad treatment on woman in the world. In the story of Zahra by Al- Shaykh, Hanan use this story to illustrate the problems of war and consequences female are still enduring until this day. The concept of violence and war illustrate the power of masculinity over feminist due to their weaknesses, unequal treatments and their view as objects in the society.

    Read More

More about Alice Walker’s The Color Purple

Open Document