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Critical analysis of the color purple book
Critical analysis of the color purple book
The color purple literary analysis
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“Freeing yourself was one thing, claiming ownership of that freed self was another.”
How are identities defined in ‘The Color Purple’ and ‘Beloved’?
“Identity” is often perceived in terms of one’s fingerprint, that is only unique to us. Consequently, people tend to feel that they must create their own identities, achieving this by the decisions and actions they make. When people are influenced by others, their own sense of identity will be at risk. However, both the novels in consideration problematize this notion of independent self-creation. Alice Walker and Toni Morrison have presented in their novels the issues of personal
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During the 1800s and mid 1900s women were viewed as not needing to be educated as the roles they had on a day to day basis were done in their homes and not an actual job. This is proven in The Color Purple when Celie is forced to look after Albert’s children and his home. “I spend my wedding day running from the oldest boy…He picked up a rock and laid my head open…I bandage my head best I can and cook dinner.” In ‘Beloved’ Sethe was given the opportunity to experience education as she was born into slavery. The only education she had is that of being taught the ways of working in the fields and taking care of the family at home, not being able to look to her mother for support. “I didn’t see her, except for once when she was working…”. This shows that women not being educated meant they fit with societal expectation of female gender roles whilst men were more educated and had more power. However throughout ‘The Color Purple’ Celie starts to get educated in the way she’s allowed to used more words in her diaries. Hsiao asserts that the new sophistication in Celie’s letters “is a celebration of the increase in her mastery of language” showing how the character has simultaneously grown in power and articulation. This results in her starting to take the role of a man which doesn’t fit with the societal expectation of what a woman should be like. For example, she has a …show more content…
She never gives up fighting for her identity. She will not listen to her husband commands and will not be a burden. Lucy stone who was an abolitionist and suffragist lived during when the novels are set. In her diary she wrote about the times she was beaten by her father for not scraping the mud from the horse shoes. These kinds of situations were frequent during these times and we can see similar things happen in ‘The Color Purple’. Albert beats celie up for no reason, just to show he has more power over her and also to show that she’s not important. During this times black males were humiliated because of the colour of their skin, this meant that they had no way to fight back against the white with the fear of being lynched, therefore they took their anger out on their women. This meant that women experienced twice the oppression. However later on Sofia is arrested for irritating the major’s wife and forced into being a maid. Here we see how the position has changed from being a strong minded woman to a scared slave. This is in contrast with the idea of expanding the construction of gender roles in ‘The Color Purple’. Nettie describes the Olinka Women as living in a world dominated by men. Men use their language to clarify their dominance and shows how unimportant women
There are many factors that lead to the development of an individual’s identity. Franz Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis” illustrates an extreme change in Gregor Samsa’s external identity and the overall outward effect it has on the development of his family. While James Baldwin’s “Sonny’s Blues” illustrates a young man struggling to find his identity while being pushed around by what society and his family wants him to be. Both of these characters exhibit an underlying struggle of alienation but both also demonstrate a craving for belongingness. This conflict of trying to belong to something as well as satisfying the needs of society, has directly impacted their own individuality and the lives of the people around them.
Toni Morrison was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for her novel Beloved, a novel whose popularity and worth earned her the Nobel Prize in literature the first ever awarded to a black female author. Born in the small town of Larain, Ohio, in 1931, to George and Ramah Willis Wofford, Morrison's birth name is Chloe Anthony Wofford (Gates and Appiah ix). Morrison describes the actions of her central character in Beloved, as: the ultimate love of a mother; the outrageous claim of a slave. In this statement we find an expression of the general themes of Morrison's mainly naturalistic works. One of these is the burden of the past or history (i.e. slavery and being black in a predominantly white controlled society). Another is the effect on the individual and society from distinctions of race, gender and class. A further theme still is the power of love, be it positive or negative it is a powerful transforming presence in her characters and novels, one through which many find redemption and freedom.
Celie's mother, in the beginning of the novel The Color Purple, is a very small but effective setting character. Her character flaw was irresponsible parenting because she did not protect her daughter. With this lack of protection, Celie did not have any female role models when she was growing up. Therefore, Celie was not able to become knowledgeable about life and have good female company. Another effect this flaw had on the protagonist was that she had no one to teach her how to understand herself. Celie was unable to realize all of the wonderful qualities of being and becoming a woman. Because she could not appreciate being a woman, she was unable to appreciate herself, and therefore had a lack of self confidence.
In general, identity means how one sees himself/herself and others around in order to distinguish himself/herself as different. David Snow differentiates between the ‘individual’ and ‘collective’ identity as “personal identities are the attributes and meaning attributed to oneself by the actor, they are self-designations and self-attributions regarded as personally distinctive.” (Snow 2) On the other hand, the “collective identities attributed or imputed to others in an attempt to situate them in social space. They are grounded in established social roles.”(Snow 2) This research paper aims at examining the role of ‘collective’ identity that is formed on the expenses of the ‘individual’ identity and how this leads to physical and psychological repression in Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” and Isaac Babel’s “My First Goose.”
_______ and Harpo were the most influential male characters in The Color Purple. Each man viewed women as being below men and servants and concluded that violence against women is what made men strong and that wives were meant to be weak and submissive. Celie quotes Mr. ______ saying, “Wives is like children. You have to let’em know who got the upper hand. Nothing can do that better than a sound good beating”(35). Alphonso showed his possessiveness over Celie when he repeatedly raped her and threatened to kill her if mother if she told. Despite Harpo being possessive and abusive, Harpo struggles with dominating over his wife unlike the other characters in the story. Harpo’s first impulse isn’t to be his wife, but does so after be told to do so by his father. Walker generalizes that men are abusive and harmful and hold a meanness that women can’t. This became evident when Celie writes, “I don’t even look at mens. That’s the truth. I look at women, tho, cause I’m not scared of them” (5). Celie doesn’t fear women because she doesn't see women as a threat like men. Celie associates violence and abuse a trait that men
One of the biggest fears in today's world is the idea of not fitting into society. Evan Hunter's story “On the Sidewalk Bleeding,” explores the theme of the importance of personal identity. This will be shown through an analysis of how external reality plays a critical role in defining who people are, how personal identity is a crucial aspect of how individuals grow and the fact that no matter how hard you try, you can never erase the troubles of your past. One aspect of identity that is evident in Hunter's story is how external reality plays a critical role in defining who people are. While individuals may wish to be many things, the world plays a role in who people are and how people perceive others.
“Nettie's letters allow her to gather and convey her understanding of cross-cultural gender parallels and differences” (Krstovic 382). What Celie and the Olinka women have in common is not getting an education. The Olinka people won’t let the girls in their village get an education. This is similar to how Celie doesn’t get an education. She was aloud to get an education when she was younger, but when she became pregnant she wasn’t aloud to go to school. When one of Olinka girls tries and that is Tashi. Tashi is one of the girls in the village and she tries to go to school with all of the boys. The Olinka people try and take her away from getting that education. They do this because they don’t believe in women getting an education; that is what their husbands are for. In The Color Purple, a letter written by Nettie to Celie says, “The Olinka do not believe girls should be educated. When I asked a mother why she thought this, she said: a girl is nothing to herself; only to her husband can she become something” (Walker 156). They think the women are nothing
Finding your identity and self-worth can get difficult sometimes. It takes time to realize your worth.Your self-identity is the way you view yourself, and the relationship you have with the world and the American society. Identity basically identifies who you are, where you are from, and most of all, who you want to become. As an African American woman, I was often tempted by the society to do greater than the rest of the ethnic groups. Because back then we didn’t have the right to do anything. We only had the option of being a housewife or a slave. The readings that were covered this semester, perceived self-identity. Each character in the novels confronted self-identity issues to find their true self, and their inner being. It took a while
The woman in Alice Walker’s The Color Purple and the woman in Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire both struggle with discrimination. Celie, a passive young woman, finds herself in mistreatment and isolation, leading to emotional numbness, in addition to a society in which females are deemed second-rate furthermore subservient to the males surrounding them. Like Celie, Blanche DuBois, a desperate woman, who finds herself dependent on men, is also caught in a battle between survival and sexism during the transformation from the old to the new coming South.
Eventually she turns into a lesbian. In the book, The Color Purple, "dear God, Nettie, dear stars and trees" are the only people she communicates with. All the letters show that Celie is a very insecure person, and that reflects to her teenage years. All the abusing caused her a scar in her heart, which would stay there and wouldn't go away. Every time she thought about the abusement she felt like she was experiencing it all over again. In The Color Purple, there are many conflicts, which arise from the theme. First of all, Celie is against Pa and Mr._____, that shows the conflict of man Vs man, and unfortunately, Celie doesn't have the power to fight back physically. Secondly, Celie and herself that show the conflict of man Vs him/herself. She can't win over herself and that is why she doesn't have enough courage to stand up and be in command for her own life. Thirdly, the tradition of men had high social status then women. That shows the conflict of man Vs society. At the end of the book Celie eventually fight over the tradition. Men are no longer in charge for her life.
In today’s advanced societies, many laws require men and women to be treated equally. However, in many aspects of life they are still in a subordinated position. Women often do not have equal wages as the men in the same areas; they are still referred to as the “more vulnerable” sex and are highly influenced by men. Choosing my Extended Essay topic I wanted to investigate novels that depict stories in which we can see how exposed women are to the will of men surrounding them. I believe that as being woman I can learn from the way these characters overcome their limitations and become independent, fully liberated from their barriers. When I first saw the movie “Precious” (based on Sapphire’s “Push”) I was shocked at how unprotected the heroine, Precious, is towards society. She is an African-American teenage girl who struggles with accepting herself and her past, but the cruel “unwritten laws” of her time constantly prevent her rise until she becomes the part of a community that will empower her to triumph over her barriers. “The Color Purple” is a Pulitzer Prize winning novel by Alice Walker which tells the story of a black woman’s, Celie’s, striving for emancipation. (Whitted, 2004) These novels share a similar focus, the self-actualization of a multi-disadvantaged character who with the help of her surrounding will be able to triumph over her original status. In both “The Color Purple” and “Push”, the main characters are exposed to the desire of the men surrounding them, and are doubly vulnerable in society because not only are they women but they also belong to the African-American race, which embodies another barrier for them to emancipate in a world where the white race is still superior to, and more desired as theirs.
How important is it to be able live for yourself? In Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison, the egotistical, self-involved Milkman Dead lives passively and without active response to what goes on around him. He lacks consideration for others and seems to live without a care about anything. However, one night’s event turns into a window that opens Milkman up into changing. Soon after, he begins to be active, responsive human with a passion. Morrison’s Song of Solomon illuminates, through a scene of conflict with Milkman, the importance of independence and individuality while expounding upon the themes of the necessity of identity.
...heless, regardless of the changes that are seen within society in the the Color purple , there are still places within the world where females will never be able to live freely or handle their ‘’own’’ .The African tribe of the Olinka do not believe in educating their women, and regardless of the fact that there are no reports of abuse towards females by males in the letters that Nettie sends, female subservience is unchallenged, and the debasing initiation ceremony continues without from the females contest except from Nettie and her family. Also known as the combined female initiation ceremony, each of these operations has their functions. By scarring the womans face, the woman instinctively keeps her head ‘down,’ as Tashi does daring not to look up. While the women keep their heads down the men keep theirs aloft, and in doing so the power structure is conserved.
The Color Purple depicts the struggle within the life of the female protagonist, Celie. Celie, a clear victim of abuse, narrates the story through a collection of writings that starts with her confession of “Dear God.” Celie’s story encompasses around her life and the characters that breaks the common gender depiction. The story heavily addresses the subject of social and behavioral standards for either men and women. It raises an issues on traditional marital subjects, family patriarchy, and social topics. In a traditional take of the family structure, the man often exhibits the dominant male figure head with the final say. The father provides the money and security for the wife and children as well as claim authority over the family. He becomes very work oriented and cares for the children only in times of need. On the other hand, the woman acts to be passive and pleases her husband. She plays a major role in raising and educating the children in every way possible. Often times, the woman takes a small part in maintaining a profession; although, she holds responsibility for all house work. The societal perspective of the patriarchal family system relies so heavily on gender roles that it becomes an expectation and the regulated norm. The Color Purple disrupts this gender norm by introducing characters that faces marital issues due to being the opposite of the typical gender role. Because they embody the opposite gender’s likely attributes, it becomes a questioning issue that leads to striving to live up to social norms or dealing with society disapproval. Within the progression of the novel, the women possess a sense of empowerment while as the men accept how things are in the world. The introducti...
Self-identity is one of the main themes of philosophy throughout its history. In general, “self-identity” is a term that means thoughts or feelings with which you distinguish you from others, and we use the term in ordinary conversation without a solid concept of “self-identity”. However, arguing about self-identity philosophically, there arise many questions: whether there is any essence of yourself, whether you are the same person as you when you were a baby, whether memory or experience makes you, and what is “self-identity.” To solve these questions, many philosophers have been arguing the topic “self identity” for so long.