Gender in the Color Purple

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Recommended: Treatment of women in literature

“Love” Agreements

A perfect relationship has always been established as man and woman, having the man as the strong sex. Men have always had the first and last say in everything and women have always had to do as men would tell them to. Women have always been categorized as the weak sex and submissive to their men, putting men’s priorities first, in this case their husbands or sexual partner’s priorities. This has always been present since we have knowledge, due to the fact that we live in an extremely patriarchal society, where men are superior to women.

Woman had no rights. The only way to accomplish their goals was going in opposition to men and doing as they wanted like Sofia, serve God like Nettie or behave as a prostitute just like Shug Avery, who was recognized as a singer and extremely well known by men. Of course, there were exceptions of the traditional women who were under their husband’s feet, Sofia on the other hand, was a strong woman who would not permit any man to hurt her.

Women had no real opportunities, going against meant having a hectic life. In consequence, many, as presented in The Color Purple by Alice Walker would just marry and continue living as objects dominated and controlled by society, a society that was subjugated and proscribed by men. Women were not taken very seriously, they were just an additional possession in a man's collection. In most occasions women would also be seen as slaves, due to the fact that women were being obligated to do many things. They were forced to have sex and were physically abused among other things.

The female figures in Alice Walker’s The Color Purple were a perfect example of women being dominated by men, women who tried to go against men ...

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...day they pose as the upper hand. Relationships were not the exception to this, men dominate women and determine their status in society, leaving them as blanks of society. Relationships were not perfect at all, on the other hand they love and hate relationships where love lacked in all its aspects. Being a couple meant being dominated and suffering, and not being able to have complete happiness. The relationships Walker presents are just agreements that woman had to complete in order to be accepted by society.

WORKS CITED AND CONSULTED

Reynolds, Bridget. "Patriarchy." Norman Rockwell. 10 Apr 2000. Ithaca College. 6 Sep 2008

Walker, Alice. The Color Purple. United States: Hartford Inc., 1982.

"Woman in the Eighteenth Century." 27 Aug 2008. Miami University. 8 Sep 2008 {http://www.units.muohio.edu/miamimoo/images/thompsj9/wmn.html}.

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