Symbolism in the Color Purple by Alice Walker

1486 Words3 Pages

Symbolism is one of the major elements in "The Color Purple" by Alice Walker. The woman's search for something she has never experienced is the symbolization of the mankind's search for love and happiness. The meaning of names, occupations, power, pants, cloth, words, eyes, frogs, starts, shell, stamps are only few examples of the symbols used by the author and are very important in understanding not only the characters of the story, but also global values such as love, power, mutual understanding, and authority over another person's life. The purple color itself symbolizes love in the story. When Celie is shopping for the first time in her life for new clothes, she wants to get something purple. However, she cannot find any purple garment while seeing a lot of people wearing purple. This is a symbol of her search for love: she sees so many people who are loved and happy, yet no matter how long and hard she looks, it seems impossible to find love and happiness for herself . From the beginning of the letters, Celie herself is a symbol of complete powerlessness herself. She is so powerless that the only person she can talk to is God. She lost the ability to control her own life when her mother died . She is forced to assume the duties of her mother and is treated like a slave by Pa, who constantly rapes and beats her. Nettie is the only living creature who provides Celie with friendship and love. Sex is also very important symbol which is an element of disempowerment. Celie seems to have inability to resist her Pa. Sex is described by her as something which is done to her, but never enjoyed on her side. Even though sex is a symbol of disempowerment of Celie, it becomes a symbol of empowerment for other... ... middle of paper ... ...hat enslaved many black people. The symbolic meaning of God cannot be under-estimated in the novel. God for Celie associated with a white man and white people in general who should be treated with special reverence and respect. God is passive in Celie's perception. She believes that in order to be part of God it is necessary to do work for him such as feed the preacher. In her mind, God is blind to her troubles and glorifying in being deaf. "The Color Purple" is full of symbols which provide a deeper insight not only on the characters but the society of that time as well. If roundness and rose are truly feminine symbols, the teeth, stars, stamps have historical meaning in depicting the slavery. Some objects serve to portray the emotional conditions of the person: needle, names, pants and occupations represent an economic independence and power.

Show More
Related

  • Argumentative Essay On The Color Purple

    687 Words  | 2 Pages

    The faith Celie has in God is naive and related to that of a child. However, it undergoes transitions as the film progresses. The letters she receives from her younger sister Nettie gives Celie a new perspective of God other than what she knew and was accustomed to from the start. Besides, Shug does not agree with the perceptions of the church towards God as she regards them as false and narrow-minded (Richards, 2016). Her perspectives are unconventional, but they serve as a wake-up call to her

    Read More

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

    550 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...mply in terms of reliance upon subjugation to men. Her defiance of the custom of demurring in the presence of men stirs envy in Celie, who lacks Sofia's self-assurance, and who consequently advises an exasperated Harpo, to 'beat her' into submission. This is a point of growth for Celie who comes to realize that she has committed a 'sin against Sofia spirit'. Celie is becoming aware of the nature of her own oppression. She is able to analyze her own behavior and admit her jealousy of Sofia's ability to fight back against abuse and to resist male oppression. Here Walker, deftly illustrates the ease with which the cycle of abuse is perpetuated among the abused and the oppressed. In the story, Sofia, represents the indomitable spirit of the woman of color who is determined to be herself regardless of the pressure to submit to the indignities of prejudice and sexism.

    Read More

  • Strength Grown by Celie

    1005 Words  | 3 Pages

    Within The Color Purple by Alice Walker, women are treated as inferior to men therefore they must obey them. Through the strength and wisdoms Celie gains from other women, she learns to overcome her oppression and realize her self worth as a woman. The women she has met throughout her life, and the woman she protected since young, are the people that helped her become a strong independent woman. Sofia and Shug were there for Celie when she needed someone to look up to and depend on. Nettie was able to push Celie to become a more educated, independent person. The main source of conflict in this book is Celie’s struggle with becoming an independent woman who needs not to rely on a man. Throughout the book we see her grow as a person and become independent in many ways through her experiences with the powerful women in her life.

    Read More

  • The Color Purple Rhetorical Analysis Essay

    542 Words  | 2 Pages

    Walker is adept at using tone to pull the reader into the minds of the characters. Tone fills in as an effective literary technique that personifies a character. The novel is written in first person which gives it a personal feel and allows the reader to understand the characters better. The effect of her brilliant syntax is demonstrated when Celie says “It all I can do not to cry. I make myself wood. I say to myself, Celie, you a tree. That's how I know trees fear man” (A. Walker, 23). By associating with Celie, the reader is able to have a better understanding of the character’s nature. In early parts of the novel, Celie showed humility in her speech and rarely responded to any form of abuse. However, as she attains power, her meek voice changes to one of pride and dignity. By applying a skillful use of tone, Alice Walker

    Read More

  • An Evaluation on the Different Scenes within the Movie Color Purple

    765 Words  | 2 Pages

    When Shug enters Celie’s life it becomes a pivotal moment in the movie Color Purple. Shug enters Celie life at a time when all Celie is, is a shell of who she should be. Celie is looking for some way meaning to life. Some way to escape the life she lives in. Shug becomes her escape. Unknown to Celie, they are similar. They are both facing struggles and challenges. Celie found a reason to fight. She realized that world held wonderful things...

    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

  • Scholarly Analysis Of The Color Purple By Hardev Kaur

    432 Words  | 1 Pages

    In the article, Kaur points out how patriarchy silences women’s voices and ignores their desires. The Color Purple addresses this through the Celie’s character, a teenage girl who suffers abuse at the hands of her father and is burdened with

    Read More

  • Literary Analysis: The Color Purple

    1382 Words  | 3 Pages

    In The Color Purple by Alice Walker, numerous symbols influence and drive the plot of the novel. One of the most important symbols that Walker incorporates into the plot is the letters written by Celie to either God or Nettie, signifying the power of voice. The epistolary format of the novel itself enables readers to understand Celie, whose letters are initially addressed to God. After being raped by her stepfather at the age of fourteen, he tells her to “never tell anybody but God” (Walker 1); thus, Celie’s original letters are presented more as confessions and prayers. This first letter itself “initiates the story of Celie's unrelenting victimization” (Bloom, and Williams 77-88), and the audience notices that the way in which Celie narrates the events occurring in her life over the course of the next several letters lacks sentiment and opinion....

    Read More

  • Use Of First Person Point Of View In Alice Walker's The Color Purple

    384 Words  | 1 Pages

    The Color Purple is an epistolary novel that tells the story of a young black girl, Celie, who is abused by her father and others, left with no other option but to confide in God and use writing as a way of journal therapy and to find her own sense of agency. In The Color Purple by Alice Walker, the author uses first person point of view to make evident to the reader Celie’s growth from an emotionally detached being who is not capable of making her own decisions to a full fledged person with her own sense of agency throughout the novel.

    Read More

  • The Color Purple Analysis

    2090 Words  | 5 Pages

    ...ce of social gender departure releases her from oppression that came with emotional, physical, and sexual abuse. The significant change from her passive self to a feminine assertiveness develops out of her encounter with the people and events that goes against traditional views of social acceptance as it breaks common views on behavior and attributes. The development allows Celie to identify the people around her as the people she loves and care for, essentially becoming her people. The Color Purple becomes a contemporary text that becomes relatable to issues of identity and acceptance as well as addresses the existence of the continuing problem. Just as Celie says at the end of the novel when she narrates the conservation she shared with Mr. ____, the ability to “live her life and be herself no matter what” becomes a capability to her and the other characters.

    Read More

  • Symbolism used in Everyday Use by Alice Walker

    1056 Words  | 3 Pages

    Symbolism is a literary technique used by a manifold of authors. Symbolism is using an object, person, place to represent something greater than what it actually is or means. For example, the crucifix symbolizes the honor and sacrifice and love off all men. Symbols also represent suggestions for ideas, like traffic lights, red symbolizes stop, yellow symbolizes slow down, and green symbolizes to go. Symbolism is even used to celebrate, in the Hispanic culture a quincenera is used to symbolize a female child becoming a young lady.

    Read More

  • Color Purple Oppression

    1177 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Color Purple shows the intersectionality of oppression and the issues women had to deal with such as their sexuality,gender,race. One of the biggest problems this book was facing was Sexsism. In the beginning of novel, one of the main characters, Celie reveals to the readers how she has no control over her life. Celie’s mother dies due to a heart break. Her father which is also the father of her two children who she refers to as ”Pa” abuses her on a daily base. She writes many letters speaking to God. She shows that she doesn't respect her husband because she really never refers to his name. The Color Purple faces issues such as sexsim. The power of women was distorted and challenged. Black feminism cues that sexsism, classism,

    Read More

  • Color Purple Point Of View

    571 Words  | 2 Pages

    The point of view in this novel is first person through the form of letters. The first half of the novel is completely told from Celie’s point of view. “You better not never tell nobody but God. It’d kill your mammy,” said Alfonso “Pa Harris”. After this spoken line, that is when Celie begins her letters, written to God; she addresses God in a diary form to let him know what was going because she was not able to express her inner feelings to anybody. The second part of the novel is alternated between Celie and Nettie. Celie’s lack of education portrays her poor spelling and grammar, however, she still tells a powerful story. On the other hand, Nettie is highly educated and her letters discuss more complex

    Read More

  • Sexuality In Alice Walker's The Color Purple

    410 Words  | 1 Pages

    Alice Walker’s The Color Purple is a good example of how black women’s sexuality is depicted in society. The film draws audience attention to the fact the black women's bodies were not desirable during slavery as we see Celie constantly being abused by the men in her life. In fact, this was the beginning of traumatic life experiences as she marries an abusive man while living in a racists environment. The turning point in her identity is when she meets her husband’s ex-lover, Shug. When they first met, they weren’t attracted to each other. Shug first words to Celie was “you sure are ugly”. As we may have noticed, Shug doesn't realise that Celie desires her sexually where she only wants to recover from her illness with the help of Celie. Despite

    Read More

  • Heterosexuality In The Color Purple

    1210 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the movie, “The Color Purple,” directed by Steven Spielberg, portrays the disruption of gender roles, various sexual orientation stereotypes and sexuality from various surroundings that everybody can relate to. The Color Purple uses imagery, symbols, and characters to help viewers understand the dominance of sexuality. Furthermore, there are various scenes like Celie’s abuse from her father, Celie and her husband relationship, Celie relationships with various women throughout the movie. “The Color Purple,” is important to anybody that views this movie because it demonstrates the importance of women empowerment and self-love that everybody can relate to.

    Read More

More about Symbolism in the Color Purple by Alice Walker

Open Document