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Literary movement in the color purple by alice walker
The character of Celie in the colour purple
Evaluate gender politics in Alice Walker. The Colour Purple
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The Color Purple “maybe cause my m Throughout the Color Purple, Alice Walker, uses many different aspects of feminism. Two of the main female characters are Celie and Nettie. Both Celie and Nettie started at a disadvantage because of the treatment of their “father”. This novel shows how women can face many obstacles and still overcome them. Throughout the Novel, Celie is mistreated by many different men, starting with her father. At the beginning of the Novel Celie was raped and abused by “pa” who at the time she thinks is her father. As a result of the rape, Celie had two kids and her “father” took them from her and gave them away. Celie was then sold to “Mr.” although Mr was not attracted to Celie, he still married her, Celie had no choice
in the marriage. During this time women were looked at more as an object and not a wife. Her father was the first man to abuse and mistreat her, and Celie soon adapted to this treatment. “He beat me today cause he say I winked at a boy in church. I may have got somethin in my eye but I didn’t wink. I don’t even look at mens. That’s the truth. I look at women, tho, cause I’m not scared of them. Maybe cause my mama cuss me you think I kept mad at her. But I ain’t. I felt sorry for mama. Trying to believe his story kilt her (Walker pg. ). Celie felt that men had control over her she was afraid of them because of the way they treated her, mainly her “Pa”. She also states that mama cuss me you think I kept mad at her. But I aint” this shows that even though she didn’t like the way her mom talked to her it wasnt as bad as the physical treatment from her Pa.
The novel The Color Purple by Alice Walker, won the American Book Award in fiction in 1983 (Slomski). Celie was raped and impregnated by the man she considered to be her father twice at the age of fourteen, and then later married off to a poor black farmer. The man who Celie is sold to treats her as if she is a servant, not as his wife. Mr.___ believes that women are supposed to serve men, while they enjoy life. Mr.__’s other beliefs about women are that they should obey their husbands, work, and not be seen or heard (Averbach). Women in this time period were seen as children. They did not deserve to be respected and needed to be controlled by a man. Celie endures over thirty years of physical and mental abuse by her husband. Celie develops a strong relationship with many female characters in the novel such as Nettie, Shug Avery, and Sophia. They show Celie how to believe that joy can come even to her, how to celebrate life’s pleasures that are given by God, to stand up for herself, how to appreciate her own beauty, and help her to discover herself (Slomski). Although Celie has been victimized for over thirty years, she finds the strength within herself to become an independent woman through the help of other females.
Despite the odds women can overcome all obstacles. In the past, women have desperately struggled because they were belittled by men. They were thought of as ignorant beings that only knew how to manage housework. In The Color Purple, by Alice Walker, sexism was interrelated in the novel. Throughout the story, several women were extremely mistreated by men. Their experiences were considered trivial because they were always subordinated to them. Through the collection of letters that Celie wrote, the reader could see the development of a frightened young woman who had little regard for herself and of another, Shug, who struggled to become a successful woman.
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 these kinds 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. In The Color Purple by Alice Walker, numerous symbols influence and drive the plot of the novel.
In the novel The Color Purple Alice Walker uses men to push Celie to the attraction and affection of women. Celie’s abused by the two men in her life that should protect her, her stepfather and husband. The women in Celie’s life provided her with a sense of life and motivation to continue with household duties such as taking care of her stepchildren. Sexual and physical abuse that Celie encountered pushed her to the attraction and affection of Shug Avery.
The Color Purple is an award-winning novel written by Alice Walker. Originally published in 1982, the novel tells about a black woman's life struggles. Celie, the main character, is a dynamic character and changes from an abused, insecure character to a strong, loving woman. She learns to love and fight for the things she needs and desires. Most importantly she fights back against the cruelty by Mr. .
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.
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.
The Flowers By Alice Walker Written in the 1970's The Flowers is set in the deep south of America and is about Myop, a small 10-year old African American girl who explores the grounds in which she lives. Walker explores how Myop reacts in different situations. She writes from a third person perspective of Myop's exploration. In the first two paragraph Walker clearly emphasises Myop's purity and young innocence.
Firstly, Celie’s growth in the novel cannot be done without the abusive men in her life. They behave deplorably; acting in an aggressive, often brutal way. They show little understanding of women, treating them as slaves, menial workers or sex objects. They seem also to have no solidarity, unlike the females, who band together to support and console one another. The men in this novel seem to be incapable of bonding with one another and show little evidence of communicating on anything other than a very basic, crude level. Perhaps the least attractive of the men is Celie’s stepfather, Alfonso. He violates Celie at the age of fourteen, makes her pregnant twice and then sets out to do the same to Nettie, prevented only by Celie's determination
In the novel, The Color Purple, Alice Walker constructs a specific tone of victimization for multiple characters. Throughout the novel, the author uses characterization, diction and tone, and syntax, in order to demonstrate the idea of women overcoming irrational abuse.
Sharon Smith, a researcher andactivist, elaborates when she writes, “ Black women are discriminated against in ways that oftendo not fit neatly within the legal categories of either “racism” or “sexism”—but as a combinationof both racism and sexism” (International Socialist Review). Celie, The Color Purple’sprotagonist, is no exception. Due to lack of education and traditional gender roles many blackwomen, including Celie, are subject to domestic issues such as sex abuse and establishedmarriage in the post-confederate South. Celie is a woman living in the early 20th century inGeorgia. She has been molested by her father for the better part of her childhood and bore two ofhis children, as a result, she has to discontinue her education. Celie is then forced to marry a
As the novel, Color Purple, begins Celie is a young African-American girl growing up in rural Georgia before the civil rights movement occurred. Celie lives in a time of poverty, ignorance, sexism, and racism. These horrors are represented page-to-page. She endures hardship, tragedy, and undergoes a range of emotions until she eventually overcomes everything going against her and becomes a woman of strength and finally has control of her own life. In the book, Color Purple, by Alice Walker, Celie transforms from a reserved young girl to a wonderful strong-willed woman.
Shannon Alder once said, "Your perspective on life comes from the cage that you were held captive in". A person with strict parents will be much more studious and mature compared to people their age that do not have as demanding parents. What one believes in and acts like comes from the different people that are part of their lives. The Colour Purple written by Alice Walker revolves around the lives of abused African-American women, who were oppressed by men, and introduces many situations where a female's actions have been influenced by male characters. The influence of Alphonso, Mr.___, and Harpo are major examples of how males shape the actions of the women greatly.
The novel of “The Color Purple by Alice Walker describes an illegible black girl named Celie grows up under poverty in the Deep South of United States, who, undergoes a major change in her life from a victim of gender discrimination and prejudice to a successful woman by the end of the story. According to the “The Color Purple”, Celie is the narrator of the novel and her story begins with her struggle to resist her free wills against male dominance world. Her youth and early adulthood describe herself under controlled by the stepfather and the husband. Most memories depict physically and emotionally abused among men surrounding her. Celie is completely passive about her life and her identity from the very beginning because of the mistreatment
The Color Purple, written by a black woman Alice Walker, tells the story of an African American woman who faced racism and sexism and how this woman transformed and found her self worth. Through the protagonist – Celie’s inner transformation journey, Alice Walker tries to inform the readers about womanism, how a female can overcome the fate of oppression and discrimination with consciousness, and the black communities.