Introduction
In the film The Color purple women are strongly objectified by men, their worth being ruled by beauty, talent and what they could do. They were left uneducated to keep them submissive and beaten down to be put in place. Men however did as they please with no repercussions for their actions. White men were given the right to an education and all
Characters
Mr. is controlling and self centered without showing any regards to how Celie is feeling. He beats and conditions her to be submissive. For this is how he was led to believe to treat women by his father viewing them as objects. At the end of the movie he has a turn around. After Cellie left he realized without her every thing falls apart. ‘until you do right by me any thing you even think about is gonna fail’ He arranges for her to get her children back as he puts his life back together piece by piece watching the reunion. From a distance he looks humbled to see Cellie reunite with her children and guilt for what he had done.
Sophia is a very strongly opinionated woman, who openly expresses her views on how she feels she should be treated. She starts out with extremely high confidence, and is later beaten down to believe she is worthless. She has an altercation with Ms Millie’s husband the mayor. After refusing to work for Ms Millie as a maid and hitting the mayor she is locked up beaten down and reconditioned to a submissive state and then returned to work for Ms Millie. Towards the end we start to see a glint of her former self at the dinner table after Cellie finally stands up for her self Sophia is re empowered by this.
Cellie is raped at the start of the movie by her father resulting in two pregnancies at 14 and told not to tell anyone but god...
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...e collapses and with out men women flourish. Men begin to grow an appreciation and understanding of women and find how hard they had made women work but of Corse by this time it was to late. Through out the movie we see women are intimidated and live in fear of violence resulting in poor self-esteem a broken spirit (Sophia). Women had been totally destructed until they no longer have fear of having a voice or opinion things could not possibly get any worse therefore when there is nothing to live for fear dose not exist for death would seem less tortures. When women unite they find they feel empowered by one another and no longer need to feel isolated as together they have a voice as demonstrated when cellie stands up for herself Sophia is empowered ad show her true self returning.
Bibliography
Teacher’s notes
The color purple movie
Word count 1396
Alice Walker’s love of Zora Neale Hurston is well known. She was the only one who went looking for Hurston’s grave. She describes her journey to get to the unmarked grave in her book, In Search of Our Mother’s Gardens. During that journey, Walker started to feel as if Hurston is family to her, an aunt. “By this time, I am, of course, completely into being Zora’s niece… Besides, as far as I’m concerned, she is my aunt – and that of all black people as well” (Ong). Walker’s book, The Color Purple, was influenced by Hurston and her works. Walker was greatly influenced by Hurston and her book The Color Purple has similarities to Hurston’s book Their Eyes Were Watching God.
... the liberation of women everywhere. One can easily recognize, however, that times were not always so generous as now, and different women found their own ways of dealing with their individual situations. Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s character created a twisted image of the world in her mind, and eventually became mentally insane. While most cases were not so extreme, this character was imperative in creating a realization of such a serious situation.
_______ 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
The reason for this is Alfonso’s warning to Cellie. He ordered Cellie "You better not never tell anybody but God. It 'd kill your mammy" [sic] (Walker 1). Celliehas been silenced in her childhood. Cellie was forced to conceal her struggle, and was restrained from sharing with anyone due to her fear. Cellie was in a position where she believed anyone’s words. "She is sworn to secrecy by the force of Pa 's authority, and held in a speechless bond by fear of her mother discovering what has taken place" ( Mckever-Floyd 2). Cellie at this stage was quite weak, and
Many authors use the themes oppression and victory to define a struggle. This technique allows readers to relate with characters on a personal level. Alice Walker constantly uses this theme in her short story “Everyday Use” with her character Maggie and in her book The Color Purple with her character Celie. Both tales depict these women as underdogs who overcome obstacles to realize her full potential at the end.
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.
Raised in an abusive household with her mother and stepfather, Celie gives birth to two children fathered by her stepfather and each is taken away from her soon after their births.
One of the prevalent issues in this book is the numerous sexual encounters Celie is forced or consensually involved in. “You better not never tell nobody but God. It’d kill your mammy.” (Walker 1) This is the dialogue that opens the book and is warning to Celie from her father. The novel starts when Celie was fourteen years old and is raped by her father for the first time. While she lives with her father and mother she has two children fathered by her father. After she gives birth to the children she presumes them dead after her father takes them. Later in the book readers find out that Celie’...
Born in Eatonton, Georgia, in 1944 Alice Walker was last of her eight siblings. As far as becoming author, Alice walker herself was faced with many struggles throughout her life. After a childhood accident blinded her in one eye, she went on to become valedictorian of her local school, and attend Spelman College and Sarah Lawrence College on scholarships, graduating in 1965(Janet Witalec). Her biggest turning point/ motivation was an author named Zora Neale Hurston, who made a great influence on Walkers later life. Later in her life she edited one of her fiction called “ I love myself when I am laughing”(Janet Witalec).
Men were the leaders and if they did not do what they were told or they talked back, there were always consequences. Black men were not the only people abusing their significant other, but the white men would beat the black people as well (Walker). The Color Purple is put together by all the experiences and common struggles that were faced: oppression, abuse, and violence (Fiske). The books main theme is overcoming the two main separations, sexuality (between females) and a bit of pantheism (Mars-Jones), .Women really did not have much say so during this time and men only wanted them for sex. Their main purpose was to make babies and to become homemakers.
African-American woman have had to deal with being black and female, a double-edged sword. In her novel, The Color Purple, author Alice Walker introduces southern black female characters that not only faced slavery, but sexism, racism and oppression. Through a series of letters, mostly addressed to god, by the main character Celie, we travel through a span of thirty to forty years in the early nineteenth century. Throughout the novel, Walker not only describes the injustices against African-Americans, but forces us to become a member of an oppressed race as we struggle to hear the rhythm and sway of Celie's mind. The Color Purple is an extraordinary account of a black women's plight as she strives towards acceptance, freedom and independence.
Celie has never been happier, even though the odds were always against her, she managed to overcome and persevere through it. She becomes friends with Mr.__ rather than a forced relationship and the two are much happier this way. Celie’s story is very moving and well told, it shows even the most oppressed people can and will persevere if they put their mind to it, and if they allow other people to influence them in positive ways. Walker illustres to us Celie’s final thoughts, “And us so happy. Matter of fact, I think this the youngest us ever felt.” (294). This quote is the final line of the book, Walker purposely ends the book on a good note in order to show how happy Celie is. Walker uses many illustrations of perseverance and failure through the book. The story is told eloquently, but most of all truthfully which is what makes it what it
...in their respective Black (home) communities and the White (Georgia) dominated community they are apart of. Despite the fact that both of these communities are very different, these females are still heavily oppressed in each. While there is the ability to move out of class, the characters in The Color Purple are still placed in their social positions because of the intersection of their race, gender, and sexuality.
Throughout The Color Purple, Alice Walker conveys the importance and the power of female friendship in all forms. It shapes and forms the strong bond of female companionship as means of refuge from oppression, male dominance and a world full of violence perpetrated against woman which the female protagonists wish to break free from. Walker constantly reminds the reader of the gruelling pursuit of identity that all are in search for, both in Africa and America; for females to gain equal recognition as individuals who deserve fair and just treatment in a patriarchal society where as Albert states “Men suppose to wear the pants" in soceity. In conclusion, not only leading Celies personal growth as independent woman but also to the extraordinary establishment of a female solidarity network within the novel. It is this network of female friends that wages a potent challenge to dominate over the patriarchal structure in the text.
...bservations of her situation and form an analysis of her own feelings. It is not until Celie is an adult that she finally feels content with her life and understands her capacity to be a completely autonomous woman.