Dramatic Impact of The Color Purple by Alice Walker

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. Celie’s abuse first starts when her stepfather rapes and verbally abuses her “He never had a kine word to say to me. Just say You gonna do what your mammy wouldn’t….

1990- Dr. Jack Kevorkian performs his first assisted suicide, using a homemade machine, to end the life of Alzheimer's patient Janet Adkins. Meanwhile, after protracted legal wrangling, the parents of Nancy Cruzan, who has been in a coma for seven years, are allowed to remove her feeding tube. Friends and co-workers testify in court that she would not have wanted to live. 1991- Hemlock Society founder Derek Humphry first publishes "Final Exit." The controversial suicide "how-to" book later becomes a national best seller.

Verbal and physical abuse is a constant in Celie's life. The man she married makes her raise his two children from another marriage, despises her, and physically and verbally abuses her. Celie is continually told she is skinny, ugly, and got nothing. When Shug first meets Celie she says, "You sure is ugly" (Walker 48). Celie is miserable with Mr. ___, a man who wanted to marry her sister Nettie.

A group of residents chased his down and held him until the police arrived. He was found guilty of 13 counts of murder, 5 attempted murders, 11 sexual assaults, and 14 burglaries. He was sentenced to death by gas chamber. After he was convicted some ladies began to form a fan club for him. One of the members of that fan club, Doreen Lioy, wrote him 75 letters, so Ramirez proposed to her and they were wed October 3rd, 1988.

A man from town wanted to take Celie’s sister Nettie as a wife, but her father convinces the man to take Celie instead. Celie is now forced to marry an older man who already has children. Celie’s husband constantly beats and rapes her without any remorse. He even made Celie nurse Shug Avery, his mistress, when she was ill. It is now that Celie learns from Shug Avery about love.

At the time, Celie believes that Alphonso is her real father because that is what her mother has always told her. Her mother ends up dying shortly after, and her step-father brings home a new wife. Although he has a new wife, he continues to abuse and rape Celie. Celie never saw her children for they were taken away from her by Alphonso and given to the wife of a missionary who couldn't have children. After the acts of rape Celie hated and feared men, but she didn't fear women.

The story “Revolt of Mother,” by Mary E. Wilkins depicts a woman (Sarah Penn) who is constantly exempt by her husband (Adonriam Penn) in taking part in important decisions until her frustration reached a breaking point, which ultimately leads to drastic changes in their family. In contrast a similar conflict arises in the movie Sleeping With the Enemy (1991), which was directed by Joseph Ruben. In the movie the main character, Laura Burney, had everything her heart desired. On the surface she had a beautiful house, a successful husband, and any material item she could ever want. However below the surface she was really married to a possessive as well as a physically abusive husband who made all the impressive luxuries she had seem insignificant.

Nana constantly told her she was a worthless bastard because her father had an affair with his servant, who was Nana at the time. After Nana found out she was pregnant, Jalil and his three wives kicked her out, as it would hurt their reputation. Since Mariam is a girl, no one saw any value in her. Mariam soon learns the truth after she sneaks off to her father’s house to meet him despite her mother’s wishes. At her father’s house she is told to go home as her father is away on a business trip.

When she finally realizes that she doesn’t want to spend her life as a slave or with someone that she doesn’t love, Janie runs away to be with a man she had met only a few days before. Janie faces reality and gets out from under Logan’s rule before she becomes consumed into his world. Again Janie is only a possession of her new husband, Joe Starks. He displays her like a medal around his neck. He is so jealous of other men lusting after his wife that he restricts her to always tend the store, leave fun situations, and wear a head rag to hide her beautiful hair.

?The Yellow Wallpaper? and ?The Story of an Hour? are two feminist works that highlight the importance of freedom for women in the oppressive world of men. Freedom is not achieved normally in either of the short stories, but is gained through insanity and death. These two stories prove that women?s liberation is an extremely important issue, and the means by which these women gained their freedom is remarkable.