Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Alice Walker writing style
The color purple oppression essay
Alice walker critical artical essay about her
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Alice Walker writing style
Forcefully silenced into submission and subject to continuous abuse by the man, she thought was her father, Celie adopts the private mode of letter writing to express her grievances. Growing up in a southern working class household, Celie is exposed to the full force of sexism in a primarily black society. Addressing her concerns to God, the first letter immediately brings to light the plight of the innocent girl child who is rudely forced to acknowledge her womanhood at the age of fourteen when she is constantly raped and impregnated by her step father. The letters are written in the first person but even though she assumes the “I”, she does not sign the letters as she is perhaps aware that her private life is still dictated by the patriarch of the household. This can also be read as conscious attempt on Walker’s part to suggest that the plight of Celie is the plight of most black women of her age, hence the deliberate omission. The novel opens with the silencing of the girl child, “You better tell nobody but God. It’d kill your mammy” (Walker 8), so that what emerges is the figure of the obedient slave, “the mule of the world…carrying the burden that everyone else refused to carry”(Walker, “In Search Of” 237), who assumes the gender role thrust upon her by a society which seems to sanction abuse.
The letters in the first half of the novel, though addressed to God are more of a dialogue with the self. They are open, honest and provide a black woman’s reality where notions of race and sex intersect as oppressive forces in a predominantly patriarchal set up. Her abuse is limited to the domestic space and continues even when she is married to Mr._ who marries her but for convenience and looks her up and down as he would a farm ani...
... middle of paper ...
...ion in The Color Purple”. Critical Inquiry 14.4 (Summer
1988): 831-859. University of Chicago Press. JSTOR. Web. 19 Nov 2011.
hooks, bell. Ain’t I A Woman: black women and feminism. Boston MA: South End
Press, 1989. Print.
--- Talking Back: thinking feminist. thinking black. Boston MA: South End Press, 1989. Print.
---“Reading and Resistance in The Color Purple”. Alice Walker: Critical Perspectives Past and
Present. Eds. Henry Louis Gates Jr. and K.A. Appaiah. New York: Amistad, 1993. Print.
---“Writing the Subject: Reading The Color Purple”.454-470. Print.
Sellers, Susan. Language and Sexual Difference: Feminist Writing in France.
England: Macmillan, 1991. Print.
Walker, Alice. In Search of Our Mother’s Gardens. Orlando: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich,
Publishers, 1983. Print.
--- The Color Purple. London: Phoenix, 1983. Print.
Celie is a victim of mistreatment and isolation in a world that considers women inferior to men. To instill fear and obedience in women, men conduct themselves in a hostile manner towards women. They manage women similar to slaves and sexually dominate them. When Celie is barely fourteen her stepfather, causing her to become pregnant twice, violates her multiple times. In a letter to God, Celie writes “I cry. He start to choke me, saying You better shut up and git used to it” (Walker 11). Intended merely to satisfy Pa, Celie...
It is through letter writing that the power of communication is emphasized. Celie's absence of bitterness for the way she has been treated allows the reader to empathize and perhaps feel the outrage she does not. We feel very acutely her positio...
Sisterhood does not only bring women together, it also helps make women stronger individuals in a patriarchal society. For instance, The Women of Brewster Place is an African American novel by Gloria Naylor that takes place in 1982 in Brewster Place. This novel contains several stories which focus on the lives of each of the seven women that live there. These women come to Brewster Place to find comfort. Eventually, the women build bonds that help them deal with the negativity of the society that they live in. In addition, The Color Purple by Alice Walker is an epistolary novel that takes place in rural Georgia during the 1980’s. Celie, who is the protagonist in The Color Purple, is a poor and uneducated fourteen year old African American girl. She is constantly physically and mentally abused by the men in her life. She forms strong friendships with women whom she idolizes and women who stand up to the social norms of society. In the end she gains confidence and becomes a stronger individual. The women in the novels The Color Purple and The Women of Brewster Place have shown that the only way to survive in a patriarchal society is through sisterhood.
The overall message of the book is that woman should stand up to men if they are being oppressed by them. Celie learns that she can be who she really is instead of shying away from reality. "Celie, she say, Do you love me? She down on her knees by now, tears falling all over the place. My heart hurt so much I can't believe it. How can it keep beating, feeling like this? But I'm a woman. I love you, I say. Whatever happen, whatever you do, I love you” (Walker 250). A woman named Shug is brought into Celie’s life and they have a deep love and respect for one another. Shug really cares about Celie and she helps Celie learn how to love herself. Feminism is a key theme of The Color
In the article “In Living Color Race and American Culture” Michael Omi expresses his attention on racism and how stereotypes have affected the way we
She wants to escape her cruel and callous relationship with Albert, yet she feels that this is something that she cannot even try to do. However, through interaction with Shug and Sofia, Celie is exposed to new ideas. At the beginning of the novel, based on her experiences with her father and Mr. ______, Celie believes that men have to keep women in their submissive place by beating them. For example, when Celie’s stepson sought advice on his new marriage to Sophia, he asked, “what to do to make Sofia mind”(Walker 35). Celie replied for him to “beat her”(Walker 34). Her action of telling Harpo to beat Sofia demonstrates her acceptance of these gender roles that have been assigned and her willingness to conform to them. However, when the stepson tries to follow this advice, Sofia instead fights back and beats her husband, until his “two eyes close like fists” (Walker 62), when he tries to touch her her. This circumstance allows for a shift in the way that Celie thinks about gender roles, because before this instance it hasn’t occurred to her to fight back and speak up for herself. Moreover, Shug finds out that Albert is beating Celie for lots of mistakes, but most of all Celie tells Shug that Albert beats her “for being me and not you”(Walker 75). Shug is horrified by this instantly comforts her saying “I won’t leave...until I know Albert won’t even think about beating you” (Walker 75). This act of love from Shug
Shelton, Frank W. "Alienation and Integration in Alice Walker's The Color Purple." CLA Journal 28 (1985): 382-92.
Briefly introducing the background of this book, the time period of this book is in the early 20 century after abolition of slavery. But even slavery was abolished, the issue of slavery had remained in this era. This paper describes the evidence of slavery in The Color Purple after abolishing legacy of slavery.
The Association of Black Psychologist (ABP) (2013) defines colorism as skin-color stratification. Colorism is described as “internalized racism” that is perceived to be a way of life for the group that it is accepted by (ABP 2013). Moreover, colorism is classified as a persistent problem within Black American. Colorism in the process of discriminatory privileges given to lighter-skinned individuals of color over their darker- skinned counterparts (Margret Hunter 2007). From a historical standpoint, colorism was a white constructed policy in order to create dissention among their slaves as to maintain order or obedience. Over the centuries, it seems that the original purpose of colorism remains. Why has this issue persisted? Blacks have been able to dismantle the barriers faced within the larger society of the United States. Yet, Blacks have failed to properly address the sins of the past within the ethnic group. As a consequence of this failure, colorism prevails. Through my research, I developed many questions: Is it right that this view remain? How does valuing an individual over another cause distribution to the mental health of the victims of colorism? More importantly, what are the solutions for colorism? Colorism, unfortunately, has had a persisted effect on the lives of Black Americans. It has become so internalized that one cannot differentiate between the view of ourselves that Black Americans adopted from slavery or a more personalized view developed from within the ethnicity. The consequences of this internalized view heightens the already exorbitant mental health concerns within the Black community, but the most unfortunate aspect of colorism is that there is contention on how the issue should be solved.
Both males and females have influences that help decide the ways in which they think, dress, speak, and act within the situation of society. Cultural and personal gender roles are a big influence on the way people live. Learning plays a role in this process of shaping gender roles. Peers, parents, movies, teachers, television, books, and movies could all teach and reinforce gender roles throughout the lifespan.
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 nobody 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 ...
...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.
Walker made known she believed that despite the challenges in your life you can over come with guidance and motivation. “ Women in general are not a part of the corrupt of the past so they give a new kind of leadership” (Royster 85). The novel is based on the revolution of women out of a form of slavery.” Celie finds a glimpse of courage when she identifies with the character, Shug Avery. Celie is exposed to confidence and self- love. “Transformation from a life of shame to self esteem occurs when Celie receives the embrace of the real Shug Avery”(Byerman 91) This foreign world of cherishing one’s self was amazing. After carrying herself as irrelevant and empty, suddenly she aspired to be more. “Celie’s ability eventually to stand up and leave due in part to her discovering a definition of God that is large enough to encompass even the poor, ugly black women that feels to be herself. Also a part in discovering within herself the ability to love and to be loved”(Winchell
Alice walker used the motif of sex to define and represent the relationships between the characters to convey Celie’s distortion on the world around her because of these relationships. In her early years when Celie was just 14, she was raped by her thought to be father and was put through traumatic experiences. When that hurt, I cry. He start to choke me, saying “You better shut up and git used to
In the book “The Color Purple” the writer Alice Walker illustrates a story of bravery, struggle and oppression. The main character in the book, Celie, is shown as a submissive women with no intention of changing. Celie turns into a strong independent women at the end of the novel, but first she faces some very large obstacles. Walker, from the beginning illustrates what the story will contain, “ You better not never tell nobody but God. It’d kill your mammy.” (1). This quote shows that Celie in a state of oppression due to her outer influences. Her current situation is not sustainable, Celie must find a way out or she will perish in her own misery. Walker makes this point with the quote above, she