Women in society are degraded for simply being a woman. No matter who you are or what type of woman you are, “The strength of a woman is not measured by the impact that all her hardships in life have had on her, but..measured by the extent of her refusal to allow those hardships to dictate her and who she becomes” (C. Joybell C.) Through literature, many writers are able to present this idea to audiences and show how a woman’s strength can get her through anything. Alice Malsenior Walker, born on Feburary 9, 1994, an establishing African American writer portrays what it means to be a black woman during the 1920s and 1930s in the rural southern Georgia novel, The Color Purple. Walker elucidates the meaning of survival and strength, sisterhood, and womanhood. Walker, an African American author experienced many situations in the upbringing of her life that had effects on her.
Living a life in middle of the age of racism and misogynists Through various genres of poetry, fiction and non-fiction Alice Walker exposes readers to the struggle of African- American women in the racist and misogynistic society of U.S. from 1960s to the 1990s. She faced many obstacles in her life time. Since young age she had to face the racist and misogynic world ,not jusr outside, but also inside her family there in where people hurt her both emotionally and physically. She lived under Jim Crow laws which banned black people from studying.. Alice became a writer after listening to her grandfather’s stories. In the age of 8 she started to wrote secretly.
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. Celie, the main character in The Color Purple has trouble figuring out who she is, and accepting herself because of the terrible life she had and still has while growing up. Her struggles begin when her stepfather says, "better not never tell nobody but god", after raping her (Walker 1).
Best known for her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Color Purple, Alice Walker portrays black women struggling for sexual as well as racial equality and emerging as strong, creative individuals. Walker was born on February 9, 1944, in Eatonton, Georgia, the eighth child of Willie Lee and Minnie Grant Walker. When Walker was eight, her right eye was injured by one of her brothers, resulting in permanent damage to her eye and facial disfigurement that isolated her as a child. This is where her feminine point of view first emerged in a household where girls were forced to do the domestic chores unaided by the brothers. Throughout her writing career, Alice Walker has been involved in the black movement and displays strong feelings towards the respect black women get.
(Muellero Vol.1) Her writing mainly reflects her concerns on multidimensional sympathy with racial, sexual, and the take in power of social & political issues among African American women 's struggle at her time. (Whitted n pag.) She justified that, “The black women is one of America’s greatest heroes Not enough credit has been given to the black women who has oppressed beyond recognition.” (Gerding Period.5) Walker throw back and reflects her opinion on her third novel that is widely known called The Color Purple. The novel traces the life of Celie, a poor Southern black woman who is physically and mentally abused by her step-father and husband. (Muellero Vol.1) In the youth age, Celie often got raped by her step-father causing to have two children, but the step-father sell the children away and her failed marriage husband, Albert who beats and torture her continuously.
Also, Kitty Garesche, a girl who she went to school with most of her life made the decision to become a nun. In this, Kate lost her only female friend. All of the trauma in her life gave her a headstrong personality that she so often draws back to while writing. “Living in a region divided by Union and Confederate sympathies, she experienced the Civil War firsthand. Raised in a family of slave owners and nurtured by a black mommy, she saw the abolition of slavery and the enfranchisement of African-Americans” (Chopin, xvi).
Walker, Alice. The Color Purple. New York: Harcourt, 1982.
she then became a traveling speaker on the abolitionist circuit.” She helped slaves escape through the underground railroad and wrote frequently for anti- slavery newspapers, earning her a reputation as the mother of African American journalism” (poetryfoundation.org, 2014). Frances Harper got married in 1860. Her and her husband had one daughter of their own named Mary, and he brought three children of his own into the marriage. Frances continued to take care of her family after the death of her husband died four years after their marriage. To help her through the death of her husband, he did speaking managements.”she was superintendent of the colored section of Philadelphia and Pennsylvani... ... middle of paper ... ...sm=~oF0IjawSkqsIhJ Frances E.W.
When she lied for her brothers so they could avoid getting in trouble, she felt guilty and pained for agreeing to lie. “It was very much like a rape (Walker).” Walker refers to this event in her life as a rape and refers to this in her writing of “The Color Purple.” Celie was raped by who she thinks is her father many times and is impregnated by him twice. Although Alice Walker was not physically raped, she writes... ... middle of paper ... ...e about her own feelings and beliefs through her characters to show women and men that women do not have to rely on men. Walker was a strong advocate of the independence of women and through her works, she is able to portray this message successfully, while writing about her own life at the same time. Works Cited Chung, Heun-Kyung .
This was very trying for Gwendolyn, as it would be for anyone. To combat the prejudice she encountered, Brooks spent many years working for the NAACP. Gwen went on to have two children, and as a family they continued living in Chicago until her death in early December, 2000. Gwendolyn began writing at a very young age. According to Adventures in America... ... middle of paper ... .... Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishing, 2002.