Letter 29 Of The Color Purple Analysis

• May believe that accomplishment of one goal or activity fulfills obligations to minority communities; may engage in token hiring practices.

The Color Purple by Alice Walker is a very controversial novel, which many people found to be very offensive. It is basically the struggle for one woman’s independence. The main character in The Color Purple is Celie a coloured woman with little or no education at all. She is one who has been used and abused by all the men in her life, and because of these men, she has very little courage or ambition in her life. She has so little courage, that all she wants to do is just survive. Through the various women she meets throughout here life like: Shug, her sister, and Harpo’s wife, she learns how to enjoy herself, gain courage and happiness. She finally learns enough and with the final straw she could no longer bare, she leaves her husband

            Harpo’s redemption comes about much more quickly than Albert’s does.  Perhaps this is because Harpo is not as stubborn or awful as his father, or perhaps because there was always love between him and his wife, Sofia; however, he still does great wrongs towards Sofia and women and general.  He has been taught that a man should be above all women in every aspect.  Harpo eventually learns that he cannot control Sofia, he tries to beat her at first; but she ends up hurting him badly.  Harpo’s first step towards redemption is concluding that he and Sofia truly love each other, and that he needs to treat her well if he wants to keep her (Walker 38).  Even after understanding this, he does not truly learn how much Sofia means to him until she is taken from him (Walker 89).

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

Compare the ways in which the writers of The Help and The Color Purple explore violence within the lives of black African Americans.

Alice Walker is a world renowned novelist, poet, short story author and political activist, with works including The Temples of my Familiar and In Search of Our Mothers’ Gardens. Yet Ms. Walker’s most critically acclaimed novel remains The Color Purple. The Color Purple tells the complex tale African American women, their brutal living conditions, everyday abuse, and their instinct to survive. The Color Purple was an immediate success due to its simple writing style, the intricate storyline, and compelling characters. In 1983 The Color Purple was recognized for these very reasons and graciously awarded The Pulitzer Prize For Fiction. Every year several Pulitzer Awards are handed out to distinguished

And not only that, they serve the use of being beaten, when something troubles the men, or just because they are woman and their wives. "Harpo ast his daddy why he beat me. Mr._______ say, because she my wife. Plus, she stubborn." (pg. 23). Mr. _______, says this to convince his son that women serve no use in this planet other than to work, have babies, and be beaten. Harpo, following his father's example and Celie's advice for Harpo to make Sofia mind, goes on to beat Sofia. Sofia's response is unexpected. Harpo thought that Sofia was going to act as Celie did with Mr. _____. Yet this strong woman, beat Harpo, who is a weak character. Harpo continues to try to make Sofia mind about his superiority, but she does not want to undergo all these problems any more, and decides to leave Harpo and seek for a better life. This is a true and big example of her fight for equality, or superiority of the female gender in the world. As Harpo does not understand that a couple can live happily without violence, Sofia runs away.

     Sofia is a woman with authority in her life. Her life has been a constant struggle and can no longer endure conflict. She is strong physically and that gives her confidence in herself. The only opinion of any value to her is her own. Sofia is very upset with Celie when she tells Harpo to beat her and she reveals to Celie

Later on, when Sofia is employed, she sees the job as slavery; “they have the nerve to try to make us believe slavery fell through because of us.” Sofia tries to fight back against oppression, but ultimately ends up being oppressed as a maid. Victoria Bond asserts that “Sofia’s strength and sass show us the most harmful effect of the strong black woman stereotype: It makes her more vulnerable to both domestic unrest and civil attack,

The Colour Purple is a novel that was written by the 1983 Pulitzer Prize winner, Alice Walker. The Novel was published in 1982 and was later turned into a film by Steven Spielberg in 1985. The book is about a young girl, Celie who was oppressed and seek to find happiness in life. Despite her inner turmoil, she had a strong belief in God, and also hopes that she would find her estranged sister, Nettie who loved her with all her heart. She got pregnant at an early age by the man she thought was her father. Celie was also a young bride who was being abused by her husband.

Life is a rollercoaster filled with ups and downs. Left turns, right turns, and sometimes completely upside down loop de loops. The Color Purple by Alice Walker is a story about a colored woman named Celie who writes letters to God while living through extreme oppression and abuse. Celie eventually overcomes her oppressors by finding her purpose in life through friendship, love, hope, and change in faith. Discovering hope, love, and faith leads to a fulfilling life through difficult times.

Celie, the narrator of The Color Purple, is an uneducated, submissive, 14-year old black girl who lives in Georgia. Celie is constantly being abused and raped by her father, Alphonso. He has already impregnated Celie twice. The first one was a girl while the second one was a boy. All her children were taken away by her father after they were born. Her father told her that she better not tell anybody about their relationship but God, which explains why every letter she write begins with “Dear God”. Celie’s mother is happy because Alphonso doesn’t bother her anymore, but the truth is that Alphonso has been raping Celie as a substitute for her mother to gratify his sexual needs. Celie’s mother becomes seriously sick and eventually dies. Alphonso brings home another woman but continues to sexually

Characters throughout Alice Walker’s The Color Purple can be evaluated and analyzed using Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, a five-stage model consisting of fundamental needs and growth needs. His theory states that the basic, lower tiered needs have to be met before the growth, higher tiered needs can be met, to ultimately reach the top tier, self-actualization. In The Color Purple, Walker shows the eventual progress to self-actualization through the protagonist, Celie. Celie’s growth is shown through her letters to both God and her sister Nettie. Celie fulfills her basic physiological needs when she gets married to Mr._ because she is finally able to escape her father’s abuse, beatings, and rape. It takes a while, but Celie gains safety and security when Shug Avery tells her, “I won’t leave… until I know Albert won’t even think about beating you” (Walker 76). The relationship that Celie forms with Shug helps Celie satisfy her belonging and intimacy needs. Their love for each other can be shown when Shug states, “cause she [Nettie] the only one you ever love… sides me” (120). As Celie begins her life in Memphis, she meets the respect/self-respect needs when she opens her own business making and selling pants. Celie feels so pleased and shows her character development when she says, “I got love, I got work, I got money, friends, and time” (218). Celie finally reaches self-actualization by the end of the novel. She has a successful business, is able to be independent in her own house, and realizes that she can bring herself happiness and that through every situation she needs to see the bright side. This is evidently shown when Celie is talking to Mr._ and says, “If she [Shug] come, I be happy. If she don’t I be content” (288). Celie’s evolution to reach self-actualization is clearly displayed in The Color Purple as Celie faces and overcomes hardships and learns to be confident in herself.

Starting off with one person that was specifically alienated from society and gravely hurt due to her action was Sofia, Harpo's wife. From the start Sofia is a big strong lipped girl raised in a rough environment (Much like many of the women that come out of this story) who primarily doesn’t take smack from anyone, refuses to be hit without the opportunity to hit back, and most of all isn’t afraid of men as Celie and Nettie are. In this particular time period women were socially accepted if they were quiet, did chores, listened to their husbands, and overall accept that men are superior to them. Sofia frankly ignored all of these things and although Harpo tried many times to “tame” her oftentimes than not he was unsuccessful and was left with bruises to indicate his failure. Ultimately Sofia’s actions didn’t only affect her, they also affected Celie one of the four noteworthy women in “The Color Purple.” Celie had the perfect mix of jealousy and admiration when it came to Sofia, she wanted to be the same as Sofia when it came to men and putting them

The 1900’s – a time when blacks were segregated from whites and women were seen as inferior to men. Alice Walker's character Celie, from The Color Purple, was ugly and terrified as a young girl. Though many trials and tribulations, she would become strong and independent. In addition, Celie built up a resistance to the hurt and suffering that she painfully endured from her stepfather and husband. She eventually allowed herself to not take simple things for granted therefore recognize the beauty of everyday life. In her final years, Celie is portrayed in a blissful state and displays her independence as a mature woman. Alice Walker’s use of the first-person point of view, tone, and