Sexism and Racism in “The Color Purple” Essays

• 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

The Color Purple, by Alice Walker in 1982 and later made into a movie in 1985 directed by Steven Speilburg tells the story of a young women of color named Celie who endured countless hardships in the time period of racial discrimination and sexism.

In The Color Purple, Alice Walker illustrates the lives of a female African American before the Civil Rights Movement. A novel that describes female empowerment, The Color Purple demonstrates the domestic violence women faced in the South. Walker tells the story through Celie, a young African American girl who faces constant hardships until she stands up for herself with the help of her closest friends – other women undergoing the same difficulties. Even though men controlled females in the South, the author emphasizes the strength of female empowerment because females struggled to survive during this time.

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

The Color Purple revolves around the life of Celie, a young black woman growing up in the poverty-ridden South.  In order to find herself and gain independence, Celie must deal with all manner of abuse, including misogyny, racism and poverty.  When she is a young girl of just 14, Celie is sexually assaulted by a man she believes is her father.  She has two children by her rapist, both of who

This movie is an upbeat, affirmative fable in which optimism, patience, and family loyalty emerge as cardinal virtues, and in which even the wife beating villain has charm. This movie shows the story of a shy young heroine, whose life is filled with disappointment and hardship, even the most brutal events are set forth. Around the world, women are facing the similar issues but never had their stories be told. The Color Purple has a lot of heartbreaking scenes, a very emotional scene, in particular, was when teenage Celie was forcibly separated from her beloved sister Nettie. This film depicts the reality of women, and their day to day lives, in this era, they were told what to do, they had to follow their husbands rule without any sign of defying. Women were not treated as an equal to man but as a lesser person in society, especially African American women. Girls were expected to get married a young age, bore children and take care of the home; they weren’t given rights to vote, or further their education beyond a certain

Gender inequality was a big issue during the early 1900s, and especially for the African American women because some “Africa American women were used as sex slaves or just slaves in generally” (Karpowitz). These women were treated badly even if it was from their dad or their "husband"/owners, but at the end of the day they knew only one person who these women can trust which is God. In Alice Walker’s novel, she shows and expresses how women will have bad times or bumps on the road, but if they keep going towards their dream they will succeed. Walker also showed how women did not have a voice to stand up for themselves but later in their life they started getting together to fight back for their rights. In The Color Purple, Alice Walker demonstrates gender inequality in the lives of African Americans in the early 1900s.

Sexism is the ideology that maintains that one sex is inherently inferior to the other. Sexism or discrimination based on gender has been a social issue for many years; it is the ideology that one sex is superior or inferior to the other. Sexism does not only affect females, but also males. Men are very often victimized by social stereotypes and norms based on gender expectations. Sexism has appears in almost all social institutions including family, the media, religion, sports, the military, politics, and the government. However, although both genders are affected, men have benefited from sexism the most (Thompson 300-301.)

Alice Walker wrote ‘The Color Purple’ in order to capture and highlight the hardship and bitterness African-American women experienced in the early 1900s. She demonstrates the emotional, physical and spiritual revolution of an abused black girl into an independent, strong woman. The novel largely focuses on the role of male domination and its resulting frustrations and black women’s struggle for independence. The protagonist, Celie’s, gain of an independent identity, away from her family, friends, work, and love life, forms the plot of the novel.

In Alice Walker’s The Color Purple, Celie leads a life filled with abuse at the hands of the most important men in her life. As result of the women who surround and help her, Celie becomes stronger and overcomes the abuse she experienced. The three most influential women in Celie’s life are her sister Nettie, her daughter-in-law Sofia, and the singer Shug Avery. These are the women who lead Celie out of her shell and help her turn from a shy, withdrawn woman to someone who was free to speak her mind and lead her own independent life.

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.

If Jaws was the movie that jumpstarted Steven Spielberg’s career in the film industry, then The Color Purple was the movie that was able to distinguish Steven from any other movie director during the time. All of Spielberg’s movies prior to 1985 were generally movies of either action packed adventure or unnerving horror, but once Steven Spielberg announced that he would be doing a movie based on Alice Walker’s book, The Color of Purple, no one knew what to expect. Jump 31 years later, Steven Spielberg’s The Color of Purple, is still seen as a film masterpiece that deals with a grotesque yet historical insight of African American culture back in the early 1900’s. Through the depiction of visual art form of film, Steven Spielberg was able to highlight certain aspects of everyday African American life back then such as the existence of sexism, racism and the importance of familial relationships. However, Steven Spielberg emphasizes and brings to the spotlight the aspect of sexism of the historical African American community. With a movie full of uncomfortable and daunting scenes, Steven Spielberg is able to underline the evil social facet of sexism faced by African American women in their community in the past. Steven wants his audience to know that side of African American history and wants us to view African American women differently because of it

Sexism is the denigration of individuals based on their gender or the belief that a person can be discriminated against because their sex is inferior. The term is typically used when discussing the treatment of women by men. Sexism can be expressed through lower pay for women or the failure of women to advance in the workplace, all things being equal. Although there are laws against sexism, such as the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and the Civil Rights Act of 1963, sexism continues to occur in the workplace. In many cases, it is not obvious, but sexism can also be expressed through speech. Sexist language includes terms that refer to female body parts in a pejorative manner or commenting on the intelligence of women based on their hair

In our everyday lives whether we notice it or not, disrespect towards gender and racism surrounds us and it begins to affect individuals not only physically but emotionally and socially as well. In Alice Walkers novel, The Color Purple, the topic of racism is strongly emphasized and shown throughout novel. Due to Celie’s race and gender roles played, she resists the urge to speak up for herself resulting in silence. In addition, it is through the love and support of other characters like Shug, in which tempts and inspires Celie to stand up for herself. Lastly, through all the troubles Celie faces, she eventually finds the strength in herself to leave Albert and start her life afresh. In The Color Purple, the author develops the idea that discrimination based on gender or race limits one’s opportunities and results in lack of independence and silence, ultimately suggesting that only through the influence of positive models for change can one develop the strength to change their life for the better.