The Color Purple by Alice Walker

I must admit that all of the assigned reading topics were new to me, nevertheless, I gained a great deal knowledge with new found perspectives on literature and life in general by engaging in these works. The Color Purple was truly an eye opening and deeply intimate story, A Streetcar Named Desire also portrayed similar feelings of intimacy however, compared to The Color Purple, it lacked the ambiguous cultural diversity that tends to be intriguingly more complex. Taking the poetry and short stories we read into consideration, I would have to say, they also added a significant amount of literary educational value, but once again lacked in comparison to Alice Walker’s, The Color Purple. Therefore, having to choose one particular work to discuss

The Color Purple by Alice Walker is the story of a poor black woman living in the south between World War 1 and World War 2. This was at a time when, although slavery had ended,many women were still virtually in bondage, and had to put up with many conditions that was reminiscent of the days of slavery. The problem was that they had to endure being treated like an inferior being by their own families sometimes, as well as from the white people that lived there. It was a life that was filled with misery for many black women, and they felt helpless to do anything about their situations.

Alice Walker grew up in rural Georgia in the mid 1900s as the daughter of two poor sharecroppers.  Throughout her life, she has been forced to face and overcome arduous lessons of life.  Once she managed to transfer the struggles of her life into a book, she instantaneously became a world-renowned author and Pulitzer Prize winner.  The Color Purple is a riveting novel about the struggle between redemption and revenge according to Dinitia Smith.  The novel takes place rural Georgia, starting in the early 1900s over a period of 30 years.  Albert, also known as Mr._____, and his son Harpo must prevail over their evil acts towards other people, especially women.  Albert and Harpo wrong many people

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

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.

Many African-American quilts that were made after the Civil War and emancipation were made from scraps of clothing and other like materials. Born in 1944 in Eatonton, Georgia, Alice Walker grew up as the youngest sibling in a poor family. As a Civil Rights activist, Walker fought for the equality of all African-Americans. She is best known for her novel The Color Purple which was published in 1982. In 1973, she released the story collection In Love and Trouble which included the short story “Everyday Use.” Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use” displays the theme of the meaning of heritage through irony and symbolism.

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.

While reading literature, we manage to forget that they have true roots to what is being written and what they actually represent. When looking at the similarities of how literature is represented it obvious to see that there are certain socially constructed groups presented. Although these socially constructed groups do vary throughout literature, they still tend to be very similar. In Alice Walker’s short story “Everyday Use,” Lorraine Hansberry play “A Raisin in the Sun,” and Langston Hughes’s poems “Harlem” and “Theme for English B” they evaluate the social construction of African Americans. What makes these authors so alike is the similarities that they share; being that they were all born in the early 1900’s, are all of African American ethnicity, and acknowledge the social construct of African Americans in these works. Looking at each of these works of literature they represent the struggles that African Americans faced when trying to be seen as equal, by allowing these works to be shown in different insights towards the battles faced in their movement towards being seen as equal.

Alice Walker, the author of The Color Purple, focuses on the struggles of a poor and uneducated African American girl, who is verbally, physically and sexually abused by several men in her life. She feels worthless and becomes completely submissive. Her only way to express her feelings is through private letters to God. An emphasized theme in this work is that expressing one’s thoughts and emotions is essential in order to develop an inner sense of self.

Race has been a sensitive topic in the United States of America since the founding of the country. The historical disparity between Blacks and their White counterparts can been seen through not only the South, but also throughout America. Flannery O’Connor, often considered one of the great Southern authors of her time, implemented an artistic writing style which gave her writing a unique Southern gothic appeal that previous novels and stories did not possess. Born in Savannah, Georgia, Flannery O’Connor grew up in a turbulent time regrading race relations. Living most of her life in predominantly white Georgia, it was not until later on in her life that race truly began to impact O’Connor’s life. In 1954, the Supreme Court Case Brown v. Board of Education altered the world that O’Connor lived in. Following the ruling, segregation was banned throughout the United States of America and integration programs were initiated. Suddenly, even extremely segregated states like Georgia were forced to integrate Blacks. This life-altering decision occurred towards the end of O’Connor’s short life, but is still evidenced throughout her writings. And while O’Connor never directly states her stances on race, segregation, and integration; her views can be inferred throughout her writing. Short stories such as “Everything That Rises Must Converge” and “An Artificial Nigger” give clues as to race relations of the time period and O’Connor’s perspectives on the matter.

Walker`s diction throughout the book emphasizes the inexperience of a young girl that is illiterate and existing in a land where men are considered dominate forces of every demeanor of life. Celie cultured how she was to submit to man, men in general which caused Celie to inhibit all of her own hopes and dreams. The moment Shug Avery and Sofia are introduced in the text we began to see the indoctrinated woman Celie really is within herself. Shug Avery is the perfect epitome of what it means to be an independent woman that Celie desires to be but cannot find the inner courage to become. Celie learned to stand up for herself and emerged as a powerful and astute woman through Shug`s yearning and inspiration. Celie encountered a lot of violence that was very uncomfortable and intolerable for her. Many of

But what is probably the most powerful tool in this book is? The graphic word and scenes in the book. Not only using cursing,and profanities in the writing, but sence of rape and pillaging. This has often been the book's downfall in many years specifically because of this. Many believe that this book should not be in the canon because of this. But this should be one of the main reasons it is in the canon. For this reason alone is what makes the The Color Purple stand out. The reason for such a graphic book is that Alice really wants the book to hit home. Oxford Scholarship Online is quoted in saying “she rewrites the codes and conventions that dominate social and sexual relations.” ( Mae G. Henderson, Oxford Scholarship online). Reading about this makes it hard to step away from the fact that this used to happen to people like Celie all the time. With the beating and rape these kinds of thing had have been said to understand the kind of troubles that Celie has been going through. Not only that but it really helps the reader feel not bad, but almost understand her place in this world more like a friend listening to a slory she is telling you. Rather than a history story with all the facts and socially acceptable means of telling her story. Than with the cursing being away of making the person in the story feel more real, being able to feel pain or

“The Color Purple” written by Alice Walker is a story highlighting the values and ideals of the culture and society in the beginning of the 20th century. During this time period certain women were alienated from society due to their clothes, beliefs, and their actions. Although every woman in this book was alienated from society the extent of alienation differed depending on how their words and actions were perceived by society.

The main protagonist in the novel, Celie, lives in rural Georgia during the 1930s. She is poor and illiterate and lives in a small house with her mother, little sister Nettie, and abusive stepfather Pa. While living with her family, Celie experiences frequent physical and sexual abuse from Pa. Due to the domineering nature of Pa, Celie lacks the protection of her sick mother and sister. This greatly affects Celie, because she is stuck between protecting her sister from Pa and protecting her own

When reading Alice Walker’s “The Color Purple” and “Everyday Use,” it is evident that she writes about her life through her use of allegory. Alice Walker uses the events of her childhood, her observation of the patriarchy in African American culture, and her rebellion against the society she lived in to recount her life through her stories. Alice Walker grew up in a loving household in the years towards the end of the Great Depression. Although her family was poor, they were rich in kindness and perspective and taught Walker a lot about her heritage and life.