The color purple a book by author Alice Walker, is another source of a letter form book. However, this letter is not addressed to any of the author’s family members. It is a fictional book whose character named Celie writes a letter to God due to her struggles with sexual abuses by her stepfather. Nonetheless, one could sense the fact that although it is addressed to God, the author has captured the essence of writing in a way that she would write to a family member or loved ones.
This letter form method demonstrates that it perhaps is easier to connect through letter writing and be transparent to jot down your emotions. Celie writes, “Dear God, I am fourteen years old. I am I have always been a good girl. May be you can give me a sign letting me know what is happening to me.” (Walker, 1). The narrator gives significance to the letter writing form in her book. It highlight that Celie seems to be suffering and feels as though she is utterly alone. Therefore, she vents in writing to the one that she feels is closer to, who is God in this case. She questions her decency as she states that she is young and emphasizes on being a good girl. She wants to submit to God’s mercy; however, confusion and doubt can lead one to make many assumption as to why one is unfortunate. Misery seems to be her only company as she is afraid to share her painful experience with her family member. Hence, she uses this letter as her diary.
Life experience can often mature a person before one’s time.
Alice Walker's rough life growing up, gives us a clear image of how her background impacted the delicate themes she writes about in her novels. For example, at a young age, Walker was insecure about her appearance, which led her to a new mental state of mind. In an interview of Alice by O'Brien, she describes, "I daydreamed of falling swords, putting guns to my heart or head, and of slashing my wrists." (O'Brien). Alice Walker's insecurities led her to be depressed, which then introduced her passion for writing. Alice Walker's history of depression may pinpoint the reason she started writing but moreover, what she started writing. Alice Walker writes about sensitive topics including racism, sexism religious views, and homosexuality. Many
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.
Symbolism is one of the major elements in "The Color Purple" by Alice Walker. The woman's search for something she has never experienced is the symbolization of the mankind's search for love and happiness. The meaning of names, occupations, power, pants, cloth, words, eyes, frogs, starts, shell, stamps are only few examples of the symbols used by the author and are very important in understanding not only the characters of the story, but also global values such as love, power, mutual understanding, and authority over another person's life.
Alice Walker’s masterpiece, The Color Purple, uses ordinary things such as clothes, colors, jobs, and money as strong symbolism. In this book, pants symbolize independence. Pants change the way society views and treats a person. They also convey that a person is strong, confident, free, and equal to others. Alice Walker shows the reader how wearing pants can have a big effect on a person’s life, especially if that person is a woman in the early twentieth century.
The award-winning novel, “The Color Purple” by Alice Walker, is a story about a woman going through cruel things such as: incest, rape, and physical abuse. This greatly written novel comes from a very active feminist author who used many of her own experiences, as well as things that were happening during that era, in her writing. “The Color Purple” takes place in the early 1900's, and symbolizes the economic, emotional, and social deprivation that African American women faced in Southern states of America. The main character of the story is Celie, a fourteen-year old that starts writing letters to God for thirty years, and then to her sister, Nette, who ran away to Africa to save herself from the troubles Celie went through. Celie starts off as a pushover and very dependent girl that would eventually grow and develop into an independent flourishing woman that opens a business making pants for all genders. This novel shows the hardship of a girl becoming a woman over the course of her life and eventually standing up for herself and being confident. Many of the experiences and characters of “The Color Purple” are based on history of that time and a bit of the author’s personal experiences. Her use of epistolary allows the reader to learn everything in the point of view of Celie. Alice Walker's influences for writing this novel range from her childhood experiences to the white society in her hometown of Eatonville, Georgia. Even during these times, it still shows that women
The Color Purple by Alice Walker starts off with a rather graphic view of a young black woman denominated as Celie. Celie has to learn how to survive her abusive past. She also has to figure out a way she can release her past in search of the true meaning of love. Alice walker wrote this book as an epistolary novel to further emphasize Celie`s life events. From the beginning of the novel Alice Walker swiftly establishes an intimate contact with the reader. The book begins with a eloquent and lucid record of the physical abuse Celie`s father subjected her to. Even in Celie`s dark moments she is still able to find hope.
Firstly, The Color Purple (1982) is written by the African- American novelist Alice Walker. For creating such an innovative novel, Alice Walker’s The Color Purple won both the Pulitzer Price and the National Book Award. Walker initiated her novel by a confession that The Color Purple is her spiritual journey and the female protagonist represents her during this journey. The novel is made up of 90 letters written by Celie to God and some of these letters are written by Nettie to her sister Celie. These letters are similar to a diary that Celie finds as a way to express her feelings , emotions and thoughts in a place she is not permitted to be free. Generally, the novel portrays a life and a journey of a young fourteen -year- old black girl who is persecuted throughout her life from her stepfather who repeatedly raped her and forced her to marry a cruel man who, in turn, oppressed her.
The Color Purple by Alice Walker is a story written in 1982 that is about the life struggles of a young African American woman named Celie. The novel takes the reader through several main topics including the poor treatment of African American women, domestic abuse, family relationships, and also religion. The story takes place mostly in rural Georgia in the early 1900’s and demonstrates the difficult life of sharecropper families. Specifically how life was endured from the perspective of an African American woman. The Color Purple is written in the form of letters that Celie narrates explaining the events that took place at certain points in her life. Celie endures physical and emotional abuse by some of the people around her including
Alice Walker’s inspirational novel The Color Purple illustrated the brutal childhood of Celie, an African American fourteen-year-old girl who lived in rural Georgia. Celie became impregnated twice by her step-father, Alfonso, and had her children immediately taken away from her after she gave birth. Celie was then married off to a man known as Mister who quickly demonstrated that he was just as evil and abusive as Alfonso. Celie’s letters to God demonstrated the journey of hardships that she faced throughout her adulthood including the separation from her sister Nettie and the verbal and physical abuse from her husband. After Celie met Blues singer Shug Avery, she found the strength to leave Mister.
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.
When his six-year-old daughter, Lulu, wrote a letter to God, journalist Alex Renton did his best to get her an answer. After asking friends and family to help, he sent the letter to Williams and was surprised to get a response. There is clearly a shift in audience between the first and second text. The first text was directed to a general audience of varying ages, and the second text is addressed to a six year old girl, Lulu. The first text focuses more on the complex topic of the existence of God and the possibility that he interferes with our world. The second text, is a personal letter addressed to a
Joyce Carol Oates, an American writer, once proclaimed, “Love is an indescribable sensation- perhaps a conviction, a sense of certitude” (QuotesGram). Love, in the most profound sense, is entirely indescribable in every aspect. Each individual has been exposed to a different sense of love that has either affected or altered their emotional or mental state of being. The feelings associated with love come from a sincere interaction, or likewise, lack of this sensation. Celie, from Alice Walker’s The Color Purple, although dealt with many hardships throughout her lifetime, identified and grew effectively from her perception of the infatuation with her partner, Shug Avery. Their bond throughout the novel not only introduced readers into a dysfunctional, heartfelt relationship, but shaped Celie into a substantial, independent character, influenced her decisions for the good of her wealth, and showed her the true meaning and purpose of her place in the world.
In today’s advanced societies, many laws require men and women to be treated equally. However, in many aspects of life they are still in a subordinated position. Women often do not have equal wages as the men in the same areas; they are still referred to as the “more vulnerable” sex and are highly influenced by men. Choosing my Extended Essay topic I wanted to investigate novels that depict stories in which we can see how exposed women are to the will of men surrounding them. I believe that as being woman I can learn from the way these characters overcome their limitations and become independent, fully liberated from their barriers. When I first saw the movie “Precious” (based on Sapphire’s “Push”) I was shocked at how unprotected the
This novel was so powerful and beyond words. Alice Walker is an amazing writer, and everything about this book was quite phenomenal. It was incredibly sad, and hard to read at some points, but it was absolutely worth the read. I love the fact that the whole novel was a set of letters about a girl’s life. It's an unusual approach but it worked so well. Shug was so empowering to me, and I loved what she stood for, no matter how many people talked bad. She defied common teachings about God and what to believe in. She helped Celie love herself and her life. This book has changed my outlook on dealing with problems, pain, and suffering. It definitely made me appreciate my life and every little flaw. I learned to be happy
In Alice Walker's The Color Purple, she explores the thin grey line that stands between survival and living. Through her protagonist, Celie, she examines the dramatic shifts of empowerment; focusing on the young black girl in the 1850’s.