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Theme Of Women In The Color Purple

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IV. STRENGTH AS WOMEN Considerably the most dominant theme in the novel is one of feminism and the struggle of women, both in America and in Africa, to be free of oppression and discrimination based on their gender. Although the suffragette movement in the US was active from 1848 , it was only in 1920 that women were given national voting rights votes in America. Women clearly had little political voice and black women less so. Primarily through Celie and Shug, Walker represents the inner struggles black women faced in order to free themselves from the dominance of men, additionally conveying how Christian views on the position of women in society strengthened the oppression they faced.

Although powerfully portrayed by Walker throughout The Color Purple, attitudes men held towards women are given a shocking focus at the beginning of the novel. Celie can be seen to represent the submission of women under male dominance and the intense fear they felt for their lives: “I don't say nothing. I think bout Nettie, dead. She fight, she run away. What good it do? I don't fight, I stay where I'm told. But I'm alive." Celie, due to her lack of authority and …show more content…

In The Colour Purple, Walker cleverly uses the teachings of Christianity, a respected topic in American society, as the rose tinted lens to encase the key themes of racism and sexism throughout the novel. Furthermore, by doing so, she demonstrates the complexity of oppression at the time and provides insight into the stifling impact of traditional Christian teachings and the role this played on slowing the pace of meaningful reform. Through the common voice of Christianity, Walker portrays how black women can be both enslaved to, and liberated from, race and sex discrimination in American

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