Woman- woman is the biological other of man. A creation of God responsible for the creation of human race. In no respect a woman is inferior to her other half i.e. the man. She is equally endowed with intelligence, power and individual personality. A woman plays multiple roles during her lifetime starting from a sweet little daughter to a sister, to a mother to a working woman, so on and so forth. They play a strong role not only by supporting their families but also by determining the destiny of their community as well as their nation. But, from times immemorial, man has kept her as his own personal property and thus not allowed to developed her own individuality. Our patriarchal societies have a particular mindset that the male is superior to the females, physically as well as …show more content…
womanist is to feminist as purple is to lavender. (xi-xii) ‘Womanism’ does not divide black society from within on the lines of gender but, stands for integration and has faith in the wholeness of the society. Throughout her literary career Alice Walker delved deep into the oppression and victimization of African American women and this also forms the basic structure of the novel The Color Purple which has ‘womanism’ as its basic theme. To quote Krishna Mohan Mishra the novel; . . . depicts the antagonism between black men and black women, and the physical and emotional relationship between black women. It concerns Black women victimized by black men physically, sexually and economically, their lesbian bonding against the tyrannical forces of patriarchy and their ultimately gaining triumph over them. (Sinha 178)
The women in the novel with special reference to the protagonist, moves from being victims to self conscious beings and not only women but men also undergo a sea change. The concept of ‘Lesbianism’ which is also a corollary of ‘womanism’ has also been incorporated in the novel through the physical bonding that emerges between Celie and Shug Avery in the due course of the
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.
Traditionally, men are viewed as strong, dominant and logical, while women are regarded as the weak sex, thus being dependent on the males to make decisions and to protect them as well as their children. These roles go far back in time when males in fact had to protect their families from other tribes, wild animals etc. Even today the same values are applied both in real life and in media. In general a woman is depicted as wife, mother or a sex object. (Sex, Gender, Gender Identity, Sexual Orientation”, Year unknown).
Alice Walker's The Color Purple is an excellent account of the life of poor black women who must suffer not only social ostracism due to gender and skin color but also women who suffer greatly at the hands of black men. This is true in terms of infidelity, physical and verbal abuse, and sexual abuse.
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.
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.
Have many people have ever been in a situation where they are being hurt? In The Color Purple by Alice Walker, there is a girl named Celie. Celie gets sexually assaulted by a white male truck driver and his name is never revealed. The man impregnates Celie and eventually takes away her kids and sells them. Alice Walker uses events that take place that transforms the way Celie is in the beginning and end of the book in a positive way.
Alice Walker is an award winning author, most famously recognized for her novel The Color Purple ;aside from being a novelist Walker is also a poet,essayist and activist .Her writing explores various social aspects as it concerns women and also celebrates political as well as social revolution. Walker has gained the reputation of being a prominent spokesperson and a symbolic figure for black feminism. Proper analyzation of Walker 's work comes from the knowledge on her early life, educational background and position in black literature.
Women and men are viewed differently since the beginning of time. The men were to be said the “head” of the house; they worked outside the house and brought bread to his family; while the women stayed inside their homes and did their chores and raised the children. The men had the privileges of studying and voting, but the women had to work hard to earn those privileges. Since beginning of time, woman was seen as the “weak link”, someone who did not have power over men, lead, think for herself or speak up. Nowadays, that has changed. Women are successful in whatever they do, they lead, they work, they vote; yet they still are viewed differently than men.
In the novel, The Color Purple, there are three main characters who demonstrate meaningful traits of women. Celie, the main character, is the most important of the three. She is influenced by other characters in the novel and is inspired to let herself seek their virtues. Celie's two friends, Shug and Sofia, are both strong women who teach Celie how to achieve the happiness she desires.
The term womanism is coined by Alice Walker, the author best known for her book “The Color Purple.” Walker used the term for the first time in 1983, when she talked about the womanist theory in her book In Search of Our Mother’s Gardens: Womanist prose. The womanist movement centres on the feminist effort of black women. Womanism grew because activists felt that the feminist movement did not fully cover the plight of black women. Rather than focusing on social change or activism, womanism (sometimes referred to as “black feminism”) focuses more on celebrating womanhood and the African American woman’s strength and experiences. When they push for change and attention to social issues, womanists focus on racism and class
“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.
In the film The Color purple women are strongly objectified by men, their worth being ruled by beauty, talent and what they could do. They were left uneducated to keep them submissive and beaten down to be put in place. Men however did as they please with no repercussions for their actions. White men were given the right to an education and all
Black Feminism argues that sexism, class oppression and racism are linked together. Mainstream feminism that more than often benefits white women, strives to overcome class and gender oppression, however they do not recognise that race can discriminate against women also. Activist, Alice Walker states that black women experience a different kind of oppression when compared to their white counterparts. Professor of Sociology and social activist, Patricia Hill Collins summarises that Black feminism is ‘a process of self-conscious struggle that empowers women and men to actualise a humanist vision of community.’ Her quote welcomes individuals of any gender, whom understands black women’s struggle to fight with them. [Collins, 1991:39]
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.