the color purple essay thesis

The Color Purple

Alice walker, ask litcharts ai: the answer to your questions.

Welcome to the LitCharts study guide on Alice Walker's The Color Purple . Created by the original team behind SparkNotes, LitCharts are the world's best literature guides.

The Color Purple: Introduction

The color purple: plot summary, the color purple: detailed summary & analysis, the color purple: themes, the color purple: quotes, the color purple: characters, the color purple: symbols, the color purple: theme wheel, brief biography of alice walker.

Historical Context of The Color Purple

Other books related to the color purple.

• Full Title: The Color Purple
• When Written: 1981-82
• Where Written: New York City
• When Published: 1982
• Literary Period: postmodernism in America
• Genre: Epistolary novel; the 20th-century African-American novel; 20th-century feminist writing
• Setting: Georgia and coastal Africa, roughly 1920-1950
• Climax: Nettie and Celie are reunited, just before the novel's end, back in Georgia
• Antagonist: Mr. and Pa
• Point of View: first-person (epistolary, or a novel-in-letters)

Extra Credit for The Color Purple

White-black relations in the film version of The Color Purple. The film The Color Purple was directed by Stephen Spielberg, a white, male filmmaker. The film itself deals almost exclusively with the lives, troubles, and eventual triumph of African Americans, and some complained, during the film's production and release, that Spielberg did not have a right to direct a film running so counter to his personal experience. But Spielberg's efforts and response, implied in the film, point to the universality of Celie's experience, and to the applicability of the novel to people from all walks of life, and of all gender and racial backgrounds.

The Color Purple

By alice walker, the color purple essay questions.

Why was this novel titled The Color Purple ?

Think about when purple is mentioned as a color and as an attribute of something worth admiring. Should all colors be admired equally, all being features of things created by God? Does rarity really make something more precious--purple seems rare in nature, but does this make other colors any more or less valuable? Consider the same question with regard to racial majorities and minorities in Africa and in the United States, which also are often distinguished by color.

Can you find Alice Walker as a character in the novel?

Examine the narrative structure employed by Walker. Remember that ultimately the choices in the narration are all really Walker's. Pay particular attention to the last line in the novel: "I thank everybody in this book for coming." Consider also how Walker might play the role of God in Celie's story, being the one who invests this creation with being and meaning.

How important is it that Nettie returns at the end of the novel?

Consider the ways that Nettie is important to Celie and for the whole narrative in terms of female solidarity, communication, and family struggles. Does the novel require a positive ending for it to be a positive story? Does Celie require such an ending to her own story? Is Nettie's return structurally significant in that once Nettie returns, the letter writing stops and so does the novel?

How do the male characters in the novel shape, break, or have other influence over the females?

A good way to approach such a question is to examine how the choices made by Celie and the other female characters might have been shaped by their experiences with the male characters in the novel. Consider their choices, thoughts, and feelings with regard to independence, family, entrepreneurship, and the other matters of value to the women. Note also that both positive and negative experiences with various men should be addressed.

Celie apparently prefers women to men in general, including sexually. In her case, her terrible treatment by men could be a critical factor. What could be going on in her mind?

There is not necessarily a relationship between Celie's social preferences and her sexual preferences, but there might be. Moreover, there may or may not be a link between her life experiences and her preferences. Use evidence from the text to try out a variety of possibilities to understand why Celie is the way she is. If she has different feelings about different men (likewise for different women), does this mean that we cannot even make a generalization about Celie's preferences? Do her views for or against men and women in general change over the course of the novel?

Sofia goes on quite a journey in the novel. How significant is it that Sofia ends up as a maid in a white family?

A good answer to this question will look deeply into Sofia's character. She is a fighter and seems more independent than Celie, but her journey is far less significant than that of Nettie. Consider also Sofia's relationships with her own family members as well as the portrayal of the white community in conjunction with the black community in Sofia's place and time.

What is the significance of the opening line?

Alfonso's words permeate Celie's life and her writing. Think about the narrative structure and why it is significant that we are reading letters written to God. Also consider the place of family and of males in Celie's life as well as the importance of communication with others.

What is the significance of Nettie's life in Africa?

Consider what themes characterize Nettie's life in Africa and why those themes might be important in Celie's life. Remember that what we know of Nettie's life in Africa is based on what Nettie thought she should communicate to Celie. In addition, Walker might be highlighting significant issues relating to the importance of Africa in black American history and culture.

Although Doris Baines only appears for a brief instant in the novel, she is an interesting and weighty character. What does she contribute to the novel?

This question provides an opportunity for a close reading of the section in which Doris appears. Important features here are her identity as an independent English woman who does not have traditional Christian views, her good work in Africa, her desire to leave her home life, her desire to travel, and her African grandson. More generally, consider how her character develops themes about race, gender, religion, and family in the novel.

Discuss the significance of the written versus the spoken word in this novel.

Consider which medium lasts longer, who the audience is or can be, the usual uses of letters versus conversation, the stylistic choices available in each medium, accuracy, spontaneity, and the role of direct versus indirect human interaction (such as voice inflection and gesture in the spoken word, and other kinds of emphasis and subtleties in the written word). Which characters or kinds of characters may make use of each medium, and for which purposes? How does storytelling in each medium function, particularly with regard to self-assertion and ownership over one's language as a proxy for ownership of one's story and one's life?

The Color Purple Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for The Color Purple is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

How are Shug and Nettie role models for Celie?

In the letter, Celie notes that she sees Nettie as a moral and intellectual role model, whereas, Shug serves as a sexual and emotional mentor. Both characters act as role models, though they do so in completely different ways.

How does Celie betray Sofia?

Celie betrays Sofia when she tells Harpo to beat her.

How does the author present female relationships?

At the start of the novel, the young, black female is presented as about the most vulnerable person in society. Celie epitomizes this female: she is abused and denied a voice by her (supposed) father and then by her husband. Along with the racial...

Study Guide for The Color Purple

The Color Purple is a book by Alice Walker. The Color Purple study guide contains a biography of Alice Walker, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About The Color Purple
• The Color Purple Summary
• Character List

Essays for The Color Purple

The Color Purple is an epistolary novel by Alice Walker. The Color Purple literature essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Color Purple by Alice Walker.

• The Color Purple: Literary Techniques Employed by Alice Walker to Develop Celie's Character
• Female Marginalisation Embodied in The Color Purple and The Yellow Wallpaper
• Edith Wharton, Alice Walker, and Female Culture
• Internalization and Externalization of Color in The Bluest Eye and The Color Purple
• Reconciliation Between Public and Private Spheres: Mrs. Dalloway and The Color Purple

Lesson Plan for The Color Purple

• About the Author
• Study Objectives
• Common Core Standards
• Introduction to The Color Purple
• Relationship to Other Books
• Bringing in Technology
• Notes to the Teacher
• Related Links
• The Color Purple Bibliography

Wikipedia Entries for The Color Purple

• Introduction
• Critical reception
• Adaptations
• Boycotting Israel

Home — Essay Samples — Literature — Books — The Color Purple

Essays on The Color Purple

Prompt examples for "the color purple" essays, character analysis: celie.

Examine the character of Celie in "The Color Purple." How does she evolve throughout the novel? What factors influence her growth and transformation? Analyze her relationships, experiences, and personal development.

Sisterhood and Female Relationships

Discuss the theme of sisterhood and female relationships in the novel. Explore the connections between Celie, Nettie, Sofia, Shug Avery, and other female characters. How do these relationships empower or hinder the women in the story?

Race and Racism

Analyze the portrayal of race and racism in "The Color Purple." How do characters of different racial backgrounds experience discrimination and oppression? What role does racial identity play in shaping their lives?

Sexuality and Liberation

Examine the theme of sexuality and liberation in the novel, particularly through the character of Shug Avery. How does Celie's relationship with Shug impact her understanding of her own sexuality and self-worth?

Male Characters: Albert, Harpo, and Mister

Analyze the male characters in "The Color Purple," including Albert (Mister) and Harpo. How do their actions and attitudes toward women reflect the novel's themes of patriarchy, power, and transformation?

Religion and Spirituality

Discuss the role of religion and spirituality in the lives of the characters, particularly Celie's evolving spiritual beliefs. How do characters reconcile their faith with their personal experiences and struggles?

Symbolism: The Color Purple

Analyze the symbolism of the color purple in the novel. What does it represent, and how does it change in significance throughout the story? How does the color purple connect to themes of empowerment and healing?

Epistolary Form

Examine the use of the epistolary form (letters) in the novel. How does the narrative structure contribute to the reader's understanding of the characters and their emotions? Explore the significance of written communication in the story.

Social and Cultural Context

Explore the social and cultural context of the novel, considering the time period and location in which the story is set. How do historical and cultural factors impact the characters' lives and choices?

Feminism and Empowerment

Discuss the feminist themes of empowerment and self-discovery in "The Color Purple." How do the female characters reclaim their voices and agency in a patriarchal society? What messages about feminism does the novel convey?

Impact and Legacy

Consider the impact and literary legacy of "The Color Purple." How has the novel influenced discussions of race, gender, and identity? Discuss its adaptation into other forms of media and its relevance today.

The Theme of Sexism and Gender Roles in The Color Purple

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Defining a Woman in The Color Purple

The fight for female independence as portrayed in alice walker’s "the color purple", celie's transformation in alice walker's "the color purple", hope as the central theme in the color purple, let us write you an essay from scratch.

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Sex Versus Spirituality in The Color Purple

Symbolism of sewing in the color purple, internalization and externalization of color in the bluest eye and the color purple, female marginalisation embodied in the color purple and the yellow wallpaper, get a personalized essay in under 3 hours.

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Relevance of The Color Purple from a Viewpoint of History

Empowering sexual relationship between celie and shug in the color purple, celie's transformation in "the color purple", rebirth and self-discovery in literary works, illustration of victory over hardship in alice walker's "the color purple", how society influences gender as depicted in the color purple and to kill a mockingbird, review of the character of shug and celie in alice walker’s book, the color purple, do not let your struggles overcome you, the color purple and the boys in the boat: two perspectives on american culture, the color purple: the role of female musicians in the early 1900s, the public and private spheres in mrs. dalloway and the color purple, does slavery still remain: leasing of convicts in the color purple, the main characters' personalities in "the color purple" and "a thousand splendid suns", virginia woolf's feminist ideas and its connection to alice walker's the color purple, the color purple: an analysis of alice walker's novel.

Alice Walker

Novel, Epistolary Novel, Domestic Fiction

Celie, Shug Avery, Nettie Harris, Miss Millie, Albert

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Essay: Postcolonialism theory and The Color Purple

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This paper is based on the study of postcolonialism theory in order to analyze and explain Racism, by applying it to Alice Walker’s novel, ‘The Color Purple’.. This Racism between Afro-Americans is applied to the analysis of Alice Walker’s narrative. The conclusions show that no culture remains as it is and the only constant thing is the continual changing.

In my paper I am going to apply the theory of postcolonialism Racism in the novel ‘The Color Purple’ which is written by the American author Alice Walker in 1982 that won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Award for Fiction. The successful novel was later adapted into a film and musical.

The postcolonialism theory is a type of cultural criticism, postcolonial criticism usually involves the analysis of literary texts produced in countries and cultures that have come under the control of European colonial powers at some point in their history.

Postcolonial criticism has been influenced by Marxist thought, by the work of Michel Foucault (whose theories about the power of discourses have influenced the new historicism), and by deconstruction, which has challenged not only hierarchical, binary oppositions such as West/East and North/South but also the notions of superiority associated with the first term of each opposition.

Post-colonialism is an intellectual direction (sometimes also called an ‘era’ or the ‘post-colonial theory’) that exists since around the middle of the 20th century. It developed from and mainly refers to the time after colonialism.

Racism is one of the elements of post colonialism which is a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race.

Racism involves physical, psychological, spiritual, and social control, exploitation and subjection of one race by another race. It is the social institutionalization of the psychological concept of White/white supremacy (a man-made ideology of white/White superiority and black/Black inferiority). This means that racial discrimination and injustice are established, perpetuated and promoted throughout every institution of society – economics, education, entertainment, family, labor, law, politics, religion, science and war. Racism is also used as an abuse excuse to rationalize violent behavior and inhumane policies toward ” people of color’ .

The writer of the book “The Color Purple”, Alice Walker was born on February 9, 1944, in the small rural town of Eatonton, Georgia. She was the daughter of Willie Lee Walker and Minnie Tallulah Grant, two sharecroppers. She had seven older siblings. Her parents’ experiences with the oppressive sharecropping system and the racism of the American South were the inspiration for her writing. Later in Atlanta, she became active in the African-American civil rights movement. Walker herself is an example of someone who tries to improve the situation for black people. She struggled throughout her life with depression and she was a subject to racism. But by binding together with other women who wanted to change the situation for black people in America she made a change. She wrote books and inspired more than thousand people across the world. In her book she tries to create a character, Celie who is in many ways similar to herself. They both struggled in the beginning with their feelings and expressing them, they wanted to make a change but didn’t know how until they both were surrounded by the right people who inspired them. They could change their situation by binding together.

Among The reason for choosing the novel ” The Color Purple” By Alice walker and applying it to the theory of postcolonialism because Purple is the color of good judgment. It is the color of people seeking spiritual fulfillment. It is said if you surround yourself with purple you will have peace of mind. Also I had a course of history of literature, which I thought was very challenging. Then I had a course in the modern novel which I loved. In the end I had a course criticism, which I thought was very useful, and this all led me to choose this theory and this novel for my research.

Considering ‘post’ is a prefix meaning after, we need to first discuss the history behind colonialism and the colonialism is an extension of a nations rule over territory beyond its borders and a population that is subjected to the political domination of another population.

The post colonialism theory is a set of theoretical and critical strategies used to examine the culture, literature, politics, and history of former colonies which deals with the reading and writing of literature written in previously or currently colonized countries, or literature written in colonizing countries which deals with colonization or colonized peoples

Post colonialism is a theory focuses on the question of race with in colonialism and shows how the optic of race enables the colonial powers to represent, refract and make visible native cultures in inferior ways. It begins with the assumption that colonial writings, arts, legal system, science and other socio cultural practices are always racialized and unequal where the colonial does the representation and the native is represented. Post colonialism addresses itself to the historical, political, cultural and textual ramification of the encounter between the East and west.

A decolonized people develop a postcolonialism identity from the cultural interactions among the types of people`s identity (cultural, national, ethnic) and between the differences relations of sex, class, and caste; determined by the gender and the color of the colonized person; and the racism inherent to the structures of a colonial society. In postcolonial literature, the anti-conquest narrative analyses the identity politics that are the social and cultural perspectives of the subaltern colonial subject their creative resistance to the culture of the colonizer; how such cultural resistance complicated the establishment of a colonial society; how the colonizers developed their postcolonial identity; and how neocolonialism actively employs the Us-and-Them binary social relation to view the non-Western world as inhabited by The Other.

The neocolonial discourse of geopolitical homogeneity conflates the decolonized peoples, their cultures, and their countries, into an imaginary place, such as “the Third World”, an over-inclusive term that usually comprises continents and seas, i.e. Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Oceania. The postcolonial critique analyses the self-justifying discourse of neocolonialism and the functions (philosophic and political) of its over-inclusive terms, to establish the factual and cultural inaccuracy of homogeneous concepts, such as “the Arabs” and “the First World”, “Christendom” and “the Islamic World”, actually comprise heterogeneous peoples, cultures, and geography, and that realistic descriptions of the world’s peoples, places, and things require nuanced and accurate terms. Postcolonialism study of effects of the colonialism on different societies and cultures. It is concerned with both how European nations treated and controlled “Third World” cultures and how these groups have accepted and resisted those encroachments. Post-colonialism, as both a body of theory and a study of political and cultural change, has gone and continues to go through three broad stages: the first stage is an initial awareness of the social, psychological, and cultural inferiority enforced by being in a colonized state. The second stage is the struggle for ethnic, cultural, and political autonomy, and finally a growing awareness of cultural overlap and hybridity.

Racism is one of the important key terms and elements of postcolonial, Racism is when someone is treated differently or unfairly because of the race or culture. Also people can be mistreated because of their nationality and religion. Of course it is illegal to treat people unfairly because of the race and nobody has the right to make them feel bad or abuse.

In the past 1000 years, racism between western powers and non-Westerners had a far more significant impact on history than any other form of racism (such as racism between Western groups to the Easterners, such as Asians, Africans, and Arab. The most example of racism at that time by the West has been slavery, particularly the enslavement of Africans in the New World (slavery itself dates back thousands of years). This enslavement was accomplished because of the racist belief that Black Africans were less fully human than white Europeans and their descendants.

Edward said was the one of Postcolonial Theorist who is the most influential and widely read Post-Colonial critic in (1935 ‘ 2003) he was was born in Jerusalem and died in exile in America, he Was also very influential in third world universities (esp. in India). In his book (Orientalism) was published in 1978 and is probably the often utilized structural analysis of Post-Colonial theory. Said’s approach is the first fully developed analysis of Post-Colonialism that is impersonal, intellectual, and yet in the tradition of engaged scholarship. A generation after that of Albert Memmi and Aime Cesaire and Frantz Fanon, Said was more of a New Yorker than a colonized individual and belongs to the postmodern phenomenon of the global diaspora. In the privileged precincts of Columbia University, Said joined the ‘cultural turn,’ in which literary theory and Foucauldrian discourse became methodological tools through which to view culture. privileged precincts of Columbia University, Said joined the ‘cultural turn,’ in which literary theory and Foucauldrian discourse became methodological tools through which to view culture.

Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak (born February 24, 1942) is an Indian literary critic and theorist.

In establishing the Postcolonial definition of the term Subaltern, the philosopher and theoretician Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak cautioned against assigning an over-broad connotation; that:

Engaging the voice of the Subaltern: the philosopher and theoretician Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, at Goldsmith College. Spivak also introduced the terms essentialism and strategic essentialism to describe the social functions of postcolonialism. The term essentialism denotes the perceptual dangers inherent to reviving subaltern voices in ways that might (over) simplify the cultural identity of heterogeneous social groups, and, thereby, create stereotyped representations of the different identities of the people who compose a given social group. The term strategic essentialism denotes a temporary, essential group-identity used in the praxis of discourse among peoples. Furthermore, essentialism can occasionally be applied’by the so-described people’to facilitate the subaltern’s communication in being heeded, heard, and understood, because a strategic essentialism (a fixed and established subaltern identity) is more readily grasped, and accepted, by the popular majority, in the course of inter-group discourse. The important distinction, between the terms, is that strategic essentialism does not ignore the diversity of identities (cultural and ethnic) in a social group, but that, in its practical function, strategic essentialism temporarily minimizes inter-group diversity to pragmatically support the essential group-identity.

Spivak applied Foucault’s term (epistemic violence) to describe the destruction of non’Western ways of perceiving the world, and the resultant dominance of the Western ways of perceiving the world. Conceptually, epistemic violence specifically relates to female, whereby the female must be caught in translation, not able to express herself, because the colonial power’s destruction of her culture pushed to the social margins her non’Western ways of perceiving, understanding, and knowing the world. Alice Malsenior Walker (born February 9, 1944) is an American writer and activist. She wrote several works one of them was The Color Purple which published 1992.

The novel deals with many issues such as feminism both in Africa and America, women should gain their recognition as individuals who deserve fair and equal treatment. Male came first before them in both countries. ‘As Albert says “Men s’pose to wear the pants”(278).

Also Physical violence struggle also is common in the novel, even in relationships which are quite loving, like that between Harpo and his wife Sofia. He strikes her because “the woman s’pose to mind.’ (65).

Racism has always been a major issue in our society especially in the 19th and 20th century slavery occurred racism increased in the United States of America.

Because of the increasing globalization, people from Africa were getting moved to America to work for them on their farms and in their homes to gain their own money. This was known as an era of slavery and suppression.

Even though the United Kingdom prohibited the trade of slaves in 1807 and slavery in 1833, there was still a lot of illegal slavery. Black people still worked on the plantations or in rich, white people’s houses. Because the Africans had a black skin, there were always recognized for their inferior position and past.

Segregation and isolation became a huge problem in the United Stated. The black people were considered to be less important and powerful in society. They had different rights and were separated from the white people in public places. For example, they had different seats in the bus, different toilets, different seats in theatres and movie theatres, different drinking fountains, they couldn’t attend the same schools or universities, they didn’t have the right to vote and those are only a few examples.

Black people were inferior in a white person’s opinion and that was the way how should be treated, There were some white people that disagreed with the situation, but they couldn’t stand up for the black people, because people would look down on them and cast them off.

The Color Purple is a novel that begins with a fourteen years old girl crying and need help Celie has suffered repeated rapes and brutal beatings by the man that she believes in , her father , Alphonso, who tells her , in t opening line of the novel , ‘You better not never tell nobody but God. ‘(1).

Celie, the protagonist in the novel, she is a poor, untaught and very plain looking fourteen year old and living in the South of America. The Color Purple has created the most known attention. Narrated through the voice of Celie, The Color Purple is an epistolary novel a work structured through a series of letters. Celie writes about the suffering of childhood incest, sexual assault, and isolation in her letters to God. After being repeatedly raped by her stepfather, Celie is forced to marry a widowed farmer with three children. Yet, her deepest hopes are realized with the help from her lovely community of women, including her husband’s lover, Shug Avery, and Celie’s sister, Nettie. Celie little by little learns to see herself as a worthwhile woman, a healthy and worthy part of the world.

The Color Purple shows the components of nineteenth-century slave autobiography and sentimental fiction together with a confessional narrative of sexual awakening.

In Alice Walker’s ‘The Color Purple’, the protagonist Celie go through a remarkable personal change, she develops from being gloomy, acquiescent and abused by her stepfather and her husband to running her own business, owning her own home and feeling younger than ever.

Celie’s most noticeable change is in the ways she relates to conventional gender roles throughout the novel.

Walker argues that the American society is a racist, sexist and colorist capitalist community which works on the basis of unnatural hierarchical distinctions. The persecution of Black women by their husbands, brothers, lovers etc.

The Color Purple became a argumentative novel because of its powerful accusation of the racism and sexism that victimized Afro-American women in the villages of south America .

Yet it is also the story of the up growth and development of the central character from an ignorant, abused youth to an skillful woman who has learned to stand up for herself and cope with her hostile surroundings. The theme is liberation, as brought about by Celie’s wish to learn and to take a turn for the better to her life.

The Color Purple is a novel of celebration of championship of black women who forces to escape from the slavery of forced identities that pushes them along ways that they have not chosen. The title itself signifies” a celebration of beauty, the pleasure of living and how that celebration is at the center of spiritual and personal growth. ‘It also symbolizes the spirit of the black women, and her sexuality, bold and committed.

Although far, more sensitive to community to restricts and particularly those of race and class than the average white community, black critics, too, saw the subject-black or white-as essentially free and as an independent virtuous agent and able to override the restrictions enjoyed by time, place, and color.

The connections between the white majority and black minority could be written interims of class relations, with the black minority protected subservient by ideology.” In The Color Purple, the heroine, who ends as successful entrepreneur, stays within an individualist, capitalist frame and is therefore not full liberated’. (Bertens, 2001, p 110).

There are a lot of examples throughout the novel about men who have a higher status in the Afro-American community. It’s not rare that women get hurt by the men members of their family or their husband.

Also women are getting stereotyped as a person that should take care of the kids and the household. They have to be strong workers and good listeners to their husband and their husbands must respect them.

These quotes are examples of a situation where the women are treated unequal:

‘Harpo ast his daddy why he beat me. Mr.____ say, Cause she my wife. Plus, she stubborn.'(22). In the African-American community the women get beaten and hurt by the male members of their family or husbands .

In the quotation above there is an irony: that it’s the male who act like children in Celie’s world: petulant, sulky, unhelpful, abusive. None of the characters are Afro-American. Although, the only real white people who feature, the mayor and his family, are sketches of white prejudice and privilege and it is in their complex shades of grey that Walker excels at bringing them to life.

Also here :

This quotation doesn’t finish with Sofia just being smacked, but being hurt almost to death and dragged off to jail. As a black female, white people like the mayor and his wife suppose that it’s a great pleasure to be a white lady’s housemaid. Because Sofia is unwilling to place herself in an insulting position, the white mayor and police beat her in order to reconfirm their racial dominance.

In this quote Nettie is the only character who loves Celie, she learns that the savagery she passed through as a child is not the way of the world, nor the way of black people as a whole; it is simply the way of how her father and Celie’s husband threats the black people.

Postcolonial criticism has been influenced by Marxist thought, by the work of Michel Foucault (whose theories about the power of discourses have influenced the new historicism), and by deconstruction, which has challenged not only hierarchical, binary oppositions such as West/East and North/South but also the notions of superiority associated with the first term of each opposition. Racism is one of the elements of post colonialism which is a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race.

Alice walker is one of the afro Americans authors who write about racism and colonialism, she wrote books and inspired more than thousand people across the world. In her novel ‘the color purple’. She shows the women who wanted to change the situation for black people in America she made a big change in afro Americans live.

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Feminism in “The Color Purple” by Alice Walker Research Paper

Introduction, feminism in the book the color purple, meaning and importance, works cited.

Many countries pursue the concept of equally in an attempt to empower all people and make it easier for them to achieve their aims. Within the past century, the United States has been associated with numerous developments and challenges that have affected the lifestyles and experiences of the greatest number of citizens, such as oppression, discrimination, and abuse. African Americans and other minority groups have been impacted the most by these malpractices. Feminism stands out in the book The Color Purple as a meaningful theme in this book since the pains and challenges young women go through and their strategies to get rid of them are aimed at promoting the social equality, economic gains, and political positions of all sexes or gender groups. The purpose of this research paper is to discuss the importance and meaning of feminism in the selected book.

The book The Color Purple by Alice Walker gives a detailed analysis of the challenges and predicaments many women of color had to experience throughout the first half of the 20th century in the southern regions of the United States. This kind of portrayal is intended to give a true picture of the issues affecting the progress of many communities in the southern United States. The author uses different characters to describe hardships and abuses many women face from those who are close to them. The example of Celie reveals how different women are abused, raped, and even forced to be married at a tender age. Some fathers in the selected society are seen to torture and even give birth to children with their daughters (Walker 37). These malpractices are disheartening and make it impossible for the affected individuals in the society to realize their potential. Those in marriages are left without say or freedom of expression. Those who try to oppose the existing social norms find it hard to achieve the intended goals. This becomes a reality that many women have to experience or accept.

Despite such portrayals or occurrences, the author manages to present specific examples of how some of the women devise ingenious ways to free themselves and be in a position to overcome the experienced pains. For instance, some of them decide to oppose tier husbands and prevent them from becoming too domineering, such as Sofia. Others go a step further to form positive relationships in an attempt to share their experiences and devise new ways of overcoming their unique challenges. The end result is that they encourage and make it possible for more people to continue engaging on this debate on feminism (Daum 17). These descriptions reveal that such a theme is an outstanding subject that supports the development of the selected text.

The author has set her novel in a society that is characterized by stereotypical and dismissive males. These individual use their prestigious positions or gender roles to oppress women. She focuses on this situation to describe how women are willing to establish positive friendships with each other. This practice becomes a powerful opportunity for sharing their experiences, problems, and stories. It also supports the notion of feminism since they acquire new ideas for resisting any form of oppression and abuse (Walker 49). Although some of these people are unable to do so successfully, their actions and moves become powerful guidelines for delivering positive results in the future. Women who consider these insights become more empowered and willing to focus on the best strategies for promoting equality.

Some sisters in this book are able to form meaningful relationships and friendships in an attempt to understand and address their common problems. The best example is that of Sofia and her siblings. Her strength and ability to fight against oppression from males is something that developed due to her relationships with her sisters. It is also notable that different polygamous marriages succeed due to the positive relations different women establish and promote (Walker 85). This process empowers them to focus on the issues they face and consider additional strategies for becoming more successful. The example of Shug and Celie reveal how such friendships among women result in redemption and realization of personal aims.

Using the idea of feminism, the author manages to describe how different characters are able to stand up for their rights despite the nature of social order established in the selected region. For instance, Sofia emerges as a strong woman who is capable of fighting for her liberties as a woman (Walker 88). She refuses to submit to any attempt by Harpo to control or micromanage her. The end result is that Harpo becomes kinder, gentler, and capable of supporting her needs.

Another outstanding portrayal aimed at advancing the theme of feminism is the estranged relationship between Celie and Shug Avery at the very beginning. However, the pains and challenges they have to go through eventually encourage them to become friends and start focusing on their common goals (Daum 41). Despite such problems, the new relationship becomes an opportunity for promoting equality and encouraging future women to focus on the most appropriate strategies that will eventually make them successful in their respective areas or societies.

Individuals who want to pursue or promote equality and liberation of women will tend to experience various obstacles s in their lives. Sometimes they might be unable to succeed or attract attention of different groups, well-wishers, leaders, or politicians. Some of the people presented in this book are willing to live in families that empower or support them (Cameron 18). Unfortunately, this is far from the case since majority of them are abused and even forced to marry strangers. This is exactly what Celie has to go through. Nonetheless, women who pursue equality in the institution of marriage encounter diverse problems (Daum 59). The best example is that of Sofia whose actions explain why Harpo becomes insecure and even tries to punish her. Shug emerges as a confident woman who is ready to stand up any form of male domination. Unfortunately, this kind of practice explains why she is eventually unable to achieve happiness while at home.

The above examples and descriptions of feminism are instrumental in supporting the establishment of a new order or society that takes the issue of women empowerment or equality seriously. According to Arruzza, the notions of female consciousness are supported by self-definition and self-valuation (103). As observed in the selected book, most of the women appear to be aware of the situations and challenges that they have to face in their lives. This knowledge becomes a new model for promoting self-evaluation and respect. The cases of Celie and Sofia reveal how women can be bale to become aware of their situations and pursue the idea of gradual personal development. In the book, Walker manages to offer a detailed analysis of the level of consciousness of black girls in the American south throughout the 20th century. The representation resonates with most of the issues that led to the emergence of personal awareness (Arruzza 129). This form of understanding promotes a new form of self-valuation, thereby making it possible for more women to engage in additional discussions that can eventually support the fight against any form of female oppression.

The outstanding theme of feminism in this text is intended to provoke some form of criticism that can be important or relevant for promoting this kind of debate. The insights and developments portrayed in the book are intended to describe why women empowerment and equality is not where it has to be. With the pains and challenges many women have to experience, a new form of discussion emerges that seeks to highlight the existing issues and propose superior initiatives for pursuing feministic ideals (Daum 63)). This means that the author wrote the novel in an attempt to present her unique options regarding the malpractices of oppression and gender inequality.

The problems that Celie has to go through echo the issues many women in the American south had to go through, such as forced marriage, rape, disrespect, abuse, and torture. This is a clear indication that such individuals are unable to achieve their objectives due to the misbehaviors of men in their respective cultures or races. Celie is raped by his biological father, something that majority of the young women had to experience in the region (Arruzza 39). The approach to the idea of feminism reveals how the black family remains unsupportive and demeaning towards improving the welfare of the African American woman.

From this analysis and discussion, it is evident that Walker focuses on the concept of feminism in her book in an attempt to present the unique challenges and problems many women experience in their respective families or communities. This achievement becomes a powerful starting point for those who are interested in the challenges affecting women. She goes further to offer unique examples and guidelines using the cases of her characters, such as Celie and Sofia (Walker 56). These developments will continue to guide more women and feminists to engage in additional initiatives and movements that will eventually deliver the equality of all sexes in the world today.

The above discussion has identified feminism as a major theme that stands out in the book The Color Purple. Using this subject matter, the author has been in a position to describe the pains, issues, and challenges many young women in the targeted society have to go through and their strategies to get rid of them. The purpose of such aspects is to promote the social equality, economic gains, and political positions of all sexes or gender groups. This kind of portrayal is essential since it becomes a powerful guideline that many women in the novel consider to become freer and successful. The description also becomes a new tool for encouraging many people in different parts of the world to take the issue of feminism to the next level and promote gender equality.

Arruzza, Cinzia, et al. Feminism for the 99 Percent: A Manifesto. Verso, 2019.

Cameron, Deborah. Feminism. Profile Books, 2018.

Daum, Meghan. The Problem with Everything: My Journey through the Culture Wars. Gallery Books, 2019.

Walker, Alice. The Color Purple. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1982.

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IvyPanda . (2021) 'Feminism in “The Color Purple” by Alice Walker'. 2 August.

IvyPanda . 2021. "Feminism in “The Color Purple” by Alice Walker." August 2, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/feminism-in-the-color-purple-by-alice-walker/.

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Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Feminism in “The Color Purple” by Alice Walker." August 2, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/feminism-in-the-color-purple-by-alice-walker/.