Alice Walker takes on a feminist tone in The Color Purple, a novel about the struggles between salvation and independence in which she discusses the oppression of black women. Through the relationship between black men and black women, Walker portrays the prejudice that black women have to face. ... One of the themes of The Color Purple is love redeems, hate kills and for Walker, redemptive love requires female bonding. ... Alice Walker contrasts the ugliness of men with the healthy bondage of women to discuss the frustration of black women's struggle for independence. ...

• Word Count: 1257
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

Schmidt Honors English II 17 September 2002 The Color Purple, by Alice Walker is a historical novel showing how an uneducated, fourteen-year-old black girl living in rural Georgia between 1910 through 1940 can overcome years of abuse and betrayal, and become an independent, confident woman. ... Miz Millie says to Sofia, "Have you ever seen a white person and a colored sitting side by side in car, when one of "em wasn't showing the other one how to drive it or clean it" (Walker 109). ...

• Word Count: 1740
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School