The women in The Color Purple, by Alice Walker, are abused, mistreated and battered by the men in their lives. The protagonist, Celie is repeatedly raped by her stepfather. She is later given to a man, identified as Mr._____, to marry, who uses her for unemotional sex. Celie also witnesses other women throughout the novel who are mistreated by the men in their lives. Sofia, Celie's daughter-in-law, has to deal with Harpo's assertion of conventional gender roles, which causes the couple to fight constantly. Later in the novel when Sofia and Harpo break up, Harpo uses his sexist ways to control his new girlfriend Squeak. To overcome the dominance and nastiness of these men, the women form relationships that help them challenge the men and their controlling habits. Sofia finds strength when she is in the company of her sisters who are as large and independent as she is. Squeak forms a bond with Sofia who, in the hour of greatest need, comes to her rescue. Celie and her younger sister Nettie form a bond that transcends other bonds in the novel. Nettie is Celie's only relative, and even though they are apart for most of the novel, their companionship gives Celie hope. A blues singer named Shug Avery also transforms Celie's life. Shug starts out as only a friend but later became Celie's lover. Shug helps Celie defy Mr.____ and gives her self worth in such a way that no one else has ever done. Through many struggles in these women's lives, they are able to overcome because "when women are together in a common bond they can overcome the males who mistreat them" (Allan). In the novel The Color Purple, Walker portrays female companionship as a way for women to defy the cruelty and control of their men.
Celie's first experience with a male who mistreats her is her stepfather, whom she calls Pa because she believes that he is her real father. Celie writes several letters, which she addresses to God, expressing her inner feelings in the form of a dairy.
The Color Purple Theme Reflection In The Color Purple Walker expresses many ideas and themes. A major theme that I saw was the gender roles were often confused from the traditional roles that are often portrayed. In present time many men and women have also strayed from the traditional ste...
The Color Purple is clearly an example of this genre in that it is written using a series of letters written by the principal character, Celie, and also her sister Nettie. ... In The Color Purple, Walker effectively uses the epistolary genre to communicate the thoughts and feelings of the novel's central character, Celie. ... The Color Purple closely follows the growth of Celie on her journey of self-discovery. ... Walker appeared to learn from this problem and went on to write a sequel to The Color Purple which addresses Nettie and her outcome. Nettie still plays a significant role in Th...
THE COLOR PURPLE Alice Walker wrote this novel from her own personal experience, growing up in the rural South as an uneducated and abused child. ... In the novel she also uses color. The color purple is the color of royalty, which exemplifies the endless possibilities available to Celie and other black women if they stand up for their own rights. The Color Purple is a historical novel; it never refers to any factual events. ...
"The Color Purple" by Alice Walker is a novel that is written in letterforms. ... What does the color "purple" symbolize Why did Alice Walker title her novel the "The Color Purple"? The color "purple" is an important symbol because it concern the life of young Celie and the pains and sorrows she lives through. ... In 1982 Alice finished her novel "The Color Purple." "The Color Purple" is not like most novels. ...
The Color Purple There is much controversy about weather or not the book, The Color Purple by Alice Walker, is an appropriate reading material for the high school classrooms. ... Additionally, it was not uncomfortable discussing any of the content of The Color Purple aloud in class. ... In conclusion, I consider Alice Walker's The Color Purple, to be a suitable novel for a high school classroom to read. ...
The Color Purple Essay One of the most widely known and false stereotypes is that women belong in the kitchen, and men are suppose to make the money. In The Color Purple, by Alice Walker, there are some main characters that prove this stereotype wrong. ... "I think it pisses God off when you walk by the color purple in a field and don't notice it. " I believe a woman being inferior to a man is our society's color purple. ...
The Color Purple by Alice Walker is a book about a young girl named Celie whose character undergoes a huge transformation in attitude from a passive and quite girl to a strong and courageously confident woman (Color 1). ... Throughout her life Walker went on to write many more books and win lots of awards, especially for her most famous book, The Color Purple. The Color Purple is said by many professionals to be Alice Walker's best piece of work. ... Peter Prescott comments in a Newsweek review that; "The Color Purple is an American novel of permanent importance, that rare sort of...
The Color Purple Alice Walker was highly influenced by the works of Zora Neale Hurston. Both authors show many similar ideas in their books. One similarity between the two authors was what they based the book on. Zora and Alice wrote their books on black women, and the struggles they we...
The Colour Purple Chapter 1 The first few pages begin Walker's narrative of the life of Celie, a fourteen-year-old black girl who lives with her dying mother and her sister, Nettie. Her stepfather, Alfonso, is portrayed as the villain of the narrative, first demanding sex from Celie's sick mo...
Alice Walker wrote The Color Purple to capture and illuminate the hardship and bitterness African American women had to face in the early 1900s. ... The Color Purple, was published in 1982. ... In The Color Purple, as in her other writings, Walker focuses on the theme of double repression of black women in the American experience. ... The primary theme of The Color Purple, though, reflects Walker's desire to project a positive outcome in life, even under the harshest conditions. ... Although her response sometimes varies, she most frequently answers, "Remember, the movie is not the boo...
