‘Celie gives in to her environment with a kind of passivity that comes near to provoking screams in readers’
Compare how Alice Walker and Carol Ann Duffy present female passivity and its consequences in The Colour Purple, and The World’s Wife
In The Colour Purple and The World’s Wife, Alice Walker and Carol Ann Duffy both present characters who have endured the difficulties of the patriarchal system through the problems of abuse and difficulties with expression. Both writers present female passivity through women who are silenced by their issues and oppression, and are therefore unable to defend themselves. Furthermore, passive females are traditionally characterised as meek, and those who depend on men in marriage for stability. In addition,
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This is evidenced in her advice to Harpo regarding his masculinity and insecurities with Sofia, ‘beat her’. Walker develops how the system of oppression is uncomfortable and shocking as it has led to learnt helplessness where Celie is unable to escape from her abusive environment and only further supports the cycle. This is further demonstrated by Albert’s actions as he tells Harpo to beat his wife in order to show who had the ‘upper hand’. The idiom again conveys another form of control and dominance which is continued throughout the whole text. Celie’s female passivity has conequently meant, that Harpo has been socialised to see women as passive creatures, which is why he is unable to understand Sofia’s stronger personality and character. The resulting female passivity is arguably due to the society’s socialisation of individuals where people learn from their family, and their role models, one that is understandable. Celie’s female passivity has therefore allowed for both the cycle of abuse as well as the image of passive women which would continue to be unchanged in society if one does not resist the system. In addition to understanding Celie’s abusive environment, Edwin Mhandu describes how men in The Colour Purple use ‘violence to dominate women’ which support the differences in power and control in the society where Celie grows up in, compared to the society in The World’s Wife where the dominance of men in media and institutions are the main focus. For example, Celie describes how Albert ‘beat me like he beat the children’, therefore demonstrating that violence is spread throughout the novel, with both domestic abuse towards partners and the children. The verb ‘beat’ is blunt, and depict the extent to which violence has become a norm in society. The plosives further
Through Celie’s, Lieutenant Cross’s, and “The Moths’” protagonist’s hardships, they are all able to overcome their past and look forward for what is to come. Celie, from Walker’s The Color Purple, has an unfortunate life. Celie’s Pa rapes her.
The position of the mother as a foster mother, which allowed Jeanette to better experience feelings of resentment in the past, seems to facilitate her ability to forgive her adoptive maternal figure too. The final reconciliation makes it possible to describe the novel as a ‘feminist family romance’, according to the definition provided by Marianne Hirsch. For Hirsch, feminist family romances are those novels where the development of female subjectivity and self-empowerment is determined by the continuation of the mother-daughter relationship, as opposed to the previous common rejection of the maternal figure theorized, amongst others, by Julia Kristeva and Luce Irigaray. The bond within mother and daughter is reevaluated and comes to be considered as an important site for female development and a basis for a vision of gender difference and female specificity.
In Alice Walker’s novel, The Color Purple, one of the major themes in the book is that you shouldn’t let violence control you, instead you should prevent it. A few examples of the theme in the novel is on page 37 where Albert states “ Well how you spect to make her mind? Wives is like children. You have to let ‘em know who got the upper hand. Nothing can do that better then a good sound beating”.
The present novel deals with the oppression of African-American women, not only by white people but also by black males. The women in this novel fight against all discriminations for their own survival and for the survival of their black community The women characters of the novel like Celie,Nettie,Shug are found to break out their shackles and make their voice heard by all. The description of the universal oppression of black women, crosses all the limitations of race, class, gender and the melancholy of their life reaches out women in general. The novel vigorously reflects consciousness of women’s world.
Nearly 50% of both men and women in the United States of America have experienced some kind of abuse in their lifetime. Verbal, physical, and sexual abuse are very prominent throughout the novel, The Color Purple, by Alice Walker. Abuse is not only common in the book, but it is also a major issue in the United States and around the world. Verbal abuse is a fairly large part of The Color Purple. Celie tells Mister that she is leaving him to go to Memphis with Shug Avery.
The novel repeatedly describes the plight of women who are physically and psychologically abused by men, such as June, Begbie's girlfiend who his battered when she is pregnant, and the woman in a pub who defends her boyfriend even after being hit by him. The abusers are, actually, the working class, relatively poor, oppressed group in the society. Kelly comments on the dynamics of the victim turning into the oppressor: "The tendency amongst some of Welsh's characters who are themselves oppressed to oppress others as a means of asserting some form of beleaguered power . . .
"When he found the eyes of Hester Prynne fastened on his own, and saw that she appeared to recognize him, he slowly and calmly raised his finger, made a gesture with it in the air, and laid it on his lips." -The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Chapter 3, page This quote ties in together with the theme of the book because Hester Prynne’s husband had left her, leaving her clueless as to her not knowing if he would be back or not. As Chillingworth, Hester's husband, does this motion towards her, I feel like he is threatening her. Almost as if he is promising, “I know what you did and I’m here to make your life hell”, and as he moves his finger to his lips, he’s sealing the promise.
Vis-à-vis the time period, Alice Walker’s idiosyncratic characters go against the gender norms and challenge the stereotypes created by society. The Color Purple brings forth Shug Avery, the bold, outspoken, vivacious woman who liberates herself by doing as she pleases, with complete disregard to the judgement of others. The novel illuminates the fact that men could sleep with as many women as they pleased and talk with blatant vulgarity, but if a woman did the same, it was regarded as an unspeakable act, and they, like Shug, could be labeled as a tramp. Alice Walker also creates Celie, the abused letter writer of the story. At first, Celie adhered to gender norms, by being submissive and accepting of rape and abuse, but eventually, along with discovering her sexual identity, stands up for herself and finds light in her life again.
Black women are treated less than because of their ascribed traits, their gender and race, and are often dehumanized and belittled throughout the movie. They are treated like slaves and are seen as easily disposable. There are several moments throughout the film that show the racial, gender, and class inequalities. These moments also show exploitation and opportunity hoarding. The Help also explains historical context of the inequality that occurred during that time period.
The novel entitled The Colour Purple (1982) is set a period that was almost entirely male dominated. This theme of power and desire on the part of the men to have control exerted over women is evident throughout (Selzer 2011, p. 13). The protagonist of this story is a young woman by the name of Celie, whose life is marked almost entirely by oppression, submission and abuse, and almost exclusively at the hands of males (Lundin 2009, p. 6). Abuse and male domination is seen almost immediately in the beginning of this novel and then continuously throughout. The power that men hold and male supremacy is cited in almost every facet of this novel.
Instead of accepting her mother’s perspective, Kingston merges reality with fantasy as she explores the possible personalities of her estranged relative. Instead of complying with the cultural belief that one must not bring dishonor to one's family, Kingston explores what would cause someone to “drown herself in the drinking water” (16). This strong language is a metaphor that suggests than women are destroyed by the very same thing that allows them to live. This dichotomy is presented in “White Tigers” as some talk-stories depict “swordswomen jump over houses from a standstill” (19) while others communicate that women must be demure. This inconsistent portrayal of gender roles depicts the narrator's struggle with identity.
The Color Purple is written by Alice Walker, and was later made into a film directed by Steven Spielberg. The Color Purple focuses on a woman who is going through struggles in life, such as her father raping her as a child and her oppressed marriage. In the end she learns to deal with life through God and to take everyday as a blessing. Not only does the film and book speak about life struggles but also they share the points of happiness in the book, and love, in the film through the plot structure, the mood, and the journey to womanhood.
For example, Celie becomes socially, economically and spiritually free, she sins love, dignity, and respect. This paper has analyzed how the characters in The Color Purple arouse their self-consciousness, through sisterhood and encouragement, love and help from their partners. The author demonstrates how the characters escape degradation caused by mistreatment by men and finally win dignity. The paper recognizes that Celie utilizes sisterhood to gain liberation, sexual identity independence, and freedom. Works Cited Thyreen, Jeannine. "
King-Kok Cheung compares two novels: The Color Purple and The Woman Warrior to depict the similar theme of forced silence on women through patriarchal society. Both women in the novels are people of color who are oppressed by their husbands, fathers, and God. Cheung explains Celie’s growth in self-confidence and self-trust is due to the female figures surrounding her; these women give Celie the strength to transform herself from a victim to a survivor. Cheung puts emphasis on the argument that Celie uncovers her strength through the way she writes her letters, from the subjects to the eloquence and style of her writing.
It aims at building up a new ground for expressing female voice. The text is in complete conversational format rather than being a narration of events. Through her letters, Celie tells her audience something that they already know. She primarily subverts, deconstructs and eventually reconstructs the mainstream patriarchal discourse that has kept her and many of her kind at the periphery. The letters create a productive space where the hitherto oppressed voices are finally heard.