Celie's Presentation Of Themes In Dear God By Alice Walker

II. DEAR GOD

Although oppression and discrimination appear to be the main issues explored, Walker uses religion as a binding force, buffering the two other themes and as an insightful vehicle for widening audience appeal and empathy through the common voice of Christianity. Walker’s narration of the novel through a series of letters addressed “Dear God” subtly reinforces these other two themes and provides a raw account of Celie’s experiences through a shared audience perspective. The constant referral to Christianity is used to not only highlight Celie’s development as a character, but to also emphasise the importance religion and spirituality held in black communities and American society at the time.

Arguably the most effective of Walker’s literary techniques, these letters allow the reader to understand Celie through a sense of character voice. Walker encourages the reader to emphasise with Celie giving authenticity to her experience. Through this, perhaps Walker intends to emphasise the severity of Celie’s experiences and stimulate the reader to question their personal attitudes and those present in modern day society. Equally important is how Walker uses “Dear God” to

When referring back to the slavery era in America, slaves were encouraged and often forced to adopt white religion (Christianity) through missionaries. The patriarchal view of religion impacted the black communities by discouraging them to question the order of their master. This idea was confirmed by Walker in an interview in 2012, where she stated that although Celie finds her voice by writing letters to God, she “discovers that the God that she is writing to is deaf, because he’s basically the Christian God that has been imposed on black people.” Consequently, with each passing generation, the Christian are further entrenched, strengthening the dominance of Christianity in black