The Journey Of Women In Alice Walker's The Color Purple

The Colour Purple is known for its depiction of domestic violence, which Walker presents through Celie. But in the course of Celie’s search for truth , she realizes that the culture she has endured in the south is abusive to all women. In this novel the black women are trying to find their place in the world. It is the struggle of women to prove their identity. Celie survive in harsh conditions and becomes strong and self dependent. When she meets Shug and escapes from Mr.____, she learns that women can be equal to men in power, in knowledge, and in finance. In the end of the novel, Celie is no longer weak and submissive. Instead, she has become a self assured female. The novel is a journey of self discovery for Celie and for other characters.

Keywords: Spiritual Awareness, Black Women, Solidarity, women empowerment

Introduction

Alice Walker’s The Colour Purple is a disturbing, moving and spiritually uplifting novel. In her preface of the book, Walker wrote:

The bond of sisterhood is important, both literally in the persons of Celie and Nettie and metaphorically in the persons of Sofia and Mary Agnes, Celie and Shug Avery, and Tashi and Olivia. Celie is able to change her status of a sexually abused slave woman and free herself economically, physically and spiritually with the help of Shug. In The Color Purple Alice Walker‘s true intention from writing this novel is not only to give voice to black women but also to provide them a path to follow in order to get their freedom. Walker shows us the evolution of her major character, Celie, from being a sexually abused child to a passive wife and finally to a free woman. The ray of hope even in despair is the important aspect of the novel. Although Celie suffers a lot but she does not give up. She is able to free herself from all the harsh conditions in which she