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Alice Walker's The Color Purple,
tells the story of Celie,
a black woman living in Georgia.
Celie writes letters to God
in which she tells about her life
--her roles as daughter, sister,wife, and mother.
The story focuses on black female life
during the 1930s in the Southern United States
addressing the numerous issues
including their exceedingly low position
in American social culture.
Question
Please read pages 186 to 187
(from ‘Dear Nellie’ to ‘Amen, amen’)
in The Color Purple and then answer:
a. Analyze the ways in which ideas of gender
are presented in this extract
b. How this extract relates to relevant parts
of the rest of The Colour Purple.
What is the function of this extract?
Alice Walker’s The Color Purple depicts the oppression
and transformation of black women. It explores the
strength of female’s bonding and intimacy, the flexibility
breaking away from the stereotyping of gender roles, the
vigour of empowerment through cultivating an identity evolved
through education, work and creativity, communication and the
redefinition of God. Walker celebrates the African culture
through the gradual transformation of Celie, from an
oppressed girl to an assertive, independent woman, aware of
the rights of her existence, regardless of her gender, race,
status or class.
Using the epistolary narrative(letters in form of diary
entries), Walker seeks to engage the readers intimately -
readers become personally involved with Celie’s private
motivations, they struggle and transform along with her.
Being isolated, writing is a means of escape, of quietly and
safely expressing herself. Celie’s confessional narrative is
reminiscent of African-American slave narratives which use
storytelling to break the imposed silence.
This extract is the climax of the novel,in leaving with Shug
to Memphis, it begins Celie’s journey to freedom and self
-empowerment. The discovery of Nettie’s letters, her sexual
awakening and the redefinition of God empowered Celie, she
begins to assert her existence. It starts with the cynical tone
of a pessimistic view of men ‘…whenever there’s a man, there’s
trouble’ (Walker, p 186). Grady is talking so much ‘bout stuff
to drink’ makes Celie ‘have to pee’ (Walker, p 186). The
contrast between ‘drink’ and ‘pee’ is interesting. This sense
of ridicule seems to indicate that the pleasures(drinks) of
black-men are associated with filth and waste.Grady, Shrug’s
ex-husband, previously spending Shrug’s money recklessly, is
now flirting with Squeak and raving about his flamboyant
lifestyle. These negative descriptions reveal the unproductive,
idle and aimless nature of black men.
This passage explicitly discloses black women’s oppression –
their destiny are solely dictated by men. Mr ---’s derogatory
tone has a deflating effect on Celie’s self esteem - ‘But what
you got? You ugly’, ‘..nobody crazy enough...to marry you’
(Walker, p 186). Mr ---’s further criticism of Celie of not
being a good housekeeper and may have to work in the farm or
railroad suggests that Celie has no talent and that getting
married is the ultimate goal for women. He continues ‘I
probably haven’t whup your ass enough…I should have lock you
up. Just let you out to work’ (Walker,p 187). In contrast,
with Shug, he is filled with admiration - ‘Shug got talent…
She got spunk… Shrug got looks’ (Walker, p 186). The idea here
is, if a woman is not pretty, has no talent and who cannot
stand up on her own then she becomes man’s slave.
Additionally, this episode offers Celie’s first-person account
of racism and sexism. Mr --- announces ‘You black, you pore,
you ugly, you a woman…. you nothing at all.’ (Walker, p 187).
This sarcastic tone affirms black women’s multiple jeopardy of
racist race, class and gender issues. African-Americans are
treated differently. For instance, Celie’s biological
father’s shop was burned and he was lynched for being more
successful than white storeowners. Sofia’s refusal to be a
white mayor’s maid, was reduced to complete helplessness
-put in jail, beaten up and ironically, end up working as
a maid. The cyclical nature of racism and sexism constantly
governs the black society where personal life is ruled by
politics. Black men, being humiliated daily, with not much
chance to upgrade and be respected in society, vent their
frustration towards their women. To feel manly, men seek
dominance over women through physical violence. Even in
loving relationship, Harpo believes in beating Sofia into
submission. Women are exploited and treated as objects to
serve their needs. Men are themselves, victims of paternalism
and racism.
The relationship between genders differs distinctly. Unlike
women, black men lack solidarity, incapable of bonding,
unable to understand their women and communicate only at a
very basic, crude level. Although Mr--- and Harpo are
capable of deep devotion to women, they failed in
understanding them intimately. Women, in contrast, are able to
function and bond in a supportive network without men. Shug’s
love leads Celie to her discovery of self-awareness and dignity.
Other instances of reciprocity includes Celie and Nettie letters
that help to support each other morally. Even Squeak endures
rape just to get Sofia (who once hit Squeak) out of jail and
helps to look after her child. The message is that women can
stand up to unfair treatment by sustaining one another.
This extract ends with Celie identifying God with nature.
God is speaking to Mr --- through nature – ‘it seem to come
to me from the trees.’, ‘…the air rush in and shape words.’
‘The dirt say, Anything you do to me, already done to you.’
(Walker, p 187). Celie declares that though she may be poor
and ugly, she firmly asserts ‘But I’m here.’ (Walker, p 187).
With these powerful words, the extract ends with Celie’s
newfound self-esteem and dignity. She is no longer ‘nothing’
but ‘something’.
Celie’s ability to assert herself sharply contrasts with Celie
at the beginning of the novel when she reacts passively to
abuse by being silent and invisible. God turns out to be a
distant figure, a man and white who cares nothing for her
concerns. By the end of the story, we experience Celie’s
personal transformation along with her. Through renaming,
narratives, female bonding, education, work and creativity,
sex and spirituality, Celie transforms herself.
The importance of naming marks the humanisation and
redefinition of the characters. As long as Harpo calls her
Squeak (belittle name), Squeak remained powerless, thus
she demands respect by announcing that her name is Mary
Agnes. Unable to call Mr --- by his name, Celie is rendered
powerless and forced into a subservient role. When Albert
has a name he becomes humanised. Additionally, as Shug
renamed Celie a virgin, it instantly transforms her as she
reinterprets her world.
Narrative is a powerful weapon - without a voice, there is no
power. Narratives initiated by female friendships through
telling stories and sharing secrets lead to self-understanding.
Failed communication can raupture into unresolved problems
between men and women, blacks and whites. Through
Nettie’s letter, Celie finally has enough knowledge of herself
to form her own powerful narrative and give expression to
her self-worth.
Education and literacy, work and creativity are means of escape
from multiple oppressions. Celie redeemed herself through
writing. She maintains a remarkable commitment to writing
letters to Nettie over many years. Nettie’s letters educate
Celie and open her eyes to a bigger world. Work and creativity
has given Celie’s economic independence. Her business is
paradoxically, a "woman's job"- sewing - but the product is
trousers, for women to wear. Sewing, traditionally, a domestic
chore, has become an instrument of independence. It symbolizes
the power women gain from productively channeling their
creative energy. In quilting – the repeated pattern symmetry
symbolizes unity and by making patchwork of old fabric into
something new gives women hope for the future. This contrasts
with the unproductive males who believe that work is for the
powerless not the powerful.
Sex is also a form of empowerment. Celie's sexual encounters
with, Mr--- are unloving and sordid, as Shug remarks, ‘make it
sound like he going to the toilet on you’ (Walker, p 74).
However, Sex can also empowers Celie, once Shug shows Celie
what sex can really be like, she gains control over her body
and sexuality thus freed frees herself from the restraints of
male dominance. Sexual experience between women are varied,
multilayered, simultaneously tender, maternal, sharing,
conversational, intimate and empathetic. Walker presents
sexuality as a complex phenomenon-not a simple dichotomy of
heterosexuality and homosexuality. Sexuality and sexual
orientation is defined as a spectrum of flexibilities.
Shug’s new version of God is empowering. God is redefined as
‘it’ with no race and no gender, who exists and delights in
all nature and creation. She believes each individual manifest
God in one’s own way. This existentialist feel leads to
Walker’s notion of spirituality - pantheism. Through the
Olinka’s idea of pantheist spirituality, Nettie too learns to
see God everywhere. Shug explains that church is somewhere
people go to share God, not to find God. By rejecting the
oppressive, patriarchal, white religion; pantheist
spirituality becomes the inspiration in an oppressive
society. ‘I think it pisses God off if you walk by the
colour purple in a field somewhere and don’t notice it’
(Walker, p 177). Since God is everywhere, then the colour
purple (identifies with Celie as certain shade of purple
denotes lesbianism) who has previously been unnoticed,
should be noticed.
Interwoven into Celie’s transformation is Walker’s rejection
of traditional gender stereotypes. Characters blurred the
boundaries of gender traits -Harpo’s insecurity, Shug’s
sexual assertiveness and Sofia’s strength. By the end of the
novel, Walker seems to advocate mixing of roles rejection of
stereoptypes; Celie become more assertive, Shug mellows
whereas Harpo cooks, while Mr ---- learns to sew and become a
good listener. Walker expresses the ideals of gender equality
through the love story of Adam and Tashi, an Olinka village
girl. Adam had to undergo similar painful rituals of facial
scarring procedure as Tashi in order to marry her and take her
to America. Walker views rigid gender roles as impractical and
meaningless.
The Color Purple is the a celebration of black women’s
identity and their courage to rise above their multiple
jeopardy of gender, race and class. ‘Black is the colour of
the underclass…’ (Willis,1990) and Celie has evolved to a
powerful position of dignity and self-worth.
(1566 words)
Bibliography
Goodman, Lizbeth. Literature and Gender, The Open University,
1996.
Walker, Alice. The Color Purple, The Orion Publishing Group,
1992.
Marks: 77
Tutor comment:
Dear Cheryl
This is a competent and well-discussed essay which shows you
have a good understanding and analysis of the issues raised
in the book. Perhaps because of this, you have tended to write
expansive detailed analysis of key episodes in the entire book,
instead of doing a close reading of the extract on p.186/7.
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