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The Colour Purple is a famous novel written by Alice Walker for the poor,black,and female in the rural South America during the first half of the twentieth century.Much of the narrative is derived from author’s own experience, growing up in the rural South as an uneducated and abused child. In the novel,the writer implies the purpose of giving voice and representation to women,especially black women, who have been silenced and confined in life.And she dedicates the whole book to inspiring and motivating black women to stand up for their rights.Thus,Celie is created to be a typical distressful black woman in the story.
The story is told from the view of Celie,who addresses her letters to God and to Nettie.Through her letters,Walker allows an uneducated, black,southern woman to speak for herself.As the protagonist in the novel,Celie represents all miserable women in real society.At the beginning,she is so passive and self-indefferent that the only thing she knew is to be obedient.Thus she submits to‘a system of beliefs and values which reinforce conventional notions of race,class and sex’,in which she‘relegates herself to a subordinate status’(Bloom, 1989,P.71),and submits to‘male authority because she accepts a theology which requires female obedience to father and husband’(Bloom,1989,P.71).Since she was young,she has been taught to honour father and husband.Then she accepts‘a theology of self-denial which validates her inferior status and treatment as a black woman in a racist and sexist culture’ (Bloom,1989,P.71).She couldn’t change her thoughts until she meets Shug.The arrival of Shug actually acts as a catalyst to empower Celie.Shug let her know what a powerful occupation is and finds that her own occupation remains in a servile position.She is so envious of Shug that she decides to make friends with her.Gradually Celie discovers her personal identity and changes her opinions.
From a submissive wife to a confident woman,she undergoes an inner transformation.When she feels angry to Albert at the first time,she begins to change her own notions of God,man and her status within the structure of patriarchy.She had been able to put up with beatings,hard labor,and loveless sexual intercourse without getting upset.And when she finds out that Albert has been hiding Nettie’s letters,she’s fury. Then she realises the God won’t listen to poor coloured women and starts to writes to Nettie.When writing,she finds her own sense and identity.With the accumulating of complex sense,her letters become sophisticated and she has courage to get the power of voice controlled by men.That means both in writing and speaking she tries to claim for herself and resist the power of a patriarchy God as well as the authority of her husband.And because of Shug,Celie recognises her own beauty and becomes more self-acceptance so that she could derives her sense from the dominant male theology. For getting out of obedience,Celie has to gain a sense of self-esteem.She could obtain it through Shug’s religious notions that God is an inner force giving meaning to everything that exists in nature,including the colour purple.Because the colour purple is often neglected and unnoticed in fields,it symbolizes Celie’s submissive state.After adopting these ideals, Celie was able to fully appreciate nature.She even believes she can curse Albert.With her belief of natural God and the hope of her sister’s return,Celie has a sense of freedom and self-awareness.She begins to make pants,which is a symbol of black women’s independence.Once leaving her old lifestyle, she takes up pant-making business to make her own way in society,which indicates two kinds of freedom,occupation and lifestyle.Celie creates freedom of occupation by making pants for herself rather than for others.This implies that she has obtained more individuality and is willing to claim for herself. Freedom of lifestyle is achieved by wearing the pants which make Celie look like a man.Now she dresses and acts in accordance with how she feels.And she is fully aware that she is a person who deserves to be looked at as a person.In a sense it helps to empower her to break away from Albert and the men who can’t ever look at her as a person.
Ultimately Celie has grown up to be an independent woman,to be a self-confident woman and to be a suitable women’s representation.As Walker remarks,‘I liberated Celie from her own history.I wanted her to be happy.People can hear Celie’s voice.There are so many people like Celie who make it,who came out of nothing and who triumphed.’ (Bloom,1989,P.67) She creates literary images of women and gives voice to the same women all over the world.
Bibliography
Bloom,Harold (eds.)(1989)Alice Walker.New York:Chelsea House Publishers.
Walker,Alice(1986)The Colour Purple.London:The Women’s Press.
The story is told from the view of Celie,who addresses her letters to God and to Nettie.Through her letters,Walker allows an uneducated, black,southern woman to speak for herself.As the protagonist in the novel,Celie represents all miserable women in real society.At the beginning,she is so passive and self-indefferent that the only thing she knew is to be obedient.Thus she submits to‘a system of beliefs and values which reinforce conventional notions of race,class and sex’,in which she‘relegates herself to a subordinate status’(Bloom, 1989,P.71),and submits to‘male authority because she accepts a theology which requires female obedience to father and husband’(Bloom,1989,P.71).Since she was young,she has been taught to honour father and husband.Then she accepts‘a theology of self-denial which validates her inferior status and treatment as a black woman in a racist and sexist culture’ (Bloom,1989,P.71).She couldn’t change her thoughts until she meets Shug.The arrival of Shug actually acts as a catalyst to empower Celie.Shug let her know what a powerful occupation is and finds that her own occupation remains in a servile position.She is so envious of Shug that she decides to make friends with her.Gradually Celie discovers her personal identity and changes her opinions.
From a submissive wife to a confident woman,she undergoes an inner transformation.When she feels angry to Albert at the first time,she begins to change her own notions of God,man and her status within the structure of patriarchy.She had been able to put up with beatings,hard labor,and loveless sexual intercourse without getting upset.And when she finds out that Albert has been hiding Nettie’s letters,she’s fury. Then she realises the God won’t listen to poor coloured women and starts to writes to Nettie.When writing,she finds her own sense and identity.With the accumulating of complex sense,her letters become sophisticated and she has courage to get the power of voice controlled by men.That means both in writing and speaking she tries to claim for herself and resist the power of a patriarchy God as well as the authority of her husband.And because of Shug,Celie recognises her own beauty and becomes more self-acceptance so that she could derives her sense from the dominant male theology. For getting out of obedience,Celie has to gain a sense of self-esteem.She could obtain it through Shug’s religious notions that God is an inner force giving meaning to everything that exists in nature,including the colour purple.Because the colour purple is often neglected and unnoticed in fields,it symbolizes Celie’s submissive state.After adopting these ideals, Celie was able to fully appreciate nature.She even believes she can curse Albert.With her belief of natural God and the hope of her sister’s return,Celie has a sense of freedom and self-awareness.She begins to make pants,which is a symbol of black women’s independence.Once leaving her old lifestyle, she takes up pant-making business to make her own way in society,which indicates two kinds of freedom,occupation and lifestyle.Celie creates freedom of occupation by making pants for herself rather than for others.This implies that she has obtained more individuality and is willing to claim for herself. Freedom of lifestyle is achieved by wearing the pants which make Celie look like a man.Now she dresses and acts in accordance with how she feels.And she is fully aware that she is a person who deserves to be looked at as a person.In a sense it helps to empower her to break away from Albert and the men who can’t ever look at her as a person.
Ultimately Celie has grown up to be an independent woman,to be a self-confident woman and to be a suitable women’s representation.As Walker remarks,‘I liberated Celie from her own history.I wanted her to be happy.People can hear Celie’s voice.There are so many people like Celie who make it,who came out of nothing and who triumphed.’ (Bloom,1989,P.67) She creates literary images of women and gives voice to the same women all over the world.
Bibliography
Bloom,Harold (eds.)(1989)Alice Walker.New York:Chelsea House Publishers.
Walker,Alice(1986)The Colour Purple.London:The Women’s Press.