The Creation of Womens Identities in the Color Purple by...

If we read The Color Purple with gender on the agenda as required we can identify how the form contributes to the impact of the narrative. The Color Purple is a story that unfolds through the writing and exchange of letters. Opening with the line You better not never tell nobody but God. Itd kill your mammy. A warning issued by the abusive father (later and importantly discovered to be step-father) of the central character Celie who indeed pours out her secret to God and later to her sister Nettie about her life and her pain. It is this epistolary form of storytelling that allows the characters introduced to the reader by the character of Celie to reveal themselves their roles and their culture in an authentic sounding way.†¦show more content†¦He abuses her because he can do so with impunity. Then on Mr.em_/emem, who beats her Cause she my wife. Mr./emem_/ems view of Celie renders her an object, no more important than an animal. It is through her continued writing of these letters that Celie finds an outlet for her pain and creativity and, with the help of Shug, and the example of Sophia, that she eventually finds, stands up for, and loves herself. Through the characters of Celie, Mary Agnes, Sophia, Shug and Nettie, we see the various positions - all still at the bottom of the totem pole- which the women hold (and during the course of the story, try to climb up from) in order to get through their lives which have been doubly proscribed by their gender and their race. Nettie, being quick and bright has found it easier to educate herself at least enough to avoid the fate that befell her sister. She teaches Celie to read and write in an example of sisterly love and tries to bolster her sisters non-existent self esteem in the process. When she writes to Celie her letters are well written and scholarly. Nettie represents the woman of colors aspiration to transcend race and gender in order to be her best most creative self. Sofia is viewed by Celie as unbowed and assertive, stronger than any of the male characters. She writes I like Sofia, but she dont act like me at all. If she talking whenShow MoreRelated Alice Walker Essay1482 Words   |  6 Pages Best known for her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Color Purple, Alice Walker portrays black women struggling for sexual as well as racial equality and emerging as strong, creative individuals. Walker was born on February 9, 1944, in Eatonton, Georgia, the eighth child of Willie Lee and Minnie Grant Walker. When Walker was eight, her right eye was injured by one of her brothers, resulting in permanent damage to her eye and facial disfigurement that isolated her as a child. This is where her feminineRead MoreAlice Walkers Themes of Womanism, Community, and Regeneration1968 Words   |  8 PagesLi Mrs. Harper English 6H 7th February 2011 Alice Walkers Themes of Womanism, Community, and Regeneration Alice Walker is considered one of the most influential African American writers of the 20th century, because of her raw portrayal of African American struggles and the injustices towards black women. She was the first African American female novelist to win both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award for The Color Purple. Her work is appealing and powerful because â€Å"WalkersRead MoreEssay on Race and Class in Alice Walkers Color Purple1622 Words   |  7 PagesEssay on Race and Class in The Color Purple  Ã‚     Ã‚   An important  Ã‚  juncture in Alice Walkers The Color Purple is reached when Celie first recovers the missing letters from her long-lost sister Nettie. This discovery not only signals the introduction of a new narrator to this epistolary novel but also begins the transformation of Celie from writer to reader. Indeed, the passage in which Celie struggles to puzzle out the markings on her first envelope from Nettie provides a concrete illustration Read MoreComparative Essay; to Kill a Mockingbird and the Colour Purple3841 Words   |  16 PagesOne Will Take What He Is Given The purpose of Alice Walker’s novel The Color Purple and Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is to demonstrate the hardships that are met when ignorance and tradition bring about the influence of sexism, racism and genuine prejudice to the general public. Ignorance is the root cause of prejudice as it prevents one to see beauty, so when it comes to dealing with the discriminating behavior held in this social order, the vast majority of people are judged by the labelRead MoreLangston Hughes Research Paper25309 Words   |  102 Pageseat at the same table with him, and a fountain clerk in St. Louis refused to serve him a soft drink. He dealt with these slights the way he would his entire life: He turned away quietly. But Langston decided that instead of running away from the color line and hating himself for being black, like his father had, he would write about the real-life experiences of black people. He was determined to write stories about Negroes, so true that peop le in faraway lands would read them. James LangstonRead MoreStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 PagesCharacteristics of the U.S. Workforce 41 †¢ Levels of Diversity 42 †¢ Discrimination 42 Biographical Characteristics 44 Age 44 †¢ Sex 46 †¢ Race and Ethnicity 48 †¢ Disability 48 †¢ Other Biographical Characteristics: Tenure, Religion, Sexual Orientation, and Gender Identity 50 Ability 52 Intellectual Abilities 52 †¢ Physical Abilities 55 †¢ The Role of Disabilities 56 Implementing Diversity Management Strategies 56 Attracting, Selecting, Developing, and Retaining Diverse Employees 56 †¢ Diversity in Groups 58 †¢ Effective