Feminism in The Color Purple

Feminism in The Color Purple

Alice Walker’s “The Color Purple” is a story that follows the painful lie of a lady named Celie and her sister Nettie. Celie is a girl who has endured the pain of rape from her father, Alphonso. Her two children she bears from the illicit actions, Adam and Olivia, are abducted and given up for adoption by her father. Eventually, she is married to an abusive man, Mister, who is not only disrespectful towards her but has a mistress as well. Nettie goes to live with an affluent black woman who, coincidentally, had adopted Celie’s children. She accompanies the woman and her husband to go on a gospel mission in Africa. Back at home, Mister brings in his mistress Shug who has a sexual relationship with Celie. Mister’s son, Harpo, also marries a strong-willed lady Sofia who eventually leaves when the marriage becomes too unpalatable. Sofia finds herself in jail but is forced to work for the Sheriff’s wife when she leaves the place. As the story proceeds, Alphonso dies, and Nettie gets to marry Samuel with whom she intends to come back with to the United States. Celie inherits her father’s land and is united with her sister after thirty years. The story ends with all the women in Celie’s house, underscoring the theme of women and gender in the story. The lives of the women in the story are intricately interconnected through the struggle in a patriarchal society. Their experiences show the position of women in society and their relation with men.

Alice Walker’s novel starts with a paternal injunction of silence “You better not tell nobody but God. It’d kill your mummy (11).” This is a statement that shows the ability of the men in the society to shape the narrative of the women. It is from this threat that Alice Walker premises the context of the story and how it follows the life of the main character (Abbandonato, 1106). She struggles to break this silence in many ways, but her path in the shadow of her father seems rather dark. Walker shows that for one to develop a sense of self, they have to be able to express their thoughts (Tucker, 82).

However, this is something that the women in the society portrayed in the story are unable to do. The men in the story tend to shape their thoughts and narratives. Celie, for instance, is unable to resist the power of her abusers. The threat issued to her by her father forces her to persevere in silence and stay invisible. She represents the objectification of women who are an entirely passive group and have no power to assert themselves through words and actions. This objectification is also seen in the advances that Mister makes towards a 12-year-old Nettie and the fact that the Sheriff molests his niece when she seeks for Sofia’s release.

Throughout the novel, the most apparent element of the position of women in the community is their ability to forge relationships that guide them through the unfairness meted against them by the men. The women build friendships that help them to summon the courage and tell their stories. It is through these stories that they can assert their dominance and resist oppression. The relationships also offer some form of refuge and a source of reciprocal love for them in a world filled with violence from men. For example, Celie is able to forge a sexual relationship with Shug, who gives her the kind of love she has not experienced throughout her life. Their relationship is both sexual and sisterly. Shug protects Celie from her husband. This relationship becomes a gradual redemption for Celie to attain a sense of self. Sofia also claims that her assertiveness comes from the strong relationships she has with her sisters. However, these relationships also seem to be accompanied by jealousy. Celie is jealous of Sofia’s ability to stand up to Harpo and even encourages him to beat her. Nevertheless, she eventually apologizes, and they forge a strong bond of friendship.

It is evident that throughout the story, the men play the role of the bad mangos in society. From Alphonso to Mister and Harpo, the men tend to shape the narrative in the lives of the women. They assert their dominance by physically abusing women. Besides, they force them to silence and curtails their ability to forge any sense of self. However, as the women get together and form friendships and relationships, they regain their voice and ability to resist male dominance. The bonds they forge give them the love they need, and they are able to speak against their abusers. At the end of the story, Alice Walker shows the immense growth that the women have undergone to the point where they can independently tend to their families. Celie, for instance, is no longer submissive to Mister, and Sofia leaves her abusive husband. This is a story that shows how women’s voices can help them to speak against an abusive system of patriarchy and male domination.

Comparison

In this book, Sofia can be compared to Mr. Albert. Sofia is married to Albert’s son Harpo. Sofia is an individual who is quite strong and fierce. Besides, she is also quite assertive, almost to a fault. She refuses to belittle herself, something that almost leads to her destruction. She is a black woman just like Celie, but quite more assertive. She fights the systemic oppression that surrounds the position of the black woman. Her strength and fierceness as well as self-expression proves to be positive for the women in the story.

Mr. Albert, on the other hand, is also portrayed as a fierce man. His position in the story is not a subject of the novel. However, while Sophia’s character helps in transforming the other women in the story, Albert is forced to transform as a means of guarding his position with Celie. Therefore, the two individuals tend to have similar characters but use their characters for different goals in the story.