Patriarchy and Oppressive Feminism in ‘The Color Purple’ by Alice Walker
In the book ‘The Color Purple’ by Alice Walker, the biggest problem the sisters, Celie and Nettie face is oppression. Continuously raped by a man they call as their father, Celie is married off and is trapped in an ugly marriage. A lot of times her husband abuses her and uses her for sexual favors. She is also separated from her sister Nettie.
Quoted by her father, “You better not tell nobody but God it’d kill your mammy.” (Walker 11) Since then the book addresses Celie writing letters to God expressing her feelings and helplessness.
Alice Walker emphasizes at the beginning of the novel, the severity of female justice, by explaining the consequences of the protagonist Celie being raped and sexually abused. At the beginning of the novel, The Color Purple, Celie is being exacted to physical, verbal as well as sexual abuse.
Celie cannot resist the abuse which she faces from her stepfather as well as her husband, and thinks this is natural like the way it should be. Having said that, later in the novel, after the influence of females like Shug, Sophie and Avery, Celie develops confidence which reaches its peak by the end of the novel.
Celie is trapped in an ugly marriage. She imagines herself as a tree when she is beaten or sexually abused by Mr. __________. Heaven will last always, as she believes, while life on earth will soon be over.
The influence of women
The confidence that Celie develops all through the novel is attributed to the bond of sisterhood Celie builds with Nettie, Shug and Sophia. The women in the novel, come together to support and sustain each other. The bond of sisterhood is important between Nettie and Celie, Sofia and Oddesa and metaphorically between Mary Agnes and Sofia, Albert’s sister and Celie, Tashi and Olivia and Shug Avery and Celie. The act of empowerment is shown between the women of the novel through emotional teamwork.
Shug Avery is a female character who is characterized as the most ‘liberated’ of the women, even though she is a constant sufferer of obnoxious attacks from the elders of her church due to her lifestyle. Her professional career as a Blues Singer gives her the freedom much more than several women of her age, who are bound by home, work and child care.
Celie is an example of the most silenced woman in the novel since there is evidence of her having incorporated within herself being a silenced individual. In the initial introduction of Fonso, Celie’s step-father is that of being forceful towards Celie’s mother. An act of choking Celie and the first words he says in the text is ‘You better shut up…” The men are already being illustrated as violent and forcefully subduing the female figure. Celie’s inability to speak proper English can likewise be connected with being hushed in light of the fact that it is through language that individuals can reason with one another. Furthermore, Fonso sexually abuses Celie she gets pregnant and she gives birth to two children who are sold by Fonso without the consent of Celie or her mother. Celie says that God took away her first child but the use of God being the cruel being in this part of the reading just shows that Celie could not do anything about what Fonso did
