The Color Purple essays

The Color Purple centers around difficult aspects of the life of a poor, black oppressed woman in the early twentieth century. Alice Walker, the author of this book, criticizes the way black women were treated in the early twentieth century by incorporating part of her own experiences from her life to display the social issue of sexism. Celie is a young, uneducated black girl living in Georgia in the early years of the twentieth century. She always writes her letters to God, because she feels that what happened to her is so terrible that she can only talk about it to someone she feels loves her.

Throughout Celie’s life, she has to grow up with her stepfather abusing her and ends up marrying someone who treats her just like every other man. The issue of sexism can be seen everywhere in this novel. For example, Albert’s son Harpo asks his dad why he beats Celie and he responds with,’ Cause she, my wife. Plus, she stubborn.’ And Celie seems used to the male power and never fights for herself. Later on in the novel, sexism develops from just an abuse standpoint to pointing out further how women do all of the housework stating, ‘ His daddy never wash dish in his life.’ giving off the view that men were too ‘high’ to do such a ‘lowly’ thing, so it was left up to the women. The idea of sexism is also demonstrated by Nettie’s letters to her sister. Nettie states that the world is no longer a world just for boys and men. But the villagers of Olinka do not believe girls should be educated. They think a girl is nothing to herself, only to her husband can she become something. ‘ This opened Celie’s eyes that she is not the only one or her society isn’t the only one that goes through this issue of sexism, this issue is a sort of worldwide problem. Eventually, Celie evolves into a mature woman with great confidence after realizing that she cannot see anything at all until she get men off her eyeball.

The theme of females pursuing freedom and achieveing self-expression is present throughout the novel. Celie and Nettie move from a role which is nearly slavery at the beginning to independence at the end. They both find the way to be themselves: Celie evolves into a mature and successful businesswoman with great confidence without men’s help Nettie married Samuel and found her role in society. What’s more, Sofia is finally given freedom to live as she chooses, while Mary Agnes develops her own career rather being tied to domesticity and male requirements. The novel emphasizes the idea that it is possible for every African-American woman to have the chance to live their own lives with the help of other women, and the mutual understanding and reconciliation between the male and female is also possible, leading to a restoration of equality and harmony and an end to misunderstanding, oppression, and violence.

Achieveing self-expression is present throughout the novel. Celie and Nettie move from a role which is nearly slavery at the beginning to independence at the end. They both find the way to be themselves: Celie evolves into a mature and successful businesswoman with great confidence without men’s help Nettie married Samuel and found her role in society. What’s more, Sofia is finally given freedom to live as she chooses, while Mary Agnes develops her own career rather being tied to domesticity and male requirements. The novel emphasizes the idea that it is possible for every African-American woman to have the chance to live their own lives with the help of other women, and the mutual understanding and reconciliation between the male and female is also possible, leading to a restoration of equality and harmony and an end to misunderstanding, oppression, and violence.