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Two of the most powerful bucks that I have ever read were The Color Purple by Alice Walker and Beloved by Toni Morrison. Both books have completely different plots where one book focuses on the trials and tribulations of the main character Celie and the other depicts the life of a black female slave in the pre-civil War days in Ohio. These two books have such different diverse plots, but both show the life and characteristics of not only black women but all women back in the 1800’s. From years back to the 21st century now it has been a struggle for black women being able to find their true identities and break the stereotypes put on them by both black men and white people. Where the black women in stories are always maids or housekeepers. Also, where black women who are very confident and independent tend to be seen in a negative light due to speaking up and being their person.
In The Color Purple Celie was forced to drop out of school because of her stepfather following the death of her mother to take care of her family and the house. In Beloved, Seethe was born into slavery education was the last thing people wanted her to learn. All she was taught by the ones around her was to work the field and care for the house. Her mother didn’t have time to teach or educate her on anything due to being a slave herself. The concern of women having an education wasn’t a top priority, especially with being a black woman. A woman’s job was to reproduce, clean, cook, & take care of the family nothing else. They were taught the rules of the house and whatever a man told them was right.
In Tony Morrison’s Beloved Grandma Suggs was the light in the dark tunnel. She was the one who tried to keep everyone positive and confident because no one else cared for them but themselves. She was always trying to get all the women to take control of their lives and live life to the fullest despite the circumstances of being in slavery. As a black woman in slavery who was struggling herself, managed to stay positive for not only herself but also the women around her and encourage them to take control showing her toughness and strength as a woman. Sophia, a character in The Color Purple is the same as Grandma shrugs, she just expresses her toughness in a different light. Sophia neglected every stereotype and role that the people around her tried to put on her. She didn’t cook or clean like every other woman and didn’t follow the demands of her husband either. She never allowed herself to be put in a box and lived her truth no matter what man or woman, black or white had to say about it. This type of woman was not common in the 1800s, she kept fighting to keep her identity showing us her toughness. Both characters give you hope in the story and show the true power & strength of a woman.
Although the struggles and hardships women were forced to go through in the 1800s were portrayed vividly in both novels, they both also show the sense of “girl power” through the different strong determined female characters. In the novel Beloved, all the women come together to stand up against the Beloved, Seethe’s dead unborn child who is haunting her. The banishing of the ghost brings all the women together to get rid of the ghost and save Seethe from her past while being tested by the pains of slavery just to protect one of their own. In The Color Purple, the strength of a woman is shown through Celie when she finally stands up to Mr. after she finds out he hid her sister’s letters from her for countless years. She finally threatens to leave him and follow Suge Avery, and sticks up for herself against a man who abused her emotionally and physically for years.
In the 1800s, black people suffered from racial oppression and prejudiced actions, but black women were put into a worse position due to their gender. In both Beloved and The Color Purple rape and abuse was a common theme when dealing with women. In Beloved, the women were only seen as objects, baby makers, and maids, but not actual human beings. They were only seen as useful if they were able to reproduce for the sake of a slave owner’s wealth. In The Color Purple, in Celie’s case, her usefulness came from her lack of confidence in herself. She never questioned anything and did as she was told with no hesitation which made her husband continue to control her life. With that came abuse, which many women have faced throughout the story. In The Color Purple Sophie was an outspoken, independent woman that made her stand out. Compared to the rest of the women she didn’t comply with the rules of men and was her person. With her personality came clashes with many men from her husband leaving her due to not following his commands to her getting beat by the police for disobeying a white man. That led to her arrest and her becoming a personal slave. Black women were always torn down and belittled to break their confidence and not reach their full potential so it would always be possible to keep them under oppression.
In reading both Beloved and The Color Purple it shows the hardships of women and everything they had to endure. Women were always looked down upon and seen as inferior to everyone, but still, we’re capable of standing strong individually coming together as a community, and keeping each other strong. In both books, the plot was completely different but equally diverse but through the female characters, the author was able to depict the life and characteristics of not only black women, but all women in the 1800’s.
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