1、Alice Walker,Introduction The Color Purple (1982) is Alice Walkers most magnificent and controversial literary achievement. The novel outraged African American male critics as well as a few female critics who argued that Walkers story did not reveal an accurate picture of African American life. One
2、California mother was so insulted by the novels content that she attempted to ban it from public school libraries. Others claimed that the novel was flawed because it defined a womans identity in relationship to her sexual experiences.,Even the language of the novels protagonist has been found lacki
3、ng. Regardless of its initial reception, honor for Walkers piercing story of an abused, African American woman have included the Pulitzer Prize(1983), the National Book Award (1983), and an Academy Award nomination. It has attracted the appreciation of the masses and lights passions within both popu
4、lar culture and academic thought.,The Color Purple is the first African American, woman-authored, epistolary novel. It embodies Walkers womanist views without being reduced to a mere platform for ideological rhetoric.In this novel, Walkers writing reveals the transformative power of female bonding a
5、nd female love. It offers frank portrayals of bisexual, lesbian, and heterosexual relationships amidst situations that penetrate the core of female spiritual and emotional development.,Black feminism,argues that sexism, class oppression, and racism are inextricably bound together. Forms of feminism
6、that strive to overcome sexism and class oppression but ignore race can discriminate against many people, including women, through racial bias. One of the theories that evolved out of this movement was Alice Walkers Womanism. Alice Walker and other Womanists pointed out that black women experienced
7、a different and more intense kind of oppression from that of white women. They point to the emergence Black feminism after earlier movements led by white middle-class women which they regard as having largely ignored oppression based on race and class.,womanism,The word womanism was adapted from Pul
8、itzer Prize winning author, Alice Walkers use of the term in her book In Search of Our Mothers Garden: Womanist Prose. In her book, Walker used the word to describe the perspective and experiences of “women of color“. Although most Womanist scholarship centers on the African American womans experien
9、ce, other non-white theorists identify themselves with this term.,How Womanism developed?,The roots of theological womanism grew out of the theology of Jacquelyn Grant, Delores Williams, and James Hal Cone. In Cones book A Black Theology of Liberation, Cone argued that “God is black” in an effort to
10、 demonstrate that God identifies with oppressed people. Grant responded by claiming that Cone did not attend to the fullness of black experience specifically that of black women. She argued that the oppression of black women is different from that of black men. She believes that Jesus is a “divine c
11、o-sufferer” who suffered in his time like black women today.,Delores Williams, in her book Sisters in the Wilderness, defines womanism: “Womanist theology is a prophetic voice concerned about the well-being of the entire African American community, male and female, adults and children. It attempts t
12、o help black women see, affirm, and have confidence in the importance of their experience and faith for determining the character of the Christian religion in the African American community. It challenges all oppressive forces impeding black womens struggle for survival and for the development of a
13、positive, productive quality of life conducive to womens and the familys freedom and well-being. It opposes all oppression based on race, sex, class, sexual preference, physical ability, and caste”,Womanism is not only a theoretical concept, but is also created via lived experience. Following the ra
14、pe and subsequent suicide of several black women at Union Theological School, the response of black men and white women was largely indifferent. In this context, womanism became a movement, not just a term - it was considered that womanism was essential for the survival of black women in academia.,T
15、he novel opens with a demand for silence that leaves a fourteen-year-old girl named Celie with no way to express her pain and confusion except in the letters she writes to God. Celie is raped repeatedly by her stepfather, Alphonso, and has two children by himchildren he gives away without her consen
16、t. Later, she is forced into a loveless marriage, leaving her sister Nettie alone with Alphonso. Nettie escapes his sexual advances by moving in with Celie and her husband, Mr. Albert. This arrangement is no better than the previous one and Nettie is again forced to leave. She ultimately ends up in
17、Africa where she writes to Celie of her experiences.,For Celie, marriage is nothing more than a shift within the quicksands of abuse and male domination. Albert beats her because she is not Shug Avery, the woman he loves but does not have the courage to marry. Surprisingly, Celie and Shug develop an
18、 intimate relationship. More than anyone, Shugs influential presence and acceptance give Celie the strength she needs to redefine herself, take charge of her life, and leave Albert.,Shug and Celie move to Memphis where Celie begins a career designing and selling unisex pants. After her stepfathers d
19、eath, she returns to her family home. Nettie also returns with Celies two children. The novel ends with a reconciliation of Celie and Alberts friendship.,Both The Color Purple and the subsequent film (1985) have opened the minds of millions to the plight of African American women in crisis. If knowl
20、edge and personal insight is empowering, then The Color Purple offers those who acknowledge its truths a wealth of strength. And for women like Celie, it is a starting point for change and healing.,The Color Purple, Alice Walkers third novel, was published in 1982. The novel brought fame and financi
21、al success to its author. It also won her considerable praise and much criticism for its controversial themes. Many reviewers were disturbed by her portrayal of black males, which they found unduly negative. When the novel was made into a film in 1985 by Steven Spielberg, Walker became even more suc
22、cessful and controversial.,While she was criticized for negative portrayal of her male characters, Walker was admired for her powerful portraits of black women. Reviewers praised her for her use of the epistolary form, in which written correspondence between characters comprises the content of the b
23、ook, and her ability to use black folk English. Reflecting her early political interests as a civil rights worker during the 1960s, many of her social views are expressed in the novel.,In The Color Purple, as in her other writings, Walker focuses on the theme of double repression of black women in t
24、he American experience. Walker contends that black women suffer from discrimination by the white community, and from a second repression from black males, who impose the double standard of white society on women. As the civil rights movement helped shape Ms. Walkers thinking regarding racial issues
25、at home, it also shaped her interest in Africa.,During the 1960s, a strong interest in ethnic and racial identity stimulated many African Americans to look for their roots in Africa. The primary theme of The Color Purple, though, reflects Walkers desire to project a positive outcome in life, even un
26、der the harshest conditions. Her central character triumphs over hardship and forgives those who oppressed her. This central theme of the triumph of good over evil is no doubt the source of the books great success.,Author Biography,Alice Walker was born in the rural community of Eatonton, Georgia, i
27、n 1944. Most of Eatontons residents were tenant farmers. When she was eight years old, Walker was blinded in one eye when her brother accidentally shot her with a BB gun. Having grown self-conscious as a result of her injury, Alice withdrew to writing poetry.,She began her college education at Spelm
28、an in 1961 but transferred to Sarah Lawrence in 1963. After graduating in 1965, she went to Mississippi as a civil rights activist. There she met Melvyn Leventhal, a white civil rights attorney, whom she married in 1967. The Leventhals were the first legally married interracial couple to live in Jac
29、kson, Mississippi. They divorced in 1976.,Alice Walkers first novel was published in 1970 and her second one in 1976. Both books dealt with the civil rights movement. The Color Purple was published in 1982 and brought Walker overnight success and recognition as an important American writer. In 1989
30、Walker published The Temple of My Familiar, in which she used a mythic context as a framework to cover a half million years of human history. In this work, Walker explored the social structure of a matriarchal society and the beginning of patriarchal ones.,As in her other works, the author explored
31、racial and sexual relationships. Walkers novel, Possessing the Secret of Joy, was published in 1992. Along with novels, Walker has written many collected short stories and books of poetry. Many of her stories have been included in anthologies. An active contributor to periodicals, Walker has had her
32、 works published in many magazines, including Harpers, Negro Digest, Black World, Essence, and the Denver Quarterly.,Besides her writing career, Walker has been a teacher of black studies, a writer in residence, and a professor of literature at a number of colleges and universities. She has received
33、 numerous awards for her writing, including a National Endowment for the Arts grant, a Guggenheim Award, an O. Henry Award, an American Book Award, and the Pulitzer Prize. She has one daughter and lives in California.,Plot Summary,First Period In The Color Purple, the story is told through letters.
34、The only sentences outside the letters are the first two: “You better not never tell nobody but God. Itd kill your mammy.“ Silenced forever, the main character, fourteen year old Celie, writes letters to God. Her father has raped her, and she has two children, a girl and a boy, whom “Pa“ took away f
35、rom her. Celies mother has died and Pa is looking too much at her little sister, Nettie.,Mr. wants to marry Nettie but Pa rejects him because of the Mr.s scandals with Shug Avery, a blues singer. Celie manages to get a picture of Shug and falls in love with her. Eventually, Mr. agrees to take Celie
36、instead of Nettie because Pa offers him a cow. Once she is in his care, Mr. beats Celie all the time. Meanwhile, Nettie runs away from Pa and comes to Mr.s house, but when she rejects him, he throws her out. Celie advises Nettie to ask her daughter Olivias new “mother“ for help. Nettie promises to w
37、rite but her letters never arrive.,One day, Shug Avery comes to town, but Mr. does not take Celie to see her. Harpo, Mr.s son, gets married to Sofia, a strong brave woman, and when he complains that Sofia does not obey him, Celie advises Harpo to beat her. Sofia finds out, and in the conversation th
38、at follows, Celie realizes she is jealous of Sofia: “You do what I cant. Fight,“ she says.,Second Period,Shug is ill and Mr. brings her to his home. To Celies surprise, she calls Mr. by his first name, Albert. Celies love and care make Shug better; Shug starts composing a new song. Sofia finally lea
39、ves Harpo, who turns his house into a juke joint and asks Shug to sing. Shug invites Celie to the performance. Shug sings “A Good Man Is Hard to Find“ and then her new piece, called “Celies Song.“ Celie discovers that she is important to someone.,Before leaving, Shug says she will make sure Mr. neve
40、r beats Celie again. She also teaches Celie to love herself. By the time Sofia returns with a new man and six children instead of five, Harpo has a little girlfriend he calls Squeak. Sofia and Squeak hit each other in the juke joint, and finally Sofia leaves.,The mayors wife sees Sofia in town with
41、the kids and asks Sofia to be her maid. Sofia answers: “Hell no“ and hits the mayor when he protests. She is arrested, beaten and left in prison. Meanwhile, Squeak takes care of Sofias children. When she finds out one of Sofias wardens is her uncle, Squeak tries to save Sofia. She convinces the ward
42、en that working for the mayors wife would be a better punishment for Sofia.,The warden forces Squeak to have sexual intercourse with him. When Squeak goes back home, furious and humiliated, she orders Harpo to call her Mary Agnes, her real name. Sofia starts working for the mayors wife, but she is t
43、reated as a slave. On her next visit, Shug is married. She and Celie have missed each other, and one night, when the men are away, Celie tells Shug the story of Pa and the children. Shug kisses her, and they make love.,Third Period,One day, Shug asks Celie about Nettie, and together they realize Mr.
44、 has been hiding Netties letters. They finally recover them from Mr.s trunk.,Unlike Celies letters to God, Netties letters are written in standard English. The day Nettie left, Mr. followed her and tried to rape her. She fought, and he had to give up, but he promised she would never hear from Celie
45、again. Nettie went to see Corrine, Olivias new mother, and her husband, the Reverend Samuel. She also met Celies other child, Adam.,Samuel was a member of a Missionary Society, and Nettie decided to go to Africa with the family. First, they went to New York, where Nettie discovered Harlem and Africa
46、n culture. Then, they went to England and Senegal, where Nettie saw what Europe was doing to Africa: robbing its treasures, using its peoples, and impoverishing the land. Celie reads Netties letters and wants to kill Mr. for having hidden them. To help Celie control herself, Shug suggests that Celie
47、 make herself a pair of pants and go on reading the letters.,When the missionary group arrived in Africa, the Olinkas thought Adam and Olivia were Netties and Samuels children. They told Nettie the story about roofleaves: There had been a greedy chief who cut down much of the jungle in order to crea
48、te more farmland. The plants, which provided the leaves for the roofs of the Olinkas houses, were destroyed, and many people died. The village began worshipping the leaves. When Nettie looked at the roof of her new house in the village, she knew she was in front of the Olinkas God.,Olinka girls were
49、 not educated. Olivia was the only girl at school. Corrine, jealous and worried by the Olinkas impressions about her family, asked Nettie to tell the children not to call her Mama. Olivias only girlfriend, Tashi, could not come to school because her parents forbade it.,After five years of silence, t
50、he next letter tells Celie that Adam and Olivia had discovered connections between slave stories and African stories. Tashis father had died, and her mother had let her go to school. A road was now near the village, and suddenly the Olinkas realized it was going to destroy their sacred place. The chief went to the coast to do something about it, but he discovered that the Olinkas whole territory now belonged to a rubber company.,
