Black Women's Lib

7/25/2019 Black Women's Lib

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Black Womens Liberation through Feminine Activities in Alice

Walkers The Color Purple

The resistance of black women characters through various kinds of

feminine activities are portrayal in Alice Walkers most prized novel The

Color Purple. As black women who are living in the Southern United States

during the first half of the twentieth century !elie the protagonist and her

fellow black women are struggling through serial difficulties both as blacks

and as women in the society. They are discriminated against by racism theyalso have to face domestic violence and maltreatment at the hands of men in

their life. Apart from the common theme of female solidarity as in most woman

writers works Alice Walker suggests another significant way in which black

women can escape oppressions and e"press themselves through certain kinds of

feminine activities including letter writing singing blues music and doing

needle work. These activities although they are often considered trivial and

insignificant by most people are actually a private space in which black

women can freely e"press their feeling their sense of intellectuality as well as

their sense of creativity. This private space can finally be seen as black

womens sanctuary which heals their trauma and shelters them from the threat

of racism and se"ism.

Introduction

The Color Purple is an epistolary novel written by Alice Walker a

famous contemporary African American writer. #n this award$winning novel

Alice Walker is highly praised for her insightful and remarkable portraits of

black peoples life especially for the e"periences of black women in a se"ist

and racist society. After winning the American %ook Award and the &ulitzer

&rize for 'iction in ()*+ the sales of the novel increased to over two million

copies and it was on the ,ew -ork Times best$selling lists for a number ofweeks. This novel was also adapted many times into a popular motion picture

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and musical plays. ne of the most well$known adaptations is a film version

directed by Steven Spielberg in ()*/. Since then Alice Walker is almost

universally recognized as one of the leading voices among African Americans

in particular for black women and her novel The Color Purplehas become a

work representative of black communities in the United States.

The Color Purple thoroughly focuses on a life of !elie an African

American woman who is struggling to develop her sense of selfhood. As a

black woman growing up in the 0eep South during the ()12s !elie has gone

through many difficulties before she could establish herself as an independent

woman. All through the story !elie is presented at the very bottom of the

social hierarchy. At the same time with being discriminated against by whites

she is also treated badly from all black men in her life her stepfather and her

husband. 'rom the beginning she is beaten and raped by the man she believes

to be her father. She has two children with him but they are 3uickly taken away

from her. After her second pregnancy she is forced to marry 4r.

555555 an old widower with four unruly children. 6er life as a wifeunfortunately shows little difference from her childhood. She is valued only as

a se" slave and a caretaker for 4r. 555555s family. She still has to endure the

same kind of cruelty and maltreatment as the one that her stepfather had done

to her before. #t is obvious that !elie cannot en7oy the basic human rights of

self$determination freedom from violence and ownership of her own body no

matter where she is.

!elie meets several other black women who help contribute to her

discovery of selfhood throughout the story. She survives all difficulties

through her strong relationship with another four black women in her e"tended

family8 Shug Avery 9her husbands mistress: ,ettie 9her long separated sister:

Sofia and S3ueak 9her step daughters in law:. ;ach of them in one way or

another gives !elie an inspiration and moral support to be successfully

transformed from a frightened young girl to a successful business woman at the

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end. The representation of positive female characters in this novel is very

powerful and forthright< woman defend their honor family and right8 care for

the sick needy and undeserving8 work to ensure their familys livelihood8 and

keep society from moral decay. The portrayal of powerful female relationships

Walkers The Color Purple has eventually been recognized as one of the

famous contemporary feminist tales.

Walker suggests through her novel a significant way in which black

women can take to escape oppressions and e"press themselves through certain

kinds of feminine activities including letter writing singing blues music and

doing needle work. Since all these activities have long been seen as associated

with women they are somehow considered trivial and insignificant by most

people. ,evertheless Walker cleverly presents through her novel how these

female activities can be seen as a private space in which black women freely

use to e"press their feelings their sense of intellectuality as well as their sense

of creativity. This private space is actually black womens sanctuary which

heals their trauma and shelters them from the threat of racism and se"ism. #n allthe multiplicity of approaches one can take to understand that the richness of

Walkers te"t focuses on this remarkable theme of black womens liberation

through feminine activities. #t aims at discussing the way in which all these

three activities are used by black women as their means to escape from

oppressions and how they all contribute to the liberation of black women in

Walkers The Color Purple.

Letter Writing

Alice Walkers The Color Purple is written in an unusual narrative

structure through the epistolary or letter writing form. Although this kind of

narrative structure was very popular among the writers of (*thand ()thcentury

it is rarely used in literary work of the modern era. #n The ColorPurple the

entire novel is determined advanced and resolved throughninety letters written

from !elie to =od from ,ettie to !elie and finally from !elie to ,ettie. The

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use of this epistolary form can be considered very effective in the novel as the

way used by black women to e"press their feelings towards the oppressions

over them. According to >osephine 0onovan letter writing has long been seen

as a convention used mostly by women. She describes it as a ?semi$private@

9(: genre used primarily by women because of their inferior education and

because of the fact that such writings were not e"pected to be published. Unlike

women men were less likely to write letters because they were e"posed to

formal education. Their writing style followed the pattern of classical models.

Betters were therefore seen as a very informal and artless form of writing used

to describe domestic life. Since it is considered as a private space letter writing

is then used to give voice to the ideas and desires of women that had been

denied in other forums.

#n Walkers The Color Purple letters are used by black women to break

the silence that is normally imposed upon them. !elie appears in the position of

powerlessness from the beginning of the story. Se"ually violated and barely

educated !elie does not have any other way to e"press her feeling but bywriting letters to =od. ;ach letter gives the reader a greater insight into !elies

life as she desperately e"plains how her life has been ruined at the hands of her

stepfather. Without any power to control her own situation !elie begs =od for

a sign to let her know what is happening to her.

Although her ability to narrate her life story is highly limited !elies

simple narrative brings the reader into her isolated world with language that

reveals her pain and sadness. 6er first letter and that she is unable to sign her

letters indicates her lack of self$esteem. #t shows that !elie is almost

completely voiceless and disenfranchised in everyday society where she is

valued only as an ob7ect. When !elie continues writing to =od each of her

letters reveals more horrendous things that are happening to her for e"ample

how her mother dies and her two children are taken away from her how she is

forced to marry 4r.5555555 and how she has to endure domestic violence and

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loveless se". As !elies only way to communicate with the world letter writing

here can be considered to have a psychological function in releasing her

pressure and tension. Without someone to listen to her problems !elie

truthfully confesses her misery in each of her letters to =od. Although it is only

a one$way communication letter writing here can be taken as a form of self$

e"pression that provides !elie the only opportunity to e"press how she really

feels about each situation. Since this ability is crucial in developing ones sense

of self !elies letters to =od can then be seen as her foundational step toward

liberation. #n this case ;lizabeth 'ifer argues that ?!elie participates in the

creation of meaning for herself through language. Without language silence

would have ensured madness or as in her mothers case an early death@ 9(/C:.

Bike !elie ,ettie also uses letters as the means of self$e"pression.

;scaping from domestic violence in Southern United States with !elies help

,ettie flees to work as a missionary in Africa. While working there ,ettie feels

uneasy about the patriarchal culture of the linka tribe. Since the natives

believe that women are valued only when they get married ,ettie is pitied inthe linka culture because she has no husband< ?0o not be offended Sister

,ettie but our people pity woman such as you who are cast out we know not

from where into a world unknown to you where you must struggle all alone

for yourself@ 9(+C$(+D:. Although ,ettie does not feel threatened by this

evaluation of her it does certainly make her feel lonely and isolated from the

linka who do not acknowledge her as a person due to the fact that she is an

unmarried female. 'eeling lonely and isolated from the whole community

,ettie finds the way to e"press her uneasiness by writing letters to !elie. At the

same time as narrating her African e"periences ,ettie also criticizes all of

those oppressions imposed on her and other native women in the letters. Again

this act of writing can be seen as the way for women to release their frustration

and suffering. With !elie as her listener ,ettie gains more courage to survive

in Africa through her letter writing. #t is therefore possible to conclude that the

act of writing plays a very important role in liberating and shaping these black

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womens sense of self. #t gives them power and voice to break the silence in the

abusive patriarchal system.

Through her letter writing the reader can also track !elies growth and

maturity. Unlike ,ettie !elie starts writing her letters to =od the distant deity

represented by the white male figure. Although =od can be seen as !elies first

listener the fact that !elie chooses to write letters to =od instead of her fellow

human beings implies that she is somehow still under the threat from the

patriarchal system. ?Tucker asserts that #t is true that !elies writing to =od

enables her self e"pression and confession as well as allows her to develop the

voice to narrate her life story. -et it does not bring any effect in lightening the

oppression forced upon her because her letters to =od cannot be actually

delivered and read by anyone. Without a willing audience those letters can

only be kept to !elie herself. #n order to fully construct her sense of selfhood it

is thus necessary for !elie to overturn the male te"t of the deity and learn to

rewrite it in female terms@ 9Tucker *1:. As the story progresses the gradual

change in !elies sense of selfhood is manifested in the way she writes herletters. #n the early part of the novel !elie sees =od as her only listener and

helping hand. She constantly writes letters to tell him what is happening to her.

These letters cover more than thirty years of !elies life and make up almost

the first half of the novel. Throughout her letters to =od. !elie shows her

naivety in resisting the oppression.

!elie remains her role as a submissive agent until she has found out that

4r.55555 has long been hiding her letters from ,ettie. This incident can be

seen as the last straw that leads !elie to her breaking point and urges her to

form her own powerful narrative. Through her communication with her long

separated sister !elie finds out the most important truth about her family< ?4y

daddy lynch. 4y mama crazy. All my little half$brothers and sisters no kin to

me. 4y children not my sister and brother. &a not pa@ 9(/(:. This discovery is

very important in !elies personal growth as the starting point that !elie begins

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to overturn ?the male te"t of the deity@ 9Tucker *1: and starts to rewrite her

narrative in female terms. As she ends her letter by reproaching =od ?EyFou

must be asleep@ 9(/(: her narrative suddenly changes from the previously mild

tone of confession to accusation.

The radical change in !elies narrative can be seen immediately in her

following letter in which she addresses her letter to ,ettie instead of =od. The

fact that !elie starts writing letters to ,ettie is a positive sign that she is now

one more step closer towards liberation. #nstead of relying on a distant deity

!elie finds a new way to e"press her feelings by writing directly to ,ettie a

more realistic female listener. 6er voice is eventually getting stronger and more

well$defined as she continues writing letters to ,ettie8 for e"ample8 she writes

that it was ?EfFor the first time in EherF life EsheF wanted to see &a@ after she

found out the truth about him from ,etties long hidden letters. Bike the

confrontation with her stepfather !elie writes to ,ettie the way in which she

stands up for herself by telling 4r.555555how she really feels about him< ?-ou

a lowdown dog is whats wrong # say. #ts time to leave you and enter into the!reation. And your dead body 7ust the welcome mat # need@ 9(D2:.

!elie does not e"press any hopeless feelings in her letters to ,ettie.

#nstead of merely reporting what happens !elie also moves to ?the dramas or

scenarios with e"tensive dialogue to insights of psychological analysis and

finally to humor@ 9'ifer (C2:. #n other words she starts to include some of her

own opinions about things which are very sarcastic and insightful. This

in7ection of her thoughts into the letters helps to show the reader directly that

!elie is growing as a person and taking on more depth as a character. The fact

that !elie is finally able to sign her name in her letters to ,ettie also indicates

her personal growth as an individual8 she no longer regards herself as passive

and worthless. !oming up with a new concept of =od and purpose in life !elie

finally 7oyously addresses her last letter to everyone< ?0ear =od. 0ear stars

dear trees dear sky dear peoples. 0ear ;verything. 0ear =od@ 91:. This last

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letter shows the e"tent to which !elie has developed her sense of self

throughout the course of the story. Through her letter writing !elie begins to

be self$sufficient and satisfied with herself and her life choices. #t is thus clear

that she does not only develop her voice to narrate her life story through her act

of writing but she is also able to create a more powerful narrative to resist

oppression.

Singing Blues Music

Alice Walker suggests another way in which black women could freely

e"press themselves through the singing of blues music. %lues generally refersto a kind of music originated in the communities of the former African

American slaves during the nineteenth century in Southern United States.

#nfluenced by African roots field hollers work calls ballads rhythmic dance

and church music it evolved into a kind of music that greatly e"pressed the

personal feeling of those former African American slaves. The blues music

marked its birth after the end of the !ivil War. %y the (*)2s the blues were

sung in many of the rural areas of the South. And by ()(2 the word blues as

applied to the musical tradition was in fairly common use Gaimen asserts that

the blues lyrics are often intensely personal fre3uently containing se"ual

references and often dealing with the pain of betrayal desertion and

unre3uited love. Sometimes they might talk about unhappy situations such as

being 7obless hungry broke away from home lonely or downhearted because

of an unfaithful lover 9Gamien )*:. #t is therefore possible to conclude that the

blues is actually another self$e"pression form among African Americans.

!ollins say that #t is not merely entertainment but it is a way of solidifying

community and commenting on the social fabric of working class %lack life in

America 9!ollins (1/:. #t allows them to freely e"press their feelings and at

the same time use their sense of creativity as well as their sense of

intellectuality in producing songs.

#n Alice Walkers The Color Purple,blues music plays a very significant

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role in liberating many black female characters in the novel. #t should be noted

here that the word ?blues@ is 3uite ambiguous in terms of its meaning. Biterally

speaking the word blue is associated with the feeling of depression and

melancholia. #n this sense it can be said that the lives of all female characters

in Walkers The Color Purpleare in the deep blue. !elie in her conversation

with Shug once reveals her short life story< ?4y mama die # tell Shug. 4y

sister ,ettie runway. 4r.5555555 come git me to take care of his rotten

children. 6e never ast me nothing bout myself. 6e clam on top of me and fuck

and fuck even when my head bandaged. ,obody ever love me # say@ 9)D:. #t

is thus apparent that !elie has a deep blue life. 6owever all female characters

are parado"ically able to free themselves from all dominations with the

embrace of blues music. To &atricia 6ill !ollins ?blues has occupied a special

place in %lack womens music as a site of e"pression of %lack womens self$

definitions@ 9(1*:. #n this case Shug can be taken as a good e"ample of how

black women make use of blues music to break away from the oppressive

system.

Shugs life is filled with deep blue. At the beginning of the story Shug is

described as a successful blues singer whom 4r.5555555has been in love with

for many years. Although she is portrayed as a very successful and desirable

blues singer Shug has been struggling tremendously to get to where she is. #n

her conversation with !elie Shug once says that her mother never loves her

and will not even touch her while her father makes se"ual advances< ?ne

thing my mama hated me for was how much # love to fuck she say. She never

love to do nothing had anything to do with touching nobodyHEmFy daddy love

me to kiss and hug him@ 9(2+:. nce she is in love with 4r.5555555 she

refuses to marry him due to his weakness to confront his father about their

love. 4oreover Shug still has to confront harsh criticism for e"ample the

preacher uses her as an e"ample of the evils in society< The worst thing can be

seen when she gets seriously ill and neither her parents nor other women at the

church are willing to help her. ,evertheless Shug refuses to be dominated by

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anyone. #nstead of sub7ecting her will to others and allowing them to imposed

an identity upon her she has fashioned her own identity with the world of blues

music.

Shug makes use of blues music to break the silence about the patriarchal

system that abuses her. As a very successful blues singer Shug is one of a few

female characters who can travel in the larger world outside the black

community. According to Alan Boma" although some of the first blues songs

heard by Whites were sung by black women the blues tradition was always

considered to be masculine and not many black women were to be found

singing the blues in 7uke 7oints 9DC:. The fact that Shug is able to earn her living

by singing blues music obviously shows how she is free from traditional gender

roles. #nstead of being seen as a passive and an unwilling ob7ect of male desire

Shug is a very strong$minded woman who can function economically and

emotionally independent of the black patriarchal lifestyle. With her blues spirit

Shug often e"presses herself in a different way from other conventional black

women. ;ven when she is ill she still maintains the great appearance of theblues 3ueen as !elie repeats< ?She dress to kill. She got on a red wool dress and

chestful of black beads. A shiny black hat with what look like chickinhawk

features curve down side one cheek and she carrying a little snakeskin bag

match her shoes@ 91($1:. 0uring the visit of 4r.5555555s father Shug also

uses blues music to battle with the old man. While the old 4r.5555555 is

cursing her Shug can be heard humming inside the house. #t seems that Shug

pits her song against what the old man does wrong on her< ?She black as tar

she nappy headed. She got legs like baseball bats@ 91):. Therefore it is possible

to conclude that Shug is able to create her own sense of self through the singing

of blues music. #t is her means of uni3ue self$e"pression. With the embrace of

blues spirit although she is despised by people in her black community she

never feels threatened by those evaluations of her. She is able to survive all

difficulties and choose to live in her own way. %esides Shug the world of blues

music also serves as a catalyst to free some other female characters in Walkers

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The Color Purple.

S3ueak serves as another e"ample of a woman liberated through blues

music. 4ary Agnes or S3ueak is introduced in the story as 6arpos new lover

during his separation from Sofia. Bike !elie S3ueak is a very timid and

submissive young woman. 0ue to the fact that light skin is considered to be

more attractive S3ueaks only claim for positive identity is through her yellow

skin as she is a young mi"ed$raced woman. Iather than being seen as an

individual she is then more like a se"ually racially and socially acceptable

ob7ect in black community. 6er subordinate state can also be found through the

fact that she is willing to please and mind 6arpo that he re$names her S3ueak.

S3ueak turns out to be a real individual after she is raped by a white warden

who is her uncle when she tries to free Sofia out of 7ail. According to Bindsey

Tucker the fact that S3ueak is raped by a white man suggests that her white

identity is turned against her 9*D:. Whiteness can be seen as a source of

violence that a te"t imposes on her. This e"perience finally separates her from

her false identity and urges her to create the new and authentic identity of herown. Again S3ueak is able to find her own voice through the singing of blues

music. At the beginning Shug serves as the source of her first song but soon

after S3ueak starts making her own songs. #n creating her songs S3ueak uses

her own body as the creative source. nce in 6arpos 7uke 7oint she sings. Scheick.Be"ington< University

&ress of Gentucky ()*/. (//$(C/.

Gamien 4ichael.$usic: "n "ppreciation. +rd ed. ,ew -ork< 4c=raw 6ill ()*1

Boma" Alan. The Land Where the Blues Began. ,ew -ork< &antheon %ooks ())+

Tucker Bindsey. ?Alice Walkers The !olor &urple< ;mergent Woman

;mergent Te"t.@Black "merican Literature Forum.( 9()**:< *($)/.

Walker Alice. The Color Purple. ,ew -ork< 6arcourt %race >avanovich ()*.

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