THE COLOR PURPLEALICE WALKER

ZAYA

B

orn February 1944 in Georgia

A

frican-American as well as

Cherokee, Scottish and Irish

lineage

T

he 8th child of poor

sharecroppers

EARLY LIFE

I

n 1952, when she was 8 years old, she got shot in

the eye with a BB gun. She lost the sight in her right

eye.

P

sychologically, she grew more introspective,

contending with feelings of sadness, and betrayel.

EDUCATION

W

ith “three magic gifts” from her mother in hand- a typewriter, a

sewing machine, and a suitcase- Walker enrolled at Spelman

College in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1961, where she quickly became

involved in the civil rights movement. She developed important

friendships with the historians Howard Zinn and Staughton Lynd.

With the assistance of Lynd, Walker transferred to Sarah

Lawrence College in 1964. There, her commitment to becoming a

writer was nurtured.

AFTER GRADUATION

W

orked for the NY welfare system and learned about Blacks

who were evicted from their homes for attempting to

register to vote.

M

arried a lawyer (whom she later divorced)

O

ne daughter, Rebecca Grant born in 1969.

Her first book of poems came out in 1968 and her first

novel just after her daughter's birth in 1970.

A

lice Walker's early poems, novels and short stories dealt

with themes familiar to readers of her later works: rape,

violence, isolation, troubled relationships, multi-

generational perspectives, sexism and racism.

TYPE OF WRITING

C

entered on the struggles and spiritual development

affecting the survival as whole on women

P

ortray the struggle of civil rights of African American

people throughout history, and are praised for their

insightful portraits of black life, in particular the

experiences of black women in a sexist and racist society.

Criticized for writing about these struggles.

Embattled by racism, many black critics and

citizens have denounced her for calling attention

to the internalized racism that feeds sexism in

black families.

However, she believes people can be soul

survivors; they can persevere despite hardship

and prove the dignity of the human spirit.

SOME OF WALKER’S WORKS

HER SUCCESS

W

alker took all of her experiences as a poor black child in a volatile

discriminatory southern town and developed on outlet for her voice.

S

he portrays many of her characters based on her own life.

S

he stands for equality of not only races but gender

H

er writing has helped bring the civil-rights movement into the forefront

of society

HONORS AND RECOGNITION

P

ulitzer Prize for The Color Purple

“

Humanists of the Year” American Humanist Assoc.

C

alifornia Hall of Fame

O

. Henry Award for “Kindred Spirits”

R

osenthal Award

QUOTATION

“I think we have to own the fears that

we have of each other, and then, in

some practical way, some daily way,

figure out how to see people

differently than the way we were

brought up to.”

SUMMARY

H

er work has influenced the literary world by her

ability to turn life experiences into celebrating the

accomplishments of strong black women. Walker

characters are typically black women who eventually

turn their rage on the men in the story.

{{

The Color PurpleThe Color Purpleby Alice Walkerby Alice Walker

19821982

Historical SignificanceHistorical Significance

Walker’s portrayal of a double repression of black women in the American Experience. The author believes that black women suffer from discrimination by the whites and from black males who impose the double standard.

SynopsisSynopsisThe story is about an uneducated black woman

named Celie in the rural part of southern Georgia in

the 1930s. She is close to her sister, Nettie, who is a

missionary in Africa and corresponds with her. It is

her letters over 20 years that tell her story. The novel

itself is formatted as letters addressed first to God

and then later to her sister.

At the age of 14, she is abused and raped by her father. She has two children from this abuse which are taken away and she believes have been murdered by her father.

Her abuse continues with her marriage to a man she refers to as Mister. She tries to protect her sister Nettie from suffering the fate she experienced with their father.Nettie leaves home and tries to find sanctuary with Celie but it’s not safe with Mister. She convinces her to go to the local Pastor for help. He arranges Nettie to leave for missionary work, and Nettie promises to write all the time.

As time passes, no letters arrive and she believes her sister is dead. But her husband has been keeping the letters from her.

The story unfolds with Celie standing up for herself and fighting for her freedom and dignity.

{{

Poor, uneducated black

woman with a sad

personal history. She

survives a stepfather

who rapes her and

steals her babies and

survives an abusive

husband. She builds a

strong friendship and

intimacy with singer

Shug Avery, who helps

Celie to find her voice.

At the end, Celie is a

happy, independent,

and self-confident

woman.

CelieCelie

{{• Celie’s younger sister. Celie’s younger sister.

Nettie is the only Nettie is the only

character who loves character who loves

Celie consistently and Celie consistently and

unconditionally unconditionally

throughout the novel. throughout the novel.

Their mutual love for Their mutual love for

each other remains each other remains

steady even after the steady even after the

sisters are separated sisters are separated

for 30 years without for 30 years without

any contact. any contact.

• Educated and Educated and

independent of all independent of all

men.men.

• Nettie never judges Nettie never judges

her personal worth in her personal worth in

relation to men.relation to men.

NettieNettie

{{Shug is larger than life, Shug is larger than life,

and she know how to and she know how to

love. Her problem is love. Her problem is

that she loves and that she loves and

keeps on loving. She keeps on loving. She

has a weakness for has a weakness for

people, and she keeps people, and she keeps

people in her life, no people in her life, no

matter what.matter what.

Shug is the person who Shug is the person who

lifts Celie up and gives lifts Celie up and gives

her the will to leave her the will to leave

behind a life of behind a life of

victimhood and become victimhood and become

a new woman.a new woman.

Shug AveryShug Avery

{{Other charactersOther characters

Mr. _____ (Albert) Mr. _____ (Albert) – Celie’s husband– Celie’s husbandHarpoHarpo – Mr. ___’s oldest son – Mr. ___’s oldest sonSophiaSophia – Harpo’s wife – Harpo’s wife

{{

MoodMoodEndurance with an underlying sense of Endurance with an underlying sense of wonder and hope.wonder and hope.

Despite the horrendous existence that Celie Despite the horrendous existence that Celie (protagonist) lives under ( the oppression of (protagonist) lives under ( the oppression of poverty, sexism, and racism), she maintains a poverty, sexism, and racism), she maintains a sense of her own dignity, and when she is sense of her own dignity, and when she is given the opportunity, she opens her heart given the opportunity, she opens her heart fully to love.fully to love.

{{

ThemesThemes

ViolenceViolenceBlack female characters in the book tend to be Black female characters in the book tend to be

victims of violence. Men tend to attempt to exert their victims of violence. Men tend to attempt to exert their dominance over women, especially their wives. Celie suffers dominance over women, especially their wives. Celie suffers repeated violence from her father and husband and reacts repeated violence from her father and husband and reacts by shutting down emotionally and being submissive.by shutting down emotionally and being submissive.

{{

As an African American, living in the pre-Civil Rights South, As an African American, living in the pre-Civil Rights South, surrounded by other poor, uneducated blacks, Celie sees surrounded by other poor, uneducated blacks, Celie sees nothing in her race to be proud of. However, as she learns nothing in her race to be proud of. However, as she learns about the rich cultured that existed in Africa, she gains pride about the rich cultured that existed in Africa, she gains pride in her ethnic heritage.in her ethnic heritage.

RaceRace

{{

Women either have to constantly fight against men, or Women either have to constantly fight against men, or completely submit and be trampled over. Women’s completely submit and be trampled over. Women’s situations can improve, when women band together and situations can improve, when women band together and support each other. support each other.

Women & Femininity/ Women & Femininity/ The Power of Strong The Power of Strong Female RelationshipsFemale Relationships

Shug says that she believes that “it angers God if a person walks by the color of purple in a field without stopping to notice and admire it.”

In this statement, Shug summarizes her religious philosophy; to her, God is not some distant deity living on high, but a genderless, raceless being that wants people to appreciate and enjoy life. It is also significant that she chose the color of purple, for it is the color of royalty; and yet a really deep purple seems almost to be black.

http://www.myvido1.com/gUUJlZi5mQCNWVoZ3Yx8WP_the-color-purple-best-scene

http://vidnux.com/sq/746781/the-color-purple-best-scene.html

http://www.myvido1.com/gUUJlZi5mQCNWVoZ3Yx8WP_the-color-purple-best-scene

http://vidnux.com/sq/746781/the-color-purple-best-scene.html

Even though there is nothing wrong with Harpo and Sofia’s marriage, Harpo wants to control his wife. Mr.__ advises Harpo to dominate Sofia the way most men do, by using violence. Celie realizes that bringing violence into a marriage damages it, but she’s jealous that Sofia isn’t beaten and that Harpo can be married three years and "still whistle and sing."

Mr.__ and his son see women essentially as servants, or slaves, meant to work while men enjoy life. Though some women try to band together and support each other, many men in this novel try to prevent them from supporting each other.