Paste your essay in here…Celie's Journey to Freedom: A Study of the Steps She Takes and the Means that Support Her in Alice Walker’s The Color Purple
By: Ashraf AL Qaisi
Supervised by: Dr. Nadia Tariq
Abstract
This study aims at investigating the steps of the major character, Celie, toward freedom in The Color Purple. The author, Alice Walker, gives a perfect image about the destructive conditionsof the Afro- American women that they encounter in their communities due to the patriarchal system, classism and gender. She also offers solutions for them to liberate themselves and to regain their looted rights. The steps that Celie goes through in order to free herself from the discrimination and abuse of her step- father and her greedy husband enable her to be free sexually, spiritually, and economically with the help of other female characters like Shug. She is helped by the female characters to find her lost identity and to understand the distinctive features of her personality which are the spark that provoke her to set herself free from her sufferings and to depend on herself by establishing her own business. In addition, writing letter is a cornerstone of self-expression that helps her get rid of her miserable life
Key words: patriarchy, feminism, womanism, sisterhood, epistolary.
ملخيص
تهدف هذه الدراسة الى دراسة الاساليب و الخطوات التي اتبعتها بطلة قصة ( اللون البنفسجي) سيلي للكاتبة اليس وكر للتخلص من الاضطهاد و الاساءة التي تعرضت لها من زوج امها و زوجها و كيفية تحرير نفسها. لم يتقصر اسلوب الكاتبة على سرد وصف معاناه البطلة و التي تمثل المجتمع الافريقي و انما ارادت ارشاد النساء الى الطريق الذي يمكن ان تسلكة للتخلص من التميز العرقي و الجنسي و الاضطهاد الاجتماعي و الاسري . ان الخطوات التي اتبعتها سيلي كانت بمساعدة الشخصيات النسائية الاخرى من اجل التحرر الجنسي و الجسدي و الروحي. و من اجل تحقيق هدف الدراسة فقد تم تحليل القصه تحليلا وافيا و وصفيا من اجل الالمام بكافة التفاصيل التي دفعت سيلي للبحث عن حريتها. و هكذا فان النتائج اظهرت بان سيلي كنت قد خضعت لتمييز عنصري و سوء معاملة قاسية. و ايضا اظهرت النتائج بان الشخصيات النسائية قد ساعدت سيلي على ايجاد شخصيتها المفقودة و الانطلاق في حياة جديدة معتمدة على نفسيها و قد تمثل ذلك بان قامت بتاسيس عمل خاص بها.
Chapter1
1.1. Introduction
Background of the Study
Woman has played an integral role in literature which has had a great impact on many writers whether essayists, novelists, poets, or dramatists. Woman is portrayed differently in various literary works since she could only exist through the eyes, minds and lives of a man but never for herself. Woman is forced to have a marginal role in the man's world not because of her inability to manage herself but because of the social and cultural conditions which contribute to the neglect of woman's identity, personality, dignity, and status.
More than that, the patriarchal system which has caused all the mentioned hardships for women, has a deep root in history. This system has treated them severely and oppressed them. In this regard, it depicts the humiliated gender as children who have to undergo the dominance of men. In addition, men exploit women for their own benefits, and they deprive them of developing themselves on different levels especially in education, socially and even in investment through banning them from establishing their own business. Furthermore, this system has had many catastrophic consequences on women exemplified in their sexual, economic, spiritual and psychological state.
For this reason, a new Feminist movement appeared in the nineteenth century to support the rights of women which calls for equality between men and women with regard to rights and duties. Moreover, it strongly believes in women's abilities to participate in all activities such as politics, education, economics, and others. Alice Walker is considered one of the great supporters of this movement and her novel The Color Purple throws light on the Afro-American woman who suffers a lot from various persecutions including segregation.
Literature has played a significant role in changing the image of black women in society as a whole and in the west specifically. There are many writers, scholars and advocates who fought fiercely for this noble cause everywhere. Feminist writers and activists aim at changing the stereotypical view of women through fulfilling the gender equalities and disapproving the injustices to women. In this case, they use the literary works as a mean of inventing a world to show that women can have a normal and equal life like others.
In her dissertation, “Celie's Emancipation Process in Alice Walker’s The Color Purple” Amira (2010) mentioned that many Afro- American women writers who use literature to express their perspectives toward the issues of blacks such as Maya Angelou, Harriet Jacobs, Maria Stewart, Melton McLaurin, Jaeda De Walt, Lyn Mikel Brown, Toni Morrison, Zora Neale Hurston, and Alice Walker who often emphasize the issues of feminine identity, self-esteem and fulfilling self-realization in their literary works. The impact of racism and sexism on black women are the main themes of these black writers. Their works indicate that the female characters have the capability to transform, to develop and to have a high rank in all aspects of life (P.10)
Alice Walker is one of the prominent black writers who wrote one of the most controversial novels, titled The Color Purple in an epistolary form in which she strongly advocates the rights of the black women who fight and persist to obtain their rights and to be treated equally to men. On the other hand, she reveals the brutality that the black women experience either economically, socially, emotionally, or sexually because of their race and gender.
Importantly, Walker uses this literary form to take the reader into the inner psyche of the Afro-American woman in order to have a full understanding of her misery. The major character of the novel, Celie, writes emotional letters to “God” about her life. Moreover, this technique helps the protagonist to speak for herself and to reconstruct her personality and her sense of self. Celie's letters, gives Celie the advantage to express herself and to pour down her ideas which paves the way for her independence. The novel's narrative technique is associated with the thematic image of regaining the self-status, rebirth and survival.
Carla Kaplan suggests that “without a sympathetic audience, such as Shug, Celie might never have been able to go from her first self-effacing statement “I am” to her later declaration, “I’m here”(130).In this regard, this form of writing effectively dramatizes the necessity to tell a story. In the case of Celie, this is made even more important because “finding a listener and finding her voice are inextricably related”(130) she feels strength and respect because of exchanging letters with her best person, Nettie.
Alice Walker is a creative writer who embodies in her works the stereotype of blacks' sufferings in the western societies in the character of Celie who rebels against discrimination and social restrictions. In this respect, it is considered a reflection of the self-discovery and re-creation of Walker’s personality. Celie is a poor black girl who was raped by her step-father and was married to a widower. The relationship of Celie with her husband and step-father is based on sexual, economic and psychological oppression in a society that is governed by the patriarchal system; this kind of silence is due to the surrender to the power of the man which leads her to look for inner strength and freedom as a woman seeking the help of her close friend, Shug.
So, things start to change for Celie after she meets Shug Avery who, according to author and critic Eva Lennox Birch, loves everybody impartially and functions in the novel as “a guide and mentor to those whose capacity or love, of either self or others, is stunted by society” ( Birch, p. 227). The two women become friends and then lovers. It is in Shug’s company that Celie finally starts to feel happy and alive. It is because of Shug’s motherly and loving presence that Celie rediscovers her strength and curiosity for life.
1.2. Biography of Alice Walker
Alice Malsenior Walker is a well-known Afro-American writer who was born in Eatonton, Georgia. She studied in Spelman College in Atlanta, and became an active member in the Civil Rights Movement, and participated in many demonstrations across the country such as the famous March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963. Since then, she has been actively involved in political activist and has spoken about various debatable issues. She considered herself a feminist, who reflects the various experiences of black women in society regarding sexism and racism.
She was greatly praised for her precise description of the life of black people. Her works were widely read all over the world which has made her a leading voice of the African American Civil Rights movement. In her early life, Walker was badly injured with a gun and lost one of her eyes. This incident and the harsh southern situation affected and shaped the themes and issues that are presented in Alice Walker's later literary works. She was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1983.
1.3. Statement of the Problem
The most crucial issue of this novel is the oppression inflected on the protagonist, Celie, because of the patriarchal system exemplified by her husband and step-father and offers the steps that the main character adopts to set herself free from all the destructive consequences of sexism and racism.
The Color Purple depicts the extreme poverty of the Black family in the early 20th century as well as the inhumane treatment of Black Americans.
1.4. Objectives of the Study
This study aims at achieving the following:
1. Showing how Celie is able to liberate herself from the damaging results of the patriarchal system.
2. Analyzing how other characters help Celie to be an independent person.
3. Exploring and analyzing the importance of writing letters for Celie.
1.5. Questions of the Study
This study will answer the following questions:
1. How does Celie set herself free from the patriarchal system?
2. Do Celie's sister and other characters have a role in her liberation?
3. What is the importance of writing in obtaining freedom?
1.6. Significance of the study
The importance of this study is to show how black women can obtain their rights and free themselves in spite of all the difficulties that they may encounter from a particular class of society who see that they should control all aspects of women’s lives. Hence, this novel focuses on how the women establish their identity depending on feminist theories.
Celie shows the effects of a culture dominated by a white racist patriarchy that makes itself most felt in relationships between blacks, especially in a family. More than that, Walker wants to draw the reader’s attention to the ways in which black men brutalize their women. The young women are abused in different ways by their society, Celie suffers from double violence physically and spiritually by her-step-father and Mr. Albert. Sofia notes that "(a) girl child ain't safe in a family of men"(Walker 38).
The novel of The Color Purple clearly displays the environment of the Afro-Americans, which is historically depicted by poverty, labor shortage and oppression. Even though Walker’s novel is fiction, it seeks to portray a very realistic image of the life of the black people in the early 20th century. Walker argues that the sexual and economic oppression of black women by black men is tightly linked. Pa robs his wife and her daughters of their inheritance. And later in the novel, Celie is seen to be the only one working hard on the farm. Similarly, Walker’s “In Search of Our Mothers’ Gardens,” is a kind of a collection of short stories written in a form of prose based on her awareness of womanism and her experience as a black women where she suggests the universality of oppression. In this essay, she depicts her family’s poverty and misery in which they are hard-working in the farm to get little food. In her essay "In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens," Alice meditates the stereotype of black American women who necessarily established the bondage of slavery during the hard times to support each other. Walker refers to these women not as slaves, or Africans, or Americans, or even women-she calls them saints: "these crazy saints stared out on the world, wildly, like lunatics…" (Walker 695).
Through her work Walker emphasizes issues of class, racism and oppression which she has been struggling with throughout her life. She is a strong supporter of womanhood and has developed the philosophy further into the concept of womanism. Through womanism she raises the consciousness of identity. In addition Taylor enlightens these themes as well and adds the notion of recognition. Thereby she opens up possibilities for the black people and other cultures to be recognized. Recognition enables people to change the stereotyped image of themselves. However, the idea of discovering your own identity cannot be done entirely on your own. According to Charles Taylor, there are some important factors that are essential which plays in confirming one’s identity such as language and dialog. People learn from each other learn through, that is why one cannot develop on one’s own. In this respect, interaction is very important since it is the core that affects the process of forming ideas and changing opinions and the positions towards things. In order to discover one’s personality, Taylor explained that: “We define our identity always in dialogue with, sometimes in struggle against, the things our significant others want to see in us” (P. 33).
Actually, Taylor strongly believes that “We can flourish only to the extent that we are recognized” (P.50) so, people are dependent on recognition from others as all humans seek recognition from others. Understanding or misunderstanding is a key factor in building up the personality of people. If a class of society is misunderstood by others, it will be resulted in deformed image which in its turn becomes a source of oppression.
It seems like throughout all the trouble Celie had to go through, a proving success came. She had started the pants business, which enabled her to stand up for herself. She had the courage to fight back. This even brought a key success into recognition, which symbolized her growth as a human being. This shows us how her self-respect had increased. Finally, with her recognition and success she was able to achieve equality with her husband. Mr. Albert has changed and realized that what he had done was wrong and accepted it as a mistake.
Alice Walker does not only write her novel to give a voice for the black, but also to guide them to the right path and to give them hope to be effective members in the society and to discover ways by which they can map out their own lifestyle. The story has a sense of hope, inspiration and optimistic vision for the future.
1.7. Limitations of the study:
This research cannot be generalized since the results are based mainly on only one community. This story was composed by Alice Walker who strongly attempts to defend the black women’s rights to be equal to men. The chosen main character is a young girl called Celie who struggles to set herself free and to find her lost identity. She goes through catastrophic experiences which turned her into a hopeful woman seeking liberty with the help of her sister Nettie and Shug.
1.8. Limits
This research is limited to the study of Celie’s character in Alice Walker’s The Color Purple, and therefore the findings cannot be applied to other works or aspects of this work.
1.9. Definition of Terms
Feminism: "The term feminism can be used to describe a political, cultural or economic movement aimed at establishing equal rights and legal protection for women. Feminism involves political and sociological theories and philosophies concerned with issues of gender difference, as well as a movement that advocates gender equality for women and campaigns for women's rights and interests”.( Hook: 1990)
Patriarchal social system: It can be defined as a system where men are in authority over women in all aspects of society. In modern American culture and society, the idea of patriarchy is not as accepted or practiced as it once was decades ago.(Welter, 2014)
Epistolary novel is “a self-conscious, self -perpetuating process of emotional self examination which gathers momentum and ultimately becomes more important than communicating with anyone outside the room in which one sits alone writing letters. That is the very center of an epistolary novel” ( McElaney-Johnson, 1999, p 110).
Womanismis a term that was coined by Alice Walker in her book “In Search of Our Mother’s Gardens” to depict the dreadful life of the black female in their communities. Alice Walker explains the womanist as a woman who dignifies and respect women’s culture and their ability of exchanging and showing emotions. Sree explained it as : "She explores the individual identity of black woman and how her identity and bonding with other women affects the health of her community at large. Alice Walker describes this affinity among women as womanism. For her, womanist is one who is committed to the survival and integrity of the entire black race." (P. 16)
Female Bonding: Hudson-Weems said that “There has always been bonding among Africana women that cannot be broken—genuine sisterhood. This sisterly bond is a reciprocal one, one in which each gives and receives equally. In this community of women, all reach out in support of each other, demonstrating a tremendous sense of responsibility for each other by looking out for one another. They are joined emotionally, as they embody emphatic understanding of each other‘s shared experiences. Everything is given out of love, criticism included, and in the end, the sharing of the common and individual experiences and ideas yields rewards”. (P. 65)
Chapter 2
Review of Literature
2.1. Theoretical Studies:
The theoretical studies includes the opinions of scholars and novelists toward The Color Purple.
Kohlberg (1969) stated that the moral development of humans passes through six stages, ranging from early childhood where avoiding punishment is the main objective to the post conventional stages where ethical principles guide a person. Kohlberg also states that moral development is best taught through history and literature. The Color Purple is a wonderful way to teach moral development as we see the character Celie starts out in the pre-conventional stages then matures through the post conventional stages. Most young adults are in the conventional stage of moral development, so The Color Purple wonderfully fits Kohlberg's criteria.
Ogunyemi (1985) stated that women were not only confronting the problems of racism and class differences, but were also suffering from the consequences of sexism in their patriarchal culture. In the early twentieth century American black people were not equal to the white community, especially women, who faced oppression from various parts of society. (P.48)
Skovmand (1988) stated that a change in the United States Constitution in 1861 demanded the abolition of slavery. Unfortunately this did not involve great changes for the black people living in the United States. On the contrary, many continued to live as slaves, which was the only way to survive. In the same year the American civil war broke out and lasted until 1865. In these years people from the Northern States were fighting to help liberate the slaves in the South. However, as the war ended, the troops from the North withdrew and even though the black people were liberated, they went back to live as miserably as before the war. In a time characterized by labor shortage and misery in the South, nobody took notice of the black people and it was very difficult for them to make a living.( P. 20)
Hook (1989) stated that “domination always involves attempts to objectify the subordinate group. ‘As subject’ people have the right to define their own reality … and ‘as object’ one reality is defined by others”. Since Mr. _ is a headman of a family, he has the right to subjugate his children and to rape his wifeand even torture her whenever he wants. When Nettie sees and suggests fighting, Celie focuses on survival but states: “I don’t know how to fight. All I know how to do is to stay alive” (Color Purple 19).For Celie, her unwanted intercourse with Mr. _ is consistent with his model of dominant masculinity.( P. 42 )
Lewis (1990) stated that “this novel unfolds a model both of and for human beings who are threatened by cultural disorder and by a loss of connection with themselves, with each other, and with the world. By infusing Celie with such a capacity for growth, the author acts as a spiritual guide throughout the novel. Walker traces Celie’s journey from living in fear of a patriarchal God that is difficult to identify with to Celie’s eventual joy and acceptance of herself, others, and the serenity to be found in daily life. Celie eventually can move beyond a life full of suffering because she realizes life offers so much more as she hones the ability to change and grow”. (P.483)
As David (1999) said “the significance is not so much in the qualities that God is denied as in the qualities that God is finally awarded. The disconnection between people and the world is a very important issue. This disconnection underlies and advances the novel’s structure that relies on showing how people can change for the better when they demand a loving God as well as a place in the world. Regardless of the personalized version of God and the universe that Celie eventually develops, it becomes clear that the characters need a source of love and guidance in their life that grants them peace with their chosen roles rather than seeking a place within society’s narrow confines”. (P.17)
Alice Walker proposes singing of blues music as an integral of writing letter which was composed by the earlier African slaves in the United States of America. It was used as a mean of self-expression and an outlet to express their sorrow and sadness. Kamien (1984) stated that “The blues lyrics are often intensely personal, frequently containing sexual references and often dealing with the pain of betrayal, desertion, and unrequited love. Sometimes they might talk about unhappy situations such as being jobless, hungry, broke, away from home, lonely, or downhearted because of an unfaithful lover” (P.98)Collins (2000) commented that “it is therefore possible to conclude that the blues is actually another self-expression form among African Americans. It is not merely entertainment, but it is a way of solidifying community and the social fabric of working class Black life in America. (P. 145)
According to Ang (2001) in the last decades of the twentieth century, the Western world became more and more concerned with issues of ethnic, social, political and gender equality resulted in the politicization of race and ethnicity the increased political consciousness and activism of those who found themselves marginalized and discriminated against on the basis of their race, sexual orientation, gender or ethnicity. (P.177)
Ray (2005) observed “the jail that Sofia is held in is a metaphor for all black people caged by racism. For others, though they do not serve in a literal prison and instead are confined to servitude and domesticity within their homes”. The discrimination of race dominates to such an extent that Sofia is not allowed to sit in the front seat with the mayor's wife while teaching her to drive, pointing to her that “This is the South”. (P. 62)
Razak (2006) claimed that “Walker focuses on the sharing and mentorship that are a traditional part of idealized Black mother-daughter relationships. Walker further refers to one specific relationship between women: the relationship between a mother and her child. The fact that her two examples in this entry involve a mother-child (presumably a daughter) situation suggests that she considers motherhood essential in the experience of being a woman.”(P. 99)