论文 The Color Purple

Woman

’

s Struggle for Freedom in the Color

Purple

《紫色》中女人为了自由而战斗

Major: English

专业：英语

Author: Yan Meiling

作者：闫美玲

完成时间：

2015

年

CONTENTS

Chapter 1 Bitter Life: Black Women under Double Oppression.........1

1.1Patriarchal Oppression.............. .................................................. ...........1

1.1.1Patriarchal Oppression by Celie's Stepfather......................................1

1.1.2Patriarchal Oppression by Celie's Husband........................................2

1.2 Racial Oppression.................. .................................................. .............2

1.2.1 Sophia's Suffering under Racial Oppression.....................................3

1.2.2 Olinka Woman's Misery Under Racial Oppression..........................3

Chapter 2 Transformation after Some Experiences.............................4

2.1 Influenced by Alphonso............. .................................................. ........4

2.2Influenced by Sofia....... .................................................. ......................5

2.3 Influenced by Shug Avery..................................... ...............................6

Chapter 3 The Awakening and the Growth of Black Women.............7

3.1 Cultural Traditions and Cultural Identity......... ....................................7

3.2 Paganism Spirit and Soul Salvation. .................................................. ..8

Chapter 1 Bitter Life: Black Women under Double Oppression

1.1Patriarchal Oppression (

一

)

The

majority

of

the

men

and

women

involved

in

the

story

have

the

opinion that men should dominate women. Men threaten women; they try

to become physically stronger than women so that they can beat them and

return things to what they see as their natural order. Throughout the novel

The

Color

Purple,

women

are

degraded

by

men

and

treated

as

second-class citizens. This inequality mirrors the inequality between the

races.

1.1.1Patriarchal Oppression by Celie's Stepfather

The

heroine,

Celie,

in

The

Color

Purple,

like

her

mother,

like

many

black women lives a non-human life without dignity and rights. There is

no personal freedom in herworld. Celie's stepfather. When Celie's mother

is sick and dying, he rapes Celie and continues to do so long enough for

Celie to have two children, whom he sells to a local missionary and his

wife. He doesn't tell Celie what has happened to the children, and initially

Celie thinks he killed them. Celie later learns that he is not her real father.

Her real father was lynched years before by a white mob. Alphonso tells

Celie not to tell anyone but God about what he has done to her. He warns

her that if she tells, it will kill her mother.

1.1.2Patriarchal Oppression by Celie's Husband

1

Albert

is

the

widower

with

four

children

who

buys

Celie

from

her

stepfather. Albert treats Celie with cruelty, using her to satisfy his sexual

needs and to take care of his children. He really loves Shug Avery, who

later

comes

to

live

with

Albert

and

Celie

when

she

is

sick.

Celie

appreciates Shug's presence in the house, because Albert treats her better

when Shug is around. Albert later in life softens and Celie takes him in as

a helper in her business.

1.2 Racial Oppression

（一）

The

implication

throughout

the

text

is

that

the

1930s

Georgia

was

a

difficult

place

for

black

people

because

of

widely-held

prejudices

amongst the white population. Due to their mistreatment at the hands of

white

people,

the

characters

believe

that

their

children

are

doomed

to

grow

up

in

racist

society,

with

no

hope

for

improvement.

Furthermore,

Sofia

is

convinced

that

due

to

the

influence

of

society's

prejudice

her

children

will

become

cynical

to

everyone

around

them.

The

black

characters have difficulty accepting this condition, yet they see no hope

of

change

in

the

future.

Alice

Walker

lived

a

rather

difficult

life

sun-ounded by white people.

1.2.1 Sofia's Suffering under Racial Oppression

Unlike

Celie,

Sofia

is

strong,

fierce,

and

daring

to

a

fault.

As

a

black

American

woman

grew

up

in

the

south

in

the

1930s,

she

rejects

completely

the

systematic

oppression

that

engulfs

the

position

of

black

2

women.

In

that

system,

a

black

person

has

to

remain

absolutely

subservient to the whites economically and socially. The blacks work for

the

whites,

who

pay

them

very

little.

In

addition,

a

black

woman

lives

under the rule of her husband. A black woman is a virtual prisoner in the

system.

White

men

control

the

state,

and

black

men

control

the

black

households.

Sofia

has

no

chance

in

such

living

conditions.

She

simply

isn't suited for it in nature. She is unable to accept

the confining role laid out by the system for the meek black maid and the

dutiful black wife. So in The Color Purple, Sofia suffer not only from her

husband, she is also imprisoned for her defiance of racism.

1.2.2 Olinka Woman's Misery Under Racial Oppression

Walker

fascination

with

Africa

appears

in

The

Color

Purple.

It

is

through Nettie's analytical letters that we learn about the wider world of

Africa. Through Nettie's eyes we see healthy and white teeth, in a context

where black people are the noun and where we learn of the problems of

African

villagers.

Here

imperialism

and

colonialism

are

revealed

in

the

form

of

capitalist

development

when

the

village

is

invaded

by

railway

builders

and

the

Olinka

lifestyle

is

threatened.

Walker

first

makes

us

aware

of

the

physical

hardships

and

the

bad

living

conditions

of

the

Olinka.

In such bad living conditions that frequently beset parts of Africa, Olinka

people

have

to

bear

the

oppression

from

the

whites.

The

white

3

colonialists take over their land, without paying compensation, to build a

road. The villagers are then even forced to buy water from the planters .

Walker uses this example to sketch a brief history colonization.

Chapter 2Transformation after Some Experiences

Celie's

transformation

from

a

young

passive

girl,

who

is

the

object

of

violence

and

cruelty

from

her

stepfather

and

her

husband,

into

an

independent woman with self-esteem is at the heart of The Color Purple.

While

the

ways

in

which

conflicts

are

resolved

may

stretch

the

imagination at times, they are central to the author's view that goodness

can triumph over evil. That Celie is able to forgive Albert by the end of

the story and take him in as a helper reflects Walker's insistence on the

redeeming

quality

of

the

human

heart.

She

shows

in

transformed

relationships that the worst cruelty committed by one person on another

does

not

prohibit

a

change

of

heart.

Her

view

is

basically

that

the

conditions under which human beings struggle shape their behavior.

2.1 Influenced by Nettlie

Nettie is Celie's younger sister and Nettie are closely tied with each other.

She has always been like a teacher to Celie. Celie other not only by blood

but

also

by

their

mutual

love

and

Estranges

support.

Although

Celie

is

debased

by

her

stepfather

who

successfully

the

relationship

between

Celie

and

her

mother,

Nettie

has

never

thought

a

value.

When

their

stepfather deprives Celie of education and tells her that she is too silly to

4