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Rahman, Meahzabin
Honors Contemporary Composition
Period 3
4/4/17

20th Century Independent Reading Project

The Freedom of the Color Purple

In The Color Purple, Alice Walker argues that one should have the power and courage to
stand up for his or her rights when it comes to difficult situations when one is being oppressed,
and shouldnt be completely silenced due to the person being dominated by a dictator who has
harsh restrictions on them. Walker displays this fact by showcasing the incidents when the main
character, Celie, is being abused by her husband, who she was forced to marry and couldnt
battle; she isnt able to have any connections with her sister, Nettie, for years since her spouse
doesnt give her the letters even though the siblings constantly write to each other; and she is
shunned by her husband who thinks shes worthless. She reveals these traumatic truths in order
to inform readers that people suffer in the worst ways possible when they are oppressed or when
theyre in harsh conditions, such as being in slavery, but they must never give up on what they
believe is appropriate for them to lead a blissful life. Walker seemingly addresses oppressed
groups, or anyone who is facing oppression because she constantly refers to the situations when
Celie wasnt allowed to say a word when she was being beaten or when she was being insulted
by people since she didnt have the physical appearance people desired and the way she was
dressed.

The author provides multiple significant issues about how maltreatment of a person can
cause a person to become very weak, but as they face these harsh consequences they slowly
becoming stronger, and show that they have power to fight back after they bottled up all their
emotions, and were tired of abuse they were experiencing. One issue discussed in the fifty-
seventh letter is racial conflicts in which Celie learns that her ancestors in Africa were treated
very harshly as slaves, and finds out that since she is African American, she is facing the same
issues, but in America. Walker writes, Millions and millions of Africans were captured and sold
into slaveryyou and me, Celie! And whole cities were destroyed by slave catching wars
(139). This explains that due to them being colored, they were seen as less than human, which
was why they were severely ill-treated until they were, at times, beaten to death. Another major
issue discussed in the fifth letter was violence in which Celie was abused verbally and physically
by her husband since she didnt have the desired qualities he wanted, and because there were
misconceptions about Celie doing devious acts. The author states, He beat me today cause he
say I winked at a boy in church. I may have got somethin in my eye but I didnt wink. I dont
even look at mens (5). This shows that even though Celie may have not done something guilty,
she was always being spied on by everyone because she was colored, so she was suspected of
committing a crime although she was trying to help someone or avoid them. The next major
issue in this book in the thirty-third letter is ones identity, namely in a relationship, because
Celie was more attracted to females than males, and was hurt when the woman she loved, Shug
Avery, was giving more attention to Celies husband who was deeply in love with Shug was
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well. Walker asserts, He love looking at Shug. I love looking at Shug. But Shug dont love
looking at but one of us. Him. But that the way it spose to be. I know that. But if that so, why my
heart hurt me so (73)? This shows that Celie is debating whether or not being attracted to
someone of the same gender is alright for her, but she is still jealous that Shug is attracted to her
husband even though she knows that society will judge her desires, especially since she is
colored. The last major problem brought up in the sixty-second letter is that women arent
allowed to have an education, which is a reason why they arent able to bravely stand up for their
rights. Walker affirms, The Olinka do not believe girls should be educated. When I asked a
mother why she thought this, she said: A girl is nothing to herself; only to her husband can she
become something (155). This shows that women are somewhat seen as an object for men, and
they arent allowed to do any activities that would allow them to have the same strength as men
or be superior to them, which people believe can harm society.

In The Color Purple, there were multiple issues the author examined, but the problem that
struck the most was the idea of men dominating women in most aspects of life. In the article,
Where are the women? Male-dominated workplaces need to diversify, Danielle Manley argues
that women have the same potential to do the same job, and should earn the same amount of
money as men in these types of jobs. She states, Men and women are different, but these
differences do not make one better than the other. In fact, businesses need both to satisfy
consumer and employee needs. Without one or the other, you are cutting your team in half. This
explains that both genders need to participate in all types professions, because itll be easier for
specific people or customers to communicate with them when they are having difficulty
understanding something. This relates to the book because some characters, such as Shug has the
ability to overpower men due to her harsh way of talking, which frightens people, while others,
such as Celie isnt able to speak up because she knows the consequences she will face for doing
so. For example, in the eighty-seventh letter, Walker writes, Shug act more manly than most
men . . . he say. You know Shug will fight, he say. Just like Sofia. She bound to live her life and
be herself no matter what (269). This explicates that some people, namely women are
courageous and will do whatever it takes to be equal, or possibly superior to men, in order to
gain the same status as them. Another similar issue is that women should take action even if they
are rejected in order to have upward mobility like men. The article states, In order to succeed,
women must make the first move. Don't wait to be asked your opinion, make them listen. If you
have an idea, bring it up. If you feel you deserve a raise, ask for it. If you can't handle something,
say no. This shows that women must not give up whenever they are being refused to do
something, take part in the job, and receive the same income as men. Finally, this is similar to
The Color Purple because Sofia, Celies husbands daughter-in-law, was always surrounded by
the men in her family, so she never had opportunities to succeed, which is why she constantly
fought them. In the twenty-first letter, it states, All my life I had to fight. I had to fight my
daddy. I had to fight my brothers. I had to fight my cousins and my uncles. A girl child ain't safe
in a family of men (40). Overall, this explains that women must push the limit when it comes to
being refused by society to do certain jobs.

Alice Walker believes that America is a country where gender roles used to exist,
especially during the time of slavery. The comment she is trying to make here is that gender roles

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shouldnt exist at all, and woman have the potential to be completely independent without having
others interfere in their lives. Walker wanted to make changes based on gender inequality as
quickly as possible, but during that era, protests for equality were slowly rising. She believed that
women should fight for their rights, and be able to take any kind of leadership they preferred that
made them comfortable. The author tries to prove that women are very strong people who will go
at any extent to speak up for themselves and earn a strong position in society. The main
character, Celie, represents the feminist but also a slave, because she is forced to not speak up,
but later tries to make changes by communicating with significant people like Shug Avery, who
helped her come out of her comfort zone and express her true feelings. Overall, the main
message of this book inspired people in America to start eliminating gender roles and begin
protesting for equality, which is still done today.
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Works Cited

Manley, Danielle. "MultiBrief: Where Are the Women? Male-dominated Workplaces Need to
Diversify." MultiBriefs - the Leader in Business Association News Briefs. N.p., 03 Apr. 2017. Web. 03
Apr. 2017.

Walker, Alice. The Color Purple. New York: Harcourt. 1982. Print.