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What Are Celie's Struggles In The Color Purple

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The Color Purple is widely known for its numerous issues surrounding violent and explicit substances. Alice Walker’s epistolary novel focuses on a young girl named Celie, who is raped and impregnated by her father. She writes about her experiences at home in Georgia to God, and her sister, Nettie, who is on a mission trip in Africa. Celie begins writing these letters about her experiences to God and Nettie in order to keep her sanity through the horrific events she suffers. Throughout the story, the main character endures countless hardships brought upon her by her father, husband, family, and friends. Celie and her family overcome obstacles and find themselves through adversities such as domestic abuse and the devaluation of women as the story …show more content…

One family member in particular named Sofia is a stubborn, hard-headed woman who is Harpo’s (Celie’s stepson) wife. She usually does not listening to Harpo’s commands, and one day, Harpo gets frustrated. In a discussion with his father, Mr.___ (who is also Celie’s new husband), Mr.___ tells his son that “wives is like children […] nothing can do that better than a good sound beating” and concluded his lecture convincing Harpo that “Sofia needs to be taken down a peg” (Walker 36). Poor consultation and guidance is seen here in the exchange between father and son. It can be inferred that Mr.___ grew up being taught that disciplining a companion or a wife needs to be done in order to teach a lesson. He simply passes this horrible practice to his son without hesitation. Unfortunately, Mr.___ is not the only one who thinks Harpo should hurt Sofia. While Harpo and Mr.__ are talking about Sofia’s stubbornness, Celie interrupts their conversation with the impactful words: “Beat her” (Walker 37). These two words greatly influence Harpo’s actions because he looks up to Celie like a mother and trusts her terse commands. Although it is not written in the text, readers can make an inference that Harpo did beat his wife later that day when they got into another …show more content…

Mel Watkins, a New York Times book critic, agrees with this statement when he writes in his critical review that “black American heroes” in Walker’s novel “withstood the gaudiest abuse a racist, sexist society could offer” (Literature Lovers). Watkin’s claim about the novel is unquestionable because readers of The Color Purple are exposed to hard working women who attempt to overcome their obstacles brought to them by the male figures in their lives. Watkin also writes that the author’s story “provoked controversy about Walker’s portrayal of black men, which many found offensive and one-dimensional” (Literature Lovers). The Color Purple can be seen as offensive and one-dimensional because people can interpret the author’s words as saying: all black men are vituperative. This is not true. Walker is simply trying to demonstrate that it is common for men to be in charge of their wives and be dominative over them in the 1900s (and even today). Watkin simply praises the novel’s spark of controversy surrounding very sensitive topics. For Celie, men like Alfonso, Mr.___, and Harpo were all African American men who continuously put her down and gave her a hard time. This does not change until Celie displays her character development in her final letter to God. The Color Purple opens the eyes of the previously blind into the world’s aspect of an oppressive

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