Having something that is rudimentary and seen as an ordinary object may hold no value to people around you, but holds a deeper meaning when it can change you as a person and your life holistically. In Alice Walker’s, The Color Purple, Celie the protagonist undergoes trials and tribulations and along her journey she discovers objects that shape her to be a stronger and more independent women at the end of the novel. The symbolic objects consist of the pants, the quilt, and the letters. During the early twentieth century in the United States, it wasn’t the norm for women to wear pants. Pants were symbolic of dominance and men who wore them had control over his household. However, Sofia breaks the norm by wearing Harpo’s pants while in the process of manual labor. “I see Sofia dragging a ladder and then lean it up gainst the house. She wearing a old pair of Harpo’s pants. Got her head tied up in a headrag. She clam up the ladder to the roof, begin to hammer in nails. Sound echo cross the yard like shots. Harpo eat, watch her,” (62). Sofia is a sign to Celie that women aren’t inferior to men and women too can have power. This idea stays with Celie until she finally decides to leave Mr.___ and …show more content…
The quilt was made subsequent to the confrontation between Celie and Sofia regarding how Celie told Harpo to beat Sofia. After Celie apologizes to Sofia, they decide to make a quilt together including Shug Avery’s old yellow dress. The quilt represents unification because of the different people who were a part of the completion of the quilt. The sewing of the quilt later transformed to a successful sewing business that produced independence and happiness for Celie that was never present throughout most of her life. To some sewing may just be a hobby Celie indulged in to past the time, but on the contrary it led to her being an independent woman free from submission and
• May believe that accomplishment of one goal or activity fulfills obligations to minority communities; may engage in token hiring practices.
Another important woman in Celie’s life was Harpo’s wife Sofia. Sofia wasn’t as important to Celie as Shug Avery or her sister Nettie, but it was Sofia’s actions that I believe helped inspire Celie. For when Harpo tried to beat Sofia, thanks to Celie’s advice to Harpo to beat his wife, Sofia would always fight back. Not only emotionally but physically as well, for one day when Celie was going to Harpo’s house she saw Harpo and Sofia fighting like twos mens (P. 44). And I think Celie was really shocked when Sofia confronted her on why Celie told Harpo to beat Sofia. I say it cause I’m a fool, I say it cause I’m jealous of you. I say it cause you do what I can’t. What that? She say. Fight I say. … She say all my life I had to fight. I had to fight my daddy. I had to fight my brothers … cousins … uncles. A girl child ain’t safe in a family of men. But I never thought I’d have
There are numerous works of literature that recount a story- a story from which inspiration flourishes, providing a source of liberating motivation to its audience, or a story that simply aspires to touch the hearts and souls of all of those who read it. One of the most prevalent themes in historical types of these kinds of literature is racism. In America specifically, African Americans endured racism heavily, especially in the South, and did not gain equal rights until the 1960s. In her renowned book The Color Purple, Alice Walker narrates the journey of an African American woman, Celie Johnson (Harris), who experiences racism, sexism, and enduring hardships throughout the course of her life; nonetheless, through the help of friends and
Compare the ways in which the writers of The Help and The Color Purple explore violence within the lives of black African Americans.
Many African-American quilts that were made after the Civil War and emancipation were made from scraps of clothing and other like materials. Born in 1944 in Eatonton, Georgia, Alice Walker grew up as the youngest sibling in a poor family. As a Civil Rights activist, Walker fought for the equality of all African-Americans. She is best known for her novel The Color Purple which was published in 1982. In 1973, she released the story collection In Love and Trouble which included the short story “Everyday Use.” Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use” displays the theme of the meaning of heritage through irony and symbolism.
One of the first symbols introduced in the work, Mrs. Wright’s apron is deeply symbolic of her personal struggle in her home and marriage. Physically, the apron is a feminine piece of
Alice Walker, the author of The Color Purple, focuses on the struggles of a poor and uneducated African American girl, who is verbally, physically and sexually abused by several men in her life. She feels worthless and becomes completely submissive. Her only way to express her feelings is through private letters to God. An emphasized theme in this work is that expressing one’s thoughts and emotions is essential in order to develop an inner sense of self.
Alice Walker is a world renowned novelist, poet, short story author and political activist, with works including The Temples of my Familiar and In Search of Our Mothers’ Gardens. Yet Ms. Walker’s most critically acclaimed novel remains The Color Purple. The Color Purple tells the complex tale African American women, their brutal living conditions, everyday abuse, and their instinct to survive. The Color Purple was an immediate success due to its simple writing style, the intricate storyline, and compelling characters. In 1983 The Color Purple was recognized for these very reasons and graciously awarded The Pulitzer Prize For Fiction. Every year several Pulitzer Awards are handed out to distinguished
Color of Purple is a Novel by Alice Walker, published in 1982. It won a Pulitzer Prize in 1983. A feminist novel about an abused and uneducated black woman's struggle for empowerment, the novel was praised for the depth of its female characters and for its eloquent use of black English vernacular.
In The Color Purple, there were several themes such as Violence, Sexuality, Power, God or Spiritually. Power is a key role in this novel. Walker focuses throughout the novel that the ability to express someone’s thoughts and feelings is critical to developing a sense of self. Initially, Celie is truly unable to resist those who abuse her. Remembering Alphonso’s warning that she “better not never tell nobody but God” about him abusing her. , Celie knows that the only way to keep it is to remain silent and invisible. Celie is emphasize an object, an entirely accepting party who has no power to give herself through
The two quilts were “pieced by Grandma Dee and then Big Dee” (Walker 76), both of which Wangero was originally named after. The quilts were made from pieces of their family’s history: scraps of dresses, shirts, and uniforms. The pieces are a way of representing the family members who influenced and passed down their culture, heritage, and most importantly the family values they thought mattered. However, it has already been proven that Wangero’s motives were not to use the quilts as they were meant to be used, thus ignoring how the Johnson family appreciates the quilts. Momma even goes so far as to tell us that Wangero turned them down when she went to college calling them “old-fashioned, out of style” (Walker
Based upon the novel by Alice Walker, “The Color Purple” is a heart wrenching film directed by Steven Spielberg. Released on December 18, 1985, this classic motion picture featured actresses such as Whoopi Goldberg as Celie Johnson, Margaret Avery as Shug Avery, Akosua Busia as Nettie Harris and actor Danny Glover as Mister. As Celie Johnson narrates her struggles to find her identity outside of her horrific abuse, she discovers other important life lessons that help build who she eventually becomes. Although the first few seconds depict a jubilant moment between fourteen year old Celie and her younger sister Nettie, the normal happy picture is shattered when Celie’s pregnant belly is revealed and her father states, “Celie, you got the
Life is a rollercoaster filled with ups and downs. Left turns, right turns, and sometimes completely upside down loop de loops. The Color Purple by Alice Walker is a story about a colored woman named Celie who writes letters to God while living through extreme oppression and abuse. Celie eventually overcomes her oppressors by finding her purpose in life through friendship, love, hope, and change in faith. Discovering hope, love, and faith leads to a fulfilling life through difficult times.
Celie, the narrator of The Color Purple, is an uneducated, submissive, 14-year old black girl who lives in Georgia. Celie is constantly being abused and raped by her father, Alphonso. He has already impregnated Celie twice. The first one was a girl while the second one was a boy. All her children were taken away by her father after they were born. Her father told her that she better not tell anybody about their relationship but God, which explains why every letter she write begins with “Dear God”. Celie’s mother is happy because Alphonso doesn’t bother her anymore, but the truth is that Alphonso has been raping Celie as a substitute for her mother to gratify his sexual needs. Celie’s mother becomes seriously sick and eventually dies. Alphonso brings home another woman but continues to sexually
a happy family is ruined due to the way they react to Pa in a