Of course, the [whites] oppress us, they oppress the world. Who’s got his big white foot on the whole world? The white man, the rich white man. But we also oppress each other and we oppress ourselves. I think that one of the traditions we have in Black Women’s literature is a tradition of trying to fight all the oppression. (Walker, Sojourner 14)
(Christophe, p. 102)
The question of domination and resistance has been one of the major problems in interpersonal relationships ever since. Whereas there are diverse forms of domination and oppression, the issue of females being dominated by men is one of the most crucial to Alice Walker. Consequently she focuses on black-on-black violence between the characters in her novel The Color Purple. Often criticized for not dealing with the problem of racism and discrimination of African American by their white fellow-citizens in the first place but concentrating on the disproportion between the sexes, Alice Walker aims at the creation of equality between men and women due to the fact that it is important to her to strive for a solution of the problems she experiences in her immediate environment, namely black communities, first: “I mean to deal with the guy who beat you up in your house and then see who’s beating you up on the street. (Sojourner 14)” (Christophe, p. 102). Only by solving the problems that exist between African Americans a strong community that can overcome greater issues as discrimination by whites can come into being.
To create awareness of the fact that the discrimination most African Americans suffer from also exists within their own community, Walker deals with the oppression of women in black communities rather than with racism. Nevertheless there are significant similarities between racism and the treatment of women to be found in her novel. The fact that a group of human beings is considered to be less valuable and thus can be dominated by a supposedly superior group is the same in racism and slavery as in the oppression of women. The concept of a relationship between a person who dominates and a person who obeys underlies the relationship between master and slave and some of the relationships between the male and female characters in the novel alike. These parallels will be dealt with as well as with the way the female characters try to resist.[...]
At a glance
- Grade: 2.0 (1.0 is the best grade)
- Analyzes female solidarity through quilting and Walker’s concept of womanism
- Traces male aggression across Albert, his father, and his son Harpo
- Examines the novel’s events and characters through Celie’s epistolary perspective
- 46 sources in the bibliography
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Male Domination: The Oppression of Women and their Response
2.1. Celie and Alphonso
2.2. Celie and Albert
2.3. Sofia and Harpo
2.4. Mary Agnes and Harpo
2.5. Conclusion
3. Making a Quilt - Creating a Network: Female Resistance
3.1. Celie and Shug
3.2. Celie and Sofia
3.3. Sofia and Mary Agnes
3.4. Conclusion
4. The Cycle of violence: Origins of Male Aggression
4.1. Albert and his father
4.2. Albert and Harpo
4.3. Conclusion
5. Conclusion
Objectives and Themes
This paper examines how women experience and resist male domination in Alice Walker’s The Color Purple. It asks how oppressive relationships operate, how solidarity among women supports resistance, and how aggression is passed between generations of men.
- Male domination and women’s responses
- Female solidarity and the symbolism of quilting
- Womanism and relationships between women
- Masculinity and intergenerational violence
- Celie’s perspective in the epistolary novel
- Connections between sexism, racism, and slavery
Excerpt from the Book
3.2. Celie and Sofia
Sofia is the first woman that Celie meets that actually knows how to speak up for herself and refuses to let a man control her. Sofia is pretty much everything Celie is not. But instead of learning from Sofia or seeing someone in her she can turn to for help Celie reacts in way that is hardly comprehensible at first sight: “Jealous of Sophia’s physical strength and sense of authority, and frustrated at her own lack of either quality, Celie strikes out at her by repeating to Harpo the advice his father had given him about how to make his wife obey him[…]” (Weston, p. 155). According to Moore and Ward, Celie encourages Harpo to beat his wife because “[she] is given a rare opportunity to participate in the control and abuse of a woman other than herself”. But she immediately realises that this was wrong, as she is not able to sleep during the following nights. She cannot enjoy this one moment when she has the power to dominate somebody rather then being the one that is dominated. Moreover she fears the consequences of her mistake.
When Sofia finds out that it was Celie who advised Harpo to beat her in order to make her submissive she is shocked, angry, and takes Celie to task for her betrayal. Sofia has always been able to rely on the support of other women in her fight against male domination throughout her childhood. Unlike Celie she has learned that women need to help each other to resist oppressive men. By this confrontation Sofia “[…] calls her [Celie] to moral responsibility, not only for allowing herself to encourage male brutality to women, but ultimately to responsibility for her own life.” (Weston, p. 156) and Celie realises that she encouraged Harpo because “[…] I’m jealous of you. I say it cause you do what I can’t.” (p. 39).
Celie reminds Sofia of her own mother who also did everything her husband wanted and like other women before she wants to convince Celie that she has to defend herself from Mr___’s abuse. But she also realises that Celie cannot do it on her own but needs the same help that she has profited from, namely the support of women. Thus she suggests making a quilt with Celie that symbolises the network of support and protection that these two women create between each other. Celie joins the network that Sofia already has with her sisters and thus Celie states that Sofia “[…] feel like my sister.” (p. 47).
Chapter Summaries
1. Introduction: The introduction establishes the focus on domination, resistance, female solidarity, and the possible origins of aggression. It also explains the importance of Celie’s perspective and the paper’s close engagement with the novel.
2. Male Domination: The Oppression of Women and their Response: This chapter examines four relationships between men and women, comparing forms of oppression and the women’s responses.
3. Making a Quilt - Creating a Network: Female Resistance: The chapter explores relationships among Celie, Shug, Sofia, and Mary Agnes, using the quilt as a symbol of mutual support and resistance.
4. The Cycle of violence: Origins of Male Aggression: The discussion follows Albert’s relationships with his father and Harpo to consider how attitudes about masculinity and domination pass between generations.
5. Conclusion: The conclusion brings together the discussion of oppression, solidarity, and the possibility of change in relationships between women and men.
Keywords
Alice Walker, The Color Purple, male domination, female resistance, womanism, female solidarity, domestic violence, gender roles, masculinity, intergenerational violence, quilting, epistolary narrative, African American literature
Frequently Asked Questions
What is this paper about?
It analyzes the oppression of women and their resistance in Alice Walker’s The Color Purple.
What are its central themes?
The paper focuses on male domination, female solidarity, gender roles, and the transmission of violence across generations.
What is its primary aim?
It seeks to understand how oppression operates in the novel, how women resist it, and what may contribute to male aggression.
What method does the paper use?
It offers a close literary analysis of relationships and dialogue in the novel, drawing on feminist and womanist scholarship and other literary criticism.
What does the main discussion cover?
It examines relationships between men and women, bonds among women, and relationships between fathers and sons.
Which keywords characterize the paper?
Key terms include womanism, female solidarity, male domination, masculinity, quilting, and intergenerational violence.
Why is quilting important to the analysis?
The paper interprets the women’s quilt-making as a symbol of the network of support they create together.
How does Celie’s narration affect the discussion?
Because events and characters are presented through Celie’s letters, the paper notes that their depiction is shaped by her subjective perspective.
Which family relationships are used to explore male aggression?
The discussion considers Albert’s relationship with his father and his relationship with his son Harpo.
- Quote paper
- Antje Bernstein (Author), 2007, Male Domination and Female Resistance, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/182494
