The Color Purple
In Alice Walker's novel The Color Purple, the concept of the body, reproduction, and violence shown through the novel are the most prominent and key concerns seen in this novel. Beginning with the perception of the body, The Color Purple portrays a very striking interpretation from the first pages. "She ugly. He say. But she aint no stranger to hard work. And she clean. And God done fixed her. You can do everything just like you want and she aint gonna make you feed it or clothe it." This gives the feel that the men have towering standards of the women that are seen in this story of Black Southern Women. This also can be seen when Celie holds on to a picture of Shug because she is so gorgeous. These are principles seen in our society as a whole. Women holding onto pictures of women in magazines and posters lead to the suggestion that the airbrushed picture is realistic and that is what the women of the world need to look like. The predecessor of this is visualized when this is what the men look at in their magazines. The view that men have of women is one of this sexual being waiting to be had. Celie holding onto this picture is the same as a woman today buying a magazine that appeals to her in
Another form of violence is blatant hitting. The men tend to hit the women. It is sad when a woman is afraid of her own children. The novel gives hints at this with "...oldest boy. He twelve...He pick up a rock and laid my head open. The blood run all down tween my breasts. His daddy say Don't do that!" Violence by men against women is also seen when a woman cannot defend herself against her abuser "I don't know how to fight." ferior parts. "Us both be hitting Nettie's schoolbooks pretty hard, cause us knows we got to be smart to git away. I know I'm not as pretty or as smart as Nettie, but she say I aint dumb." is played on all through the book as well as in our traditions. Women of the world today need to be beautiful to be a superstar, or so it seems. In conclusion the paper that is presented compares the trials and tribulations of one woman to a whole male dominated society. She is raped, beaten, abused, neglected etc... just to be told to shut up and take it. This is what happens in our culture as well. Alice Walker's portrayal of a women is not far from the reality of the modern world. The Color Purple has a breathtaking plot that follows a women's delimas and choices through a life that is doomed from her youth, to have a portrayal of survival by going with the flow. The last form of violence is the emotional kind. Through all the prior mentioned information you can see how some is emotionally torn up and is so due to her husband/male figures in her life. It makes a woman feel in general that all men are scum as noticeable with the quote "And act just like all other mens I know. Trifling, forgitful and lowdown." This can be through a series of physical abuses, from multiple men, giving a negative take on life. Reproduction is the second factor that is a touchy concept in today's world as well as in the novel. "I tried to work on some new pants I'm
Some common words found in the essay are:
Southern Women, Don't Violence, Color Purple, Alice Walker's, color purple, modern world, women seen, seen novel, hit women, society women, holding onto, violence women, life makes, form violence,
Approximate Word count = 1268
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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