The Color Purple Essay -- essays research papers fc

The Results of Celies Physical and Mental AbuseIn 1982 Alice Walker titled her Pulitzer Prize Winning novel, The Color Purple, which is symbolically meant to reflect radiance and majesty (Columbia). It is a story, entirely conveyed through letters, of one young black girls struggle to escape the brutal and degrading treatment by men, which had become a constant part of her life. Instead of focusing on race throughout the novel Walker accords greater importance to power, the power to be, to concretize ones self, as to mold others (Dieke 102). This completely unbalanced power ultimately leaves Celie tang alone and controlled, which affects her relationships with men and influences her relationship with women, mainly Shug Avery. The horrifying effects of rape and what Celie thought was incest so greatly scarred her for the rest of her life that she lost the top executive to lie with, became confused about her sexuality, and subconsciously denied her right to an identity. For a consi derable amount of time Celie blindly accepted the fact that she would be treated like a slave in her own home. As a result, Celie demonstrated intense fear and a complete lack of love toward her husband. Because Mr. _____ had originally wanted to join Celies older sister Nettie he felt that in settling for Celie he had the right to treat her as his property. Celie was completely aware of these arrangements Mr. _____ marry me to civilize care of his children. I marry him cause my daddy made me. I dont love Mr. _____ and he dont love me (Walker 57). As opposed to most marriages being based on trust, love, and commitment, their bond was based on authority, obedience, and service. Mr. _____ immediately brings Shug Avery into his home when he heard that she was sick so that Celie could target care of her along with his children from a previous marriage. After a short period of time Celie learns about their past and about Mr. _____s current feelings for Shug. Celies blatant disregard t o Mr. _____ sleeping with Shug again displays complete apathy toward her husband. Mr. _____s aggressively dominant role does not denote the conventional husband/married woman relationship it seems to more closely represent a master/slave relationship. Mr. _____s constant oppressive presence causes Celie to live in continuous fear. Celie explains that M... ...novel Celies traumatic experiences have had a great impact on the entirety of her life. Once married she constantly lived in fear being incapable of love and unable to control her misguided sexual emotions.BibliographyBradley, David. Novelist Alice Walker Telling the Black Womans Story. New York Times Magazine 8 Jan. 1984 24-37.Dieke, Ikenna. Critical Essays on Alice Walker. Westport Greenwood Press,1999.Gates, Henry Louis Jr. and K.A. Appiah. Alice Walker Critical Perspectives Past and Present. NewYork Amistad Press Inc, 1993.http//www.Womenshistroy.about.comRace and Domesticity in The Color Purple African American Review 29 1 Spring 199567-82.The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright 2001 Columbia University Press.Walker, Alice. The Color Purple. Orlando Harcourt Brace Jovanovich Publishers 1982.Walsh, Margaret. The Enchanted World of the Color Purple. Southern Quarterly 25 (1987) 89-101.