CIA 3
The Power of a Female Relationship in 'The Color Purple'
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The novel starts off with a young black girl who is presented as the most vulnerable person in society. Celie epitomizes this girl: she is abused and denied a voice by her “father” and then by her husband. Along with the racial injustice young, black women undergo, they also struggle against their black, male counterparts. Under such conditions, if they want to change this status quo, these women ought to stick together against male domination. In fact, the one time in the novel, that Celie is too disturbed to sleep is when she betrays Sofia by telling Harpo to beat her; the infidelity to her fellow female is more than she can tolerate. Usually, however, there is a strong union of support between one woman and another, and this bonding comes from a need to show the male counterparts that they do not have total authority over women in their society.
The key strands of the
second wave feminism are depicted in The Color Purple. Celie’s sexual
harassment shows liberal feminism, radical feminism through the abolition of
patriarchy show radical feminism, lesbian feminism is seen through the intimate
instances between Celie and Shug, and African-American feminism. To me the idea
of “the personal is political” appealed the most, which is a part of the
African-American Feminism. The similarity between the collective fight of women
against men’s oppression and racial harassment develops in the novel. Indeed, The
Color Purple demonstrates that the group’s experience of the struggle
against racial subjugation, empowered black women to fight the oppression they
were subjected to by men in their society through collective solidarity.
Some of the instances where
Celie is brave and fights against the oppression she is subjected to by the
men, are all related to the other women in the novel such as her sister Nettie and
Shug. Both the female characters symbolize pro-active women and freedom-fighters
who control their life and do according to their will. For instance, Nettie
runs away from Pa, fights against Celie’s husband when he attempts to rape her,
and leaves for Africa as a missionary. Thus, she is portrayed as a pro-active
and a self-sufficient woman. In addition to this, Shug symbolizes black women’s
freedom. She is a singer; has a liberal sex life and she retains her freedom. She
has control over her life and on her behaviour. Celie on the other hand is
depicted as docile and submissive, completely contrary to Shug. She bears all
the torture and sexual abuse. Celie is portrayed to be incapable of going against
the male authority until Nettie and Shug come into her life. The encounter with
Shug and Nettie, gives her the strength to rebel against the male oppression. The
solidarity between these women emancipates them and gives them the strength to
rebel against the authority. Consequently, we can draw the analogy that the experience
of fighting racial oppression through a group, emancipates black women to fight
men’s oppression.
Celie’s liberation starts
through her lesbian relationship with Shug. This experience gives her the power
to stand up to her husband’s oppression and to gradually become confident and
independent. Indeed, “it is her love for Shug that enables [her]…[to] construct
a new identity within a feminine domain” (Abbandonato 1111) which highlights
the power of a group to defend against authority. This shows that the fight
against racial oppression through a shared understanding helps the black women
to fight against men harassing them. In addition to her lesbian experience, the
encounter with Shug makes a deep impact on Celie’s life. Infact, Shug’s song
“Sister” gives a public acknowledgment to Celie. It symbolizes a strong link
between the two women; a fraternal relationship which embodies the idea of union
to overcome male domination.
To conclude, Celie’s
encounter and lesbian experience with Shug and Nettie’s letters encourage her
to grow, become empowered and to emancipate herself. It demonstrates how the
collective understanding and solidarity has a massive impact on women to fight
against men’s oppression. The solidarity of black women to fight men harassing
them comes from the experience of rebelling against racial oppression.
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