Sakshi Aggarwal
1313284
Prof. Arya
American Literature EST331
28 August 2014
Disruption
Of Gender Roles As Seen In The Book “The Colour Purple” By Alice Walker
The colour purple was
under the sword of criticism for various reasons, and was considered a piece of
literature that went against the conformed norms and expectations of the
society. This we see in the form of disrupted traditional gender roles that many
characters of the novel go against. While some break the boundaries put on them
by society, others are unhappy by the expectations society has from them and
are trying to reach those expectations leading to a frustrated nature for most
of the story. Though some the gendered roles have changed over time, we have to
keep in mind that when Walker was writing the novel, there were stringent laws
present on the behavior of men and women.
Women
were expected to be shy, delicate, caring, and submissive. Any sign of
dominance in a woman was frowned upon and not considered lady-like. Sofia’s
character, however, is one of a strong willed person who believes in
independence and not bowing down to others. She is assertive and makes her own
decisions. She is ready to break her marriage and move out with her children
when Harpo tries to be too dominating and physically abuse her. Women were
expected to be quiet about their sufferings. They had to bear it if their
husbands were too aggressive or if they had to go through mental or emotional
stress. Sofia however did not follow this. She made it clear that though she
loves Harpo she would not let him beat her.
Shug
is another interesting character which portrays non conformity to gender roles.
Her sexual assertiveness was a strict no in the society. Such women were called
with hideous names and looked down upon. They were considered dirty, and were
not communicated with. Women were taught to be timid with men, especially when
it came to sexual matters. They were considered as whores if they portrayed too
much of their sexuality. Shug however, was least bothered by this. She was a confident and outspoken woman who dressed
fashionably thus grabbing the attention of not just the men but also the women
around her. Unlike most women of the time, she wouldn’t talk to other girls
about hair and health, but would say stuff like “Girl, you’re a good time” like
the men.
Walker
didn’t confine herself to disrupting the female gendered roles but also moved
on to men. The men were thought as aggressive, muscular and able enough to
support the family. Harpo, however, was more feminine than masculine. He has
been portrayed as gentle and caring, who looks big and muscular but is very
weak willed. He takes care of the baby like a mother. He is ashamed of this and
tries to become more “manly” by hitting Sofia, something he had never thought
of. In a world where men hitting women was a sign of power and domination,
Walker gives us a character who has never even thought of hitting his wife
unless his father mentions it to him.
Alice
Walker, in this way, has wonderfully portrayed a patriarchal society which has
fixed gendered roles not only for the females but also for the males, thus
making it hard for them to be what they want to be. The novel is believed to
have defied all traditional boundaries put on a man and woman, forcing them to
behave in a particular way.
Works Cited
·
http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/purple/themes.html
·
http://www.shmoop.com/color-purple/
·
Walker, Alice, The Colour Purple. Harcourt 2006. Print
·
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_colour_purple#Disruption_of_traditional_gender_roles
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