[SLAVERY IN THE COLOR PURPLE] [RACIAL INTOLERANCE IN THE COLOR PUPLE]
The novel The Color Purple by Pulitzer Prize winner Afro-American writer Alice Walker, is an exploration in survival and growth of black women in America in a racist society. In this novel, Walker has clearly shown that a black woman is doubly jeopardized and oppressed by male patriarchy and racial discrimination. The black woman faced the reality of double discrimination of both race and sex. The identity and freedom types of concept were absolutely unknown to the black woman. They were not safe at home. At home a black woman had to face gender discrimination and outside she faced racial discrimination as well. Thus through her writings Alice Walker has very deeply and closely exposed sexism and racism that affected the black woman in America. The themes of her most of the novels are the struggle of a black woman in racist, sexist and violent society. Though the blacks gained their rights to equality through law but in reality they are still considered as slaves and inferior to that white and face racial discrimination, subjugation and hatred feelings especially black females. It becomes very difficult for a black female to establish her identity in such a hostile environment. She suffers at the hands of both black as well as white men and as a result had to fight for her survival both outside and and inside the home. Racial discrimination in American society had the power to crush even a very strong willed and indomitable spirit. It has been presented in the novel The Color Purple by Walker through the character of a well built, confident and daring character Sofia. But
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through the character of Sofia, Alice Walker shows that her female characters are so daunting they cope with the hostile situations and establish their identity in spite of all odds.
Sofia, a fierce and strong female character behaves strictly against the systematic oppression of a black American society which demands from its female members complete subservient to the white as well as to its black male members of the society family. But Sofia does not accept such a subservient role neither in her family nor in the society. As a result, she has to suffer a lot in her family. Sofia is not ready to play the role of a traditional dutiful wife who always accepts and fulfills her the demands of her malimaster male master. Neither she accepts the white supremacy. Sofia very strongly refused her proposal by saying “Hell no”. Miss Millie, a white was not ready for such a response from a black female as in her opinion it was an honour for a black female if she worked for a white female. But Sofia took it as an insult to her dignity. The mayor was also stunned at this answer and slapped her. “Mayor look at Sofia, push his wife out of the way, stick out his chest. Girl, what you say to Miss Millie. He claps her.”
Sofia was brutally tortured and her body was also swollen. She was unable to talk and walk and the police dragged her off
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to prison) and exploration in survival and growth of black women in America in a racist society. Sofia was so hopeless that she never took vengeance from the white folk or her oppressors but she expressed all verbal anger. She told Celie about her dream of murdering so the gatekeeper of the jail and her oppressors who were responsible to send her to jail. Even after coming out of jail Sofia would continuously think about killing them a) an exploration in survival and growth of black women in America in a racist society.
“…the jail that sofia is held is a metaphor for all black people caged by racism. For others, though they do not serve in a litiral prison and instead and confined to servitude and domesticity an exploration in survival and growth of black women in America in a racist society. In within their homes.”
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Sofia, after being badly tortured and shaken, into her final submission to Miss Millie.
Another character in the novel who faces horrors of racism is Celie’s father who was a successful businessman and progressive personality. He owned his property by the dint of his hardwork but the white members merchants were jealous of him and thought him responsible for stealing their white as well as black customers.
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He lived in a world where a black was not allowed to be successful. So the white decied to teach him a lesson. One night his shop was burnt down and he along with his two brothers was dragged from the house at midnight and hanged. So it was unbearable for the white to digest the success and upleftment of any black more than them.