The Power of the Epistolary Narrative: The Color Purple
It is clear that Alice Walker’s “near death” experience as a child allowed her to become a “meticulous observer of human relations” (“Alice Walker (1944-)”). Becoming blind in her right eye at the age of eight seemed to aid her writing, allowing her to become very interested in how people interacted, but also enabling her to withdraw from others. Walker’s childhood seemed to further help her writing. She writes as if trying to prove that slavery and oppression towards African Americans were present along with an abundance of other issues in The Color Purple. This novel uncovers how important it is to find one’s self in life. One can infer that Alice Walker connects to the main …show more content…
As discussed briefly before, her childhood automatically opened a window of opportunity for her writing career. Her family struggled continuously with money, which became one of the reasons why she lost the use of her right eye. This life changing event occurred when Alice Walker was shot in the eye with a BB gun at the age of eight. Her family's financial complications kept her from getting the help she needed (“Alice Walker (1944-)”). This led to Walker isolating herself from the rest of the world and allowed her to observe what went on around her, sort of like what Celie does in the book. It is likely that Walker was sharing her own personal struggles through the story of Celie, allowing her to share the things she wanted and hide what was too personal. Walker could connect to every female character in the novel with Shug and Sophia being the very strong female characters that describe Walker’s views on how women should stand their ground. Walker even coined the term “Womanist” --which differs from a feminist-- as one who appreciates women’s culture, emotions, and character (“Alice Walker (1944-)”). Many people believe that a lot of Alice Walker’s writing has to do with her own personal life, the obstacles she faced, and her own values like Womanism. What made Walker such a tremendous writer was incorporating her own life in her novels; her experience definitely solidified her
It is clear that Alice Walker’s “near death” experience as a child allowed her to become a “meticulous observer of human relations” (“Alice Walker (1944-)”). Becoming blind in her right eye at the age of eight seemed to aid her writing, allowing her to become very interested in how people interacted, but also enabling her to withdraw from others. Walker’s childhood seemed to further help her writing. She writes as if trying to prove that slavery and oppression towards African Americans were present along with an abundance of other issues in The Color Purple. This novel uncovers how important it is to find one’s self in life. One can infer that Alice Walker connects to the main …show more content…
As discussed briefly before, her childhood automatically opened a window of opportunity for her writing career. Her family struggled continuously with money, which became one of the reasons why she lost the use of her right eye. This life changing event occurred when Alice Walker was shot in the eye with a BB gun at the age of eight. Her family's financial complications kept her from getting the help she needed (“Alice Walker (1944-)”). This led to Walker isolating herself from the rest of the world and allowed her to observe what went on around her, sort of like what Celie does in the book. It is likely that Walker was sharing her own personal struggles through the story of Celie, allowing her to share the things she wanted and hide what was too personal. Walker could connect to every female character in the novel with Shug and Sophia being the very strong female characters that describe Walker’s views on how women should stand their ground. Walker even coined the term “Womanist” --which differs from a feminist-- as one who appreciates women’s culture, emotions, and character (“Alice Walker (1944-)”). Many people believe that a lot of Alice Walker’s writing has to do with her own personal life, the obstacles she faced, and her own values like Womanism. What made Walker such a tremendous writer was incorporating her own life in her novels; her experience definitely solidified her