The Importance Of Motherhood In The Color Purple

Mothers, by very definition, are women who bare some relationship with their child. During this course, the novels, short stories, and television shows studied placed emphasis on femininity and the relationships that women have with those around them. In these novels, the relationships of mothers to their children and the children they want to have become a reoccurring thematic element. These relationships, with their differences, impacted every woman’s femininity in differing ways. The female characters from Sula, The Color Purple, Being Mary Jane, Salvage the Bones, “On Monday of Last Week” are powerfully influenced by the importance of motherhood and the emphasis placed on it in society. In each of these stories, motherhood impacts each …show more content…
In the novel, Celie has two children of her own, they were taken away from and given to another family. Due to this, Celie is never allowed to become the mother that she was destined to be. While she raises Mr._____’s children, Celie truly feels little to no motherly connection to his children. As Celie learns that she has children who are alive and well, the reader can see her character develop. Because of their existence, she is allowed to know what it is like to have people for which she wants to live and be happy. With this knowledge, motherhood allowed her to reclaim her existence and stand up for herself against the tyrannical Mr.______. The liberation that she is given from Mr._____ allowed her to find a sense of wonder and purpose, something that she has been unable to find for herself. Motherhood made her strong in herself, for it gave her the ability to look beyond others and the inadequacy she …show more content…
Although she was a natural mother, she felt as though her priorities better served if they focused on herself. While she lived out her dreams, Shug allowed herself to not make her children a priority. As Shug grows older, she develops a semblance of a relationship with the children who will allow the relationship to form. Although it seems that she is established in her relationship, or lack thereof, with motherhood, Shug has a void in her life that she seems to fill with meaningless and somewhat unhealthy relationships. Women are often defined by their ability to be a mother. As Shug goes against the precedent set for mothers, she loses some of the grace that is allotted to mothers who have a strong relationship with their children. Due to this, the reader, conditioned by society, sees her as wild, callous, and uncaring. With this, Shug leaves behind some of her femininity and takes on the role that seems more masculine in