The main conflict that Alice Walker addresses in this book is the idea that men believe they are superior to women in all aspects therefore causing abusive relationships such as domestic violence, but Walker also shows and explains various factors that often cause women to stay in such abusive relationships rather than leaving. The secondary source, “Breaking the Cycle of Intimate Partner Violence: Understanding Why Victims Don 't Leave and Implications for Advocates and the Criminal Justice System” by Crime Victims’ Institute claims that there are several factors that cause a victim to stay in the abusive relationship or that cause a victim to return to their abuser. In The Color Purple by Alice Walker Celie, the main character, was not a
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Celie’s mother had just given birth to a baby so she did not want any sexual relationships which angered Celie’s father. Celie was only a child when her own father started to rape her. Celie was very confused as to why her own father was doing that to her but all that would come out of his mouth was “you better shut up and git used to it” while Celie would be crying (Walker 1). Celie could not and did not tell anyone about her father raping her because he threatened her by saying “you better not tell nobody but God” or else he would kill her mother so she stayed quiet (Walker 1). The secondary source also shows that “victims frequently report fearing that the abuser will harm children, family members, and animals in retaliation for leaving the relationship” which explains why Celie did not tell anyone but God about the abuse (Goodson, Amanda. "Breaking the Cycle of Intimate Partner Violence: Understanding Why Victims Don 't Leave and Implications for Advocates and the Criminal Justice System." Research into Practice (2016): 1-4. Crime Victims ' Institute. Criminal Justice Center, Feb. 2016. Web. 10 …show more content…
Crime Victims ' Institute. Criminal Justice Center, Feb. 2016. Web. 10 Apr. 2016.). All in all, the book and the secondary source both show how although women such as Celie can be victims of abusive relationships there are also many factors that impede women from leaving such relationships no matter how harsh they are. Celie did go through a lot of pain but in the end she found love and it gave her the strength she needed to break the cycle of abuse she was in. Celie often believed that the way she was being treated was actually okay, but once she found what true love was she realized how wrong she had been to let herself be abused for so many years. It is very tough for women and men to realize that they are in an abusive relationship and even harder to have the courage to leave, but just like Celie they must realize their worth and take the step towards a much joyful and overall better
Celie’s mother had just given birth to a baby so she did not want any sexual relationships which angered Celie’s father. Celie was only a child when her own father started to rape her. Celie was very confused as to why her own father was doing that to her but all that would come out of his mouth was “you better shut up and git used to it” while Celie would be crying (Walker 1). Celie could not and did not tell anyone about her father raping her because he threatened her by saying “you better not tell nobody but God” or else he would kill her mother so she stayed quiet (Walker 1). The secondary source also shows that “victims frequently report fearing that the abuser will harm children, family members, and animals in retaliation for leaving the relationship” which explains why Celie did not tell anyone but God about the abuse (Goodson, Amanda. "Breaking the Cycle of Intimate Partner Violence: Understanding Why Victims Don 't Leave and Implications for Advocates and the Criminal Justice System." Research into Practice (2016): 1-4. Crime Victims ' Institute. Criminal Justice Center, Feb. 2016. Web. 10 …show more content…
Crime Victims ' Institute. Criminal Justice Center, Feb. 2016. Web. 10 Apr. 2016.). All in all, the book and the secondary source both show how although women such as Celie can be victims of abusive relationships there are also many factors that impede women from leaving such relationships no matter how harsh they are. Celie did go through a lot of pain but in the end she found love and it gave her the strength she needed to break the cycle of abuse she was in. Celie often believed that the way she was being treated was actually okay, but once she found what true love was she realized how wrong she had been to let herself be abused for so many years. It is very tough for women and men to realize that they are in an abusive relationship and even harder to have the courage to leave, but just like Celie they must realize their worth and take the step towards a much joyful and overall better