The film adaptation of Alice Walker’s The Color Purple is about the life of Celie Harris, who was a poor, black girl married against her will to an older black man. She was abused throughout her married life and somehow found a way to discover her own identity. In The Color Purple, the way power is distributed between men and women, specifically for black women, is very clear; mainly because black women are mistreated not only by members of other races, but by members of their own as well. Sisterhood in The Color Purple is one of the driving forces for good in this novel. It is through sisterhood and the solidarity between each woman that gives strength to each character involved. Through the bond of sisterhood, the women in this novel experience
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Alice Walker presents the idea of women uniting or creating bonds in The Color Purple; this serves as an alternative movement to counter the oppression black women face. In a sense, Walker coined the term ‘womanism’ through the introduction of the idea of sisterhood relations. In The Color Purple, the relationship between each woman shows an evident strength as they use it to confront stereotypes and mistreatment: “All my life I had to fight. I had to fight from my daddy. I had to fight from my brothers. I had to fight my cousins and my uncles. A girl child ain’t safe in a family of men…I loves Harpo…But I’ll kill him dead before I let him beat me” (Walker, pg. 39). It is through sisterly conversations, between Sofia and Celie that show the growing bond between the women in the novel. They use each other as a resource to express their insecurities and beliefs, and the quote below is a perfect example of the relationship that was developing between Shug and …show more content…
The Celie we become acquainted with at the beginning of the novel is treated as a mule and is further dehumanized through sexual exploitation. The way Mr.________ and Celie’s father exploit her serves to highlight the fact that a woman, especially a woman of color, cannot rely on men to protect and nurture her. This is why Celie looks somewhere else for such support, and she looks for this comfort in Shug. The relationship between Shug and Celie is more than a lesbian relationship; this sexual connection between both of them is just part of their sisterly bond. Shug’s version of womanhood rejects controlling stereotypes and this is something Celie admires. Both women begin to look out for each other throughout the novel. For example, during the priest’s sermon against Shug’s presence in town, Celie says, “someone got to stand up for Shug” (Walker, pg. 44). Also, the first time Celie shows resistance is when she spits into the glass of water, in light of the fact that Old Mr.________ refers to Shug in a very disrespectful
Alice Walker presents the idea of women uniting or creating bonds in The Color Purple; this serves as an alternative movement to counter the oppression black women face. In a sense, Walker coined the term ‘womanism’ through the introduction of the idea of sisterhood relations. In The Color Purple, the relationship between each woman shows an evident strength as they use it to confront stereotypes and mistreatment: “All my life I had to fight. I had to fight from my daddy. I had to fight from my brothers. I had to fight my cousins and my uncles. A girl child ain’t safe in a family of men…I loves Harpo…But I’ll kill him dead before I let him beat me” (Walker, pg. 39). It is through sisterly conversations, between Sofia and Celie that show the growing bond between the women in the novel. They use each other as a resource to express their insecurities and beliefs, and the quote below is a perfect example of the relationship that was developing between Shug and …show more content…
The Celie we become acquainted with at the beginning of the novel is treated as a mule and is further dehumanized through sexual exploitation. The way Mr.________ and Celie’s father exploit her serves to highlight the fact that a woman, especially a woman of color, cannot rely on men to protect and nurture her. This is why Celie looks somewhere else for such support, and she looks for this comfort in Shug. The relationship between Shug and Celie is more than a lesbian relationship; this sexual connection between both of them is just part of their sisterly bond. Shug’s version of womanhood rejects controlling stereotypes and this is something Celie admires. Both women begin to look out for each other throughout the novel. For example, during the priest’s sermon against Shug’s presence in town, Celie says, “someone got to stand up for Shug” (Walker, pg. 44). Also, the first time Celie shows resistance is when she spits into the glass of water, in light of the fact that Old Mr.________ refers to Shug in a very disrespectful