By The Litht Of My Father's Smile: A Feminist Voice Uttered In The Postcolonial Context

By the Light of My Father's Smile was written in 1998 by Alice Walker, the same author who established her reputation for the Pulitzer Prize novel The Color Purple. She is the author of many best-selling novels, essays and collections of poetry including Meridian, By the Light of My Father's Smile and The Third Life of Grange Copeland. By the Light of My Father's Smile is her first novel in 6 years since she finished Possessing the Secret of Joy in 1992.Sharply different from her previous novels that predominantly revolve around the theme of racial injustice and oppression suffered by black women in the U.S., By the Light of My Father's Smile seems to celebrate and revel in the happy subject of sex, which makes the novel a highly controversial work. Controversial as it can be, By the Light of My Father's Smile reveals an acutely serious theme if one peels off the controversial layer of the sexual description on the surface, and digs into the core message that the author is trying to convey. The message is so clear and so strong that it can well serve as the manifesto of black women's struggle in the highly complicated situation of the post-colonial world. As one member of the large population that are marginalized in process of globalization, and as an acute thinker who strongly sympathizes those that are caught in similar situations, Alice Walker presents her deep observation and analysis of the plight of black women in the postcolonial setting in terms of race issues, gender issues, cultural issues and the colonial action of America. Alice Walker also suggests the possible ways to change the situation of black women, based on her observation and analysis; nonetheless, she utters the strongest voice demanding black women to fight for equality and reconciliation in the real sense.The previous works of Alice Walker mainly reflect the cruel living situation and sufferings of the black women of the lowest class in the society. Thus the criticisms on her works center on it. Compared with her previous novels, By the Light of My Father's Smile covers a larger ground in settings, characters and themes. The...