An Analysis Of Alice Walker's The Color Purple From A Perspective Of Womanism

Alice Walker is one of the most prominent contemporary writers in America.Her masterpiece,The Color Purple,wins her Pulitzer Prize for her ideology of "womanism".Alice walker's "womanism" has four characteristics:anti-sexism,anti-racism,Afracentrism and Humanism.Through analysis of the black women's plight,struggle,and survival as well as their hope,this thesis illustrates four characteristics of womanism.This thesis is divided into seven parts.Introduction gives a brief overview on Alice Walker and her The Color Purple along with her womanism,pointing out the novel contains four characteristics of womanism.Chapter one is literature review.It has two sections.Section one deals with studies of The Color Purple.Their studies focused on themes,characters,symbols,narrative strategies, epistolary structure,and language characteristics of the novel.Nobody has studied the black women's plight,struggle,and survival as well as their hope through a perspective of womanism. Section two deals with the framework,and includes the origin and the core of womanism as well as its development.It mainly discusses Active Feminism and Black Feminism's influence on womanism.Alice Walker's womanism enriches feminism and provides a new perspective for understanding women's liberation.Chapter Two describes black women's living plight in America and Olinka tribe,such as rape and incest,isolation and desperation,and alienation and absurdity as well.The black women's suffering and misfortune reflect the female consciousness of womanism.Chapter Three describes sexism and racism in America and Olinka tribe,and explores Walker's anti-sexism,anti-racism consciousness of womanism.Walker bravely and resolutely stands up to the pressure exerted upon her for her endeavor to expose and finally eliminate all the evil parts of the black world,devoting the novel to a cause that is the breaking down of all the bondages on the blacks.Chapter Four mainly discusses black women's root-seeking travel to Africa,the complex of patchwork quilt and their concept of value,which contain Afracentrism of womanism.There are four sections in this chapter.In section one,through description of Nettie's root-seeking travel, Walker appeals to Afro-Americans to promote African culture.In this way Walker hopes to arouse the national consciousness of the blacks,carry forward the glorious tradition of Black Nationalism and at the same time discard their ancestors' ignorance and prejudice,and finally strengthen the national pride and cohesion of the black people.Section two discusses the patchwork quilt complex.Sewing patchwork quilt strengthens the friendship between the black women and their sisterhood,so that they could eventually grow into independent women.In section three Walker proposes animism to subvert the monism of the Whites' Bible, emancipating the black from the yoke of Whites' God.In section four through discussing the holistic love,Walker finds the blacks' pursuit and yearns for nature,happy,harmony,comfort and peace.In Chapter Five,through description of kindness and beauty of women and redemption of men Walker provides the readers with an ideal living pattern for the human beings which show humanism consciousness of womanism.There are three sections in this chapter.In section one through analysis of sisterhood,lesbian,Walker sings a high song for the black women who finally realize their equality and autonomy.The thesis explores the delicate status of sisterhood and lesbian in womanism connation and their unique value in black women's liberation movement.Section two discusses redemption.Tolerance is a noble human quality and a performance of humanism.Walker advocates the spirit of tolerance;both men and women finally reconciliate and accept each other.Section three discusses Walker's ideal living pattern and her desire to build a harmonious world filled with understanding and love.The last part of the thesis is the Conclusion.The Purple Color is a successful literary practice of Alice Walker's womanism and also is a development of feminism in regard to black feminism. Through advocating of anti-racism,anti-sexism,Afracentrism and Humanism,Alice Walker finally sets up an ideal harmonious living pattern by celebrating a unity of men and women regardless of their color and race.A harmonious relationship between men and women,human beings and society,human beings and nature is the pursuit of womanism and also is its true implication.