The Black Female's Self-Destruction And Self-Redemption

The thesis will focus on the problems confronted by the black female from little girl to adult woman, represented by Pecola and Celie in The Bluest Eye and The Color Purple. The author will carry out contrast research on the two typical characters to analyze the complicated reasons behind their completely different destinies. After brief Introduction, the thesis will first analyze the reasons for their destinies separately: the tragedy of Pecola's self-destruction versus the success of Celie's self-redemption. Separate vertical research will be launched from both inside and outside the community: inside is the influence of black community including their family, friends and the black environment, outside is the impact of the white dominance in the internalization of racial beauty values and the penetrative invasion of white culture. From the same angles on the two different lives of them, the author will explore the complicated reasons behind their completely different destinies and the further reasons for the loss of self-identity and black culture. However, although the influence of inside and outside environment have led to their different lives, the most crucial cause of their destinies lies in the contrast of characters. The author will then carry out horizontal research between Pecola and Celie from physical, psychological and spiritual aspects in parallel contrast with each other, thus achieving comprehensive understanding of the causes of their different destinies of self-destruction and self-redemption. Pecola is the symbol of the loss of identity, from increasing self-hatred to final self-destruction; while Celie is the other side of the coin, the symbol of self-redemption and the regain of self-identity. However, every female grows from girl to woman, Pecola can become Celie and have completely different destiny. As Walker put it, Celie's secret to success is womanism, the guidance for all the black female, which includes four characteristics: anti-sexism, anti-racism, Afracentrism and humanism. This brand new dynamic perspective will be the achievement of the thesis, thus being more instructive to the future study.