Lost And Found

Alice Walker is one of the most influential and prestigious contemporary African-American writers. The Color Purple (1982) is her masterpiece which wins the Pulitzer Price and the National Book Award in the next year.Womanism is coined by Alice Walker with the purpose to differentiate from mainstream feminism. Mainstream feminism is strongly against gender discrimination. Meanwhile, it despises black females and even further oppresses the black for the need of white female emancipation. Obviously, the black females are incapable of escaping the oppression. Under this circumstance, the ideology of womanism comes into being and becomes the unique guidance and aim of black females. Womanism aims to expose the cruelty of both racial discrimination and gender discrimination. The difference is that feminism regards men as enemies and believes the conflict between male and female is irreconcilable. However, womanism overthrows this blind outcast, strengthens harmonious and united development as well as strives for wholeness and existence of humanity.The thesis aims to analyze how the protagonist Celie transforms from an obedient black woman to an independent and confident new female from the perspective of womanism. In the novel, under the racial discrimination and gender oppression, Celie loses her female consciousness. However, with the encouragement of her friends and her younger sister, Celie manages to get rid of blind belief to God and run away from the home where she has been suffered. She even fosters healthy and equal relationships with males with mutual endurance and understanding, and eventually achieves her economical, spiritual and social independence.Through above analysis, the thesis further elaborates that under double oppressions of racial discrimination and gender discrimination, Celie manages to achieve her self-value and identity recognition as well as realize the awakening of female consciousness. Her independence carries forward the spirit of daring fighting with adversity and pursuing life, as well as the strong belief of optimism.