An Analysis Of Sofia In The Color Purple From The Perspective Of Androgyny

The Color Purple is not only a book about blacks,but also a novel concerning women's existential predicament.It describes some black women's growth.The black women in The Color Purple not only have to bear oppressions from the white society,but also oppressions from black men.But women begin to pay attention to their own feelings and growth,instead of taking family and men as center.This is perhaps the feminism Walker wants to realize all her life.Since the publication of The Color Purple,it has been studied from many perspectives,such as from the eco-feminism perspective,narrative techniques,the characterization,the analysis of characters in the novel as well as from feminism and so on.However,few people analyze The Color Purple from Virginia Woolf's androgyny theory.This paper is based on the analysis of the character Sofia from the perspective of Woolf's androgyny.Sofia is depicted as a protagonist with androgynous characteristics.Androgyny refers to the integrity of human nature in ancient times.The notion originated from Greek myth,ancient philosophy and the Bible,but it was not until1920 s that Virginia Woolf introduced this notion into the literary field.Woolf believes that androgyny is the ideal state between male and female who are mutually dependent on each other,mutually tolerant and respectful and only in this way can the human society realize its full and free development.The thesis,based on Woolf's notion of androgyny,intends to explore the femininity and masculinity embodied in Sofia in The Color Purple,in order to make an objective and fair evaluation of Sofia.There are five parts in the whole thesis.Introduction serves to Alice Walker,her work The Color Purple and current researches on the novels.The theory of androgyny and the structure of this thesis are also introduced.The first and second chapters are the main parts of this thesis,which explore the notion of androgyny in The Color Purple.The first chapter discusses the femininityembodied in Sofia's sewing patchwork quilts and sisterhood.The second chapter discusses Sofia's masculinity as a role of dominator and rebel.The third chapter presents the influence of Sofia's androgynous characteristics on other characters in The Color Purple,especially her husband and Celie and enlightenment to modern women.The last part is a conclusion of the thesis: the androgynous Sofia,her feminine charm and masculine strength cause profoundly influences on people around her as well as embody the novel's theme of anti-sexism and anti-racism.When black community discards its patriarchy,a harmonious co-existence may be reached between black men and black women,which in turn promises a unity inside the community to resist the racial oppression from the white people.In a word,as characteristics of androgynous and personality eliminate the psychological difference between male and female,we can finally establish a harmonious relationship between men and women,thus,creating a harmonious society.