Quest For A Balanced And Harmonious Spiritual Homestead

As an Afro-American woman writer, Alice Walker takes up an important position in literature. After winning the prizes of the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize because of The Color Purple, she arises from obscurity to prominence; however, her achievement is far more than that. As an essayist, a poet, a novelist and more importantly, an activist, Walker's completion and contribution to her people cannot be overlooked.One decade before the publication of The Color Purple, Walker published her first novel The Third Life of Grange Copeland with its significance not unearthed until the publication of her third novel. Owing to the great success of The Color Purple, critics turn to notice all of her novels including the first unknown one. In addition to the praise on the novels and characters, there are denounces as well. Some say the women characters are too obedient and passive to be true, because even the slaves have fought for their freedom and their bettering life, why can't the black women? Some critics focus on her writing style, and some on the symbols in novels. Most of the critical comments contributed to the women, and few to men; moreover, even the few are denounces. They say the male characters in Walker's novels are portrayed as brutes; and it is hard to believe such domestic violence happens in black community. Some male critics say the depiction completely smears black males and what Walker writes in her novels distorts the reality of black community. However, it turns out that Walker's revealing of reality hurts their manhood. The more one tries to hide, the more it exposed. It is not ashamed to face one's evils and make improvement. This thesis studies two of Walker's novels, The Third Life of Grange Copeland and The Color Purple. Through the analysis of Walker's characters, both male and female, the thesis explains Walker's intention of creating such male characters.The thesis is divided into five parts. The first part is introduction in which Walker's contribution to literature and her thoughts are introduced. Chapter one summarizes the two novels and the critical responses to these two novels and her characters. The following two chapters are devoted to male and female characters respectively. Chapter two is devoted to black male characters and their changes. In Walker's novels, the black men are influenced and poisoned by the white supremacist patriarchy. They are supposed to be the center and pole of their families and shoulder the responsibilities of being husbands and fathers. However, racism and the white exploiting economic system deny their abilities and frustrate them in fulfilling their dreams. Facing the economic hardship, the black men's ego battered, and their manhood collapsed. In order to exert their anger and to show their power, they turn to black women who are inferior to them. However, beating cannot save them out of economic deficiency; in contrary, it brings them into a vicious cycle. Therefore, not only the black women but the black men are victims of patriarchy. As long as they exercise their false manhood, they are astricted. In order to get freedom, they must shake off their patriarchal ideology, confess their previous wrongdoings, determine to change and acknowledge the black women's equal status and achievements. Their self-improvement and transformation from the oppressors to the helpmates will liberate not only themselves but also black women. The intention for Walker to depict flawed males is not to reveal, but to waken the unreflective people burdened with the similar flaws to the damage and destruction their actions have caused, and to right them and to survive whole.Chapter three is devoted to black women's status and changes. The black men's transformation is the external reasons for black women's liberation, not the key point. Whether they can be liberated or not lies in themselves. Because of years of oppression, black women are considered as the mules of the world. They are subordinated to be slaves, maids and sexual objects, but not human beings. They are deprived of human rights including speaking and going out. Encountering the double oppression, what the black women can do is only to endure with no consciousness of being oppressed. Therefore, for black women, the first step to liberation is to wake up and get conscious to the oppressions imposed upon them. Then they can get rid of the bondage from black males, and fight for their freedom and be self-reliant. Their self-independence may finally lead to the black men's acknowledgement, gain their respect, win their equality, and be friends with them. Thus they can coexist harmoniously and unite together for further success-survival whole. The liberation of black women, from the underdogs to the pioneers of black women's movement, is the final preparation for the liberation of the black race and for the realization of womanist ideal.Through analyzing the male and female characters, the thesis illustrates Walker's core idea of womanism-survival whole from the two counterparts. During the process of achieving this goal, men and women can establish a balanced and harmonious spiritual home. That is what Walker always wishes for her people and even for the whole world.