Search For Self-identity, Search For Wholeness

The twentieth century witnessed the minority movement which directly brought about the rising of marginal culture and minor forces. During this movement, feminism, with its strong rebellious consciousness and subversive forces, eliminated the original thought about culture and order of gender, which have existed for several thousand years. Feminists try to rethink the human factors in the human history and sexual culture-which moral principles that we used to believe perfectly justifies are rational and sensible, and which imprison women under the threat of violence, in the name of "paternal". It is in such cultural context that feminist writing joins in the comprehensive reflection on human beings and gender, past and present.In this sense, Alice Walker, the contemporary African-American woman writer, comes into my critical vision. As a successful writer who is widely involved in the fields of race, gender, society, history, humanity, etc., Alice Walker leads our critics to a varied possible field. The reason for choosing The Color Purple and its feminist consciousness as a cutting point to penetrate into the writing of Alice Walker, is that The Color Purple has substantial and profound content and form, which embodies the reflection from many angles on race and gender of a black woman writer. As a milestone in African-American literature, the outstanding artistic achievement of The Color Purple brings Alice Walker tile first black woman writer gaining Pulitzer Prize for literature.The epistolary novel, The Color Purple, describes a fragmentary living world. The heroine, Celie, through writing to God, tells her misfortune by male domination and the process of her consciousness-raising and seeking self and the wholeness of survival. It reflects that patriarchy is the cause of women's oppression and the unharmonious relationship. It also reflects that sisterhood can unite women together to realize consciousness-raising and to fight for equal rights with men. Alice Walker is a feminist. In order to differentiate from other feminist, she coined the term "womanist", and pointed out that a womanist is a black feminist or feminist of color. She loves men as well as other women, and loves women's culture, women's emotional flexibility and women's strength. She takes the survival and wholeness of the entire people as her goal. Womanism enriches feminist theory and it provides new understanding for women's liberation.Based on the successful representation in the writing practice of Alice Walker, this thesis makes an overall analysis on womanism. The thesis consists of five parts, with three chapters coming between the introduction and conclusion.Introduction introduces Alice Walker, The Color Purple and the historical and cultural context of womanism. It is known that the historical tradition of race and gender has similarities with the history of women, especially the Third World and the oppressed races. Oppression, consciousness-raising, and the accusation and rebellion of women coincide with racial experience, which increase Alice Walker's sense of responsibility and consciousness to rescure as an intellectual. This chapter will introduce womanism from Alice Walker's experience as a black woman.The main part of the thesis, analyzes Alice Walker's womanism through case study of the text, The Color Purple. If womanism is theory, The Color Purple is the practice of this theory.The first chapter describes a fragmentary world under patriarchy. Patriarchy in its wider definition means the manifestation and institutionalization of male dominance over women and children in the family and the extension of male dominance over women in society in general. It implies that men hold power in all the important institutions of society and that women are deprived of access of such power. Patriarchy should be responsible for the dependent position ofwomen and sexual colonism, the cultural experience of women. Therefore, the investigation and analysis on patriarchy is a necessary way to the analysis of text of women as well as women's surviving. In the novel, this point is expressed through the maltreatment to Celie by her stepfather and her husband and Celie's loss of self. Patriarchy greatly influences male and destroys harmonious co-existence of men and women.The second chapter analyzes the process of piecing. Sisterhood is the solution to realize women's consciousness-raising and to strive for self identity. Sisterhood includes the idea and experience of female bonding, and the self-affirmation and identity discovered in a woman-centered vision and definition of womanhood. In the novel, this point is expressed through Celie's sisterhood with her lesbian lover Shug, her sister Nettle, her daughter-in-law Sofia and other woman characters. The part also explores men's awakening.Chapter three analyzes Celie's self-affirmation and the realization of peaceful co-existence. The uniqueness of womanism from other feminist thoughts lies in the relationship between men and women. Other feminists believe that women have conflicting interests with men. Womanists advocate the union of men and women in order to realize the survival and wholeness of the entire people. In the novel, Mr. realizes his patriarchal ideology and changes his attitude to Celie, and finallly they become friends.The last part is the conclusions. This thesis explores the significance of gender and human beings of Alice Walker's womanism. Women are oppressed by men, and sisterhood can unite women to realize the emancipation of women. The ultimate goal of women's emancipation is to establish equal and harmonious relationship with men, and to realize the survival and wholeness of the entire human race. This is the true connotation of Alice Walker's womanism expressed through The Color Purple. We Color Purple is the successful representation and expression of Alice Walker's womanism. Alice Walker provides us a new perspective to understand the emancipation of women and the relationship between men and women. Womanism is a great contribution to feminist theory.