The Androgynous Shug In The Color Purple

Alice Walker, a leading voice in contemporary American literature, is strongly influenced by feminism, with her goal for racial equality and women's liberation. In her most influential work—The Color Purple, Walker consciously embodies her characters with androgynous characteristics, explores the living condition of black women, reveals their tragic fates, and seeks for possible solutions.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 until 1920s that Virginia Woolf introduced this notion into the literary field. Woolf's notion of androgyny believes that the brain of human beings is marked by the characteristics of both sexes. Androgyny is an ideal relationship between men and women, as mutual tolerance and respect between them will prevent gender opposition and lead to freedom and equality.The thesis, based on Woolf's notion of Androgyny, intends to do a character study of a minor character Shug in the novel by way of a textual analysis. It is composed of six parts: The introduction makes an overview of the criticisms on The Color Purple. Chapter 1 offers a general introduction to the origin of the notion of androgyny, and then focuses on the connotation and the significance of Woolf's notion in her A Room of One's Own. Chapter 2 explores the femininity embodied in Shug's role of a paramour and a songstress. Chapter 3 discusses the masculinity embodied in Shug's role of a rebel and a dominator. Chapter 4, the most important part of this thesis, explores the reason of the finally-reached harmonious co-existence between the two protagonists. Under Shug's influence, Celie, the female protagonist, has grown into a mature woman with female consciousness; Albert, the male protagonist, has transformed into a mature man who abandons his gender superiority and begins to treat black women as equals. The last part is a conclusion of the thesis: the androgynous Shug is a key character in the novel. Her feminine charm and masculine strength cause great influences on the two protagonists 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 androgynous characteristics and personality remove the mental difference between men and women, a harmonious relationship between men and women may be established ultimately; accordingly, a harmonious society be created.