An Analysis Of Alice Walker's Womanism In The Color Purple

Alice Walker is one of the most outstanding black women writers in America. Walker's writings focus on black women's fragmental lives under double oppression. She encourages black women to wake up and fight for selfhood, independence and dignity and then to realize the wholeness of them. Her theory of womanism not only succeeds the theory of black feminism but also expands the theory. As a trend of black feminism, womanism not only makes up for the traditional feminism's ignorance of black women and the other colored women's quests for equal rights, but also expresses its final goal of realizing the wholeness of people.This thesis attempts to study her novel The Color Purple in light of womanism from four aspects: anti-sexism, anti-racism, the return of African culture and to realize the wholeness of black women and men. This thesis will analyze the representation of these four aspects and their functions on black women's journey of fighting and questing for independence in The Color Purple. Patriarchal and racial oppression are the sources of black women's adversity. The black woman Celie's adversity under patriarchal oppression and her transformation in this novel show that black women should first fight against patriarchal oppression in order to realize their independence. Being black women, there is not only patriarchal oppression on them but also racial oppression. The black women Sofia's adversity under racial oppression presents that though Sofia defeats the patriarchal oppression in her family, her fighting is weak and powerless to racial oppression. It is still a long and arduous way for black women to fight against racism, which shows that Walker's dream to realize the wholeness of the entire people and to fuse the blacks and the whites is still a dream. The Olinka women's adversity under multi-oppression brings the oppression on black women to a universal background. Walker concentrates on African culture and its value in helping black women realize their independence. She advocates black women to return to African culture to rebuild their lost identities, dignity and self-consciousness. Learning from the ancestry heritage, black women can assimilate the positive elements of their ancestors'wisdom which free them from the religious oppression and build a new concept of God. The black women's everyday activities such as singing and sewing not only provide them a way to express their feelings but also a way for them to make their own living and to realize their economic independence. After black women win both economic and spiritual independence, they should not stand against the black men. Instead, their transformation causes black men to reflect their past behavior. The black men, former black oppressors, also can complete their transformation under the influence of newly independent black women. The independent black women and transferred black men rebuild a new harmonious relationship and they strive together for the wholeness of world.