An Analysis Ofxlice Walker’s The Color Purple From The Perspective Of Womanism

Alice Walker is not only the first black woman writer in American history who won thePulitzer Prize，but also is one of the most influential writers of contemporary American literature.Her novel The Color Purple is known as a timeless classic, which directly explores thecontradictions and conflicts between black men and women, describes the hard course of blackwomen’s growth, points out a feasible road of two sexes’ harmony, and further shows the essenceof the "womanism".Different from the traditional black feminist, Alice Walker creates the term "womanist" toshow her feminst ideas. Womanism adheres to the particularity of all colored women, fightsagainst the gender discrimination and racial discrimination, and peruses the equality of humanbeings, even the harmony of man and nature. This study, based on the theories of womanism, andfrom the views of the hard course of black women’s growth, the mutual influence of the sistersand the harmony of two sexes, makes a deep discussion about black women’s constant pursuit ofself-identity and emancipation in the patriarchal society, and further points out the ultimate goalof womanism–survival whole. The aim of the thesis is to provide some information for thefurther research of Alice Walker’s womanism and arise more attention to the current survival anddevelopment of black women.This thesis is divided into seven chapters:Chapter One introduces the background of the study and gives a brief overview of AliceWalker and her masterpiece The Color Purple. This chapter also presents the research purposeand the framework of this paper.Chapter Two is literature review. The scholars at home and abroad have done a lot of studieson the novel, most of which focus on the analysis of the theme, characterization, narrativetechnique, symbolism and aesthetic significance. But very few researchers make acomprehensive discussion on the process of black women’s growth and the harmony of twosexes from the perspective of womanism.Chapter Three deals with the theoretical framework, and includes the theory of womanism.Alice Walker defines womanist as a female who pursues the equality and freedom bravely andfirmly, gets the inspiration and power from the sisterhood, and takes the harmony and integrity ofmankind’s survival as her mission.Chapter Four analyzes the hard course of the typical representative of black women–Celie’s growth. Experienced three stages：numbness, awakening and independence, Celie finallybecame a true womanist. Chapter Five studies the influence of sisterhood in the novel. Sofia, Nettie and Shugrespectively enlighten, promote, and inspire Celie’s resistance consciousness, and they play avery important role in the course of Celie’s growth.Chapter Six mainly focuses on the ultimate goal of womanism. Accompanies with blackwomen’s awakening and resistance, the patriarchal system gradually falls into decline. Walker’swomanist ideas, which are on the basis of equal survival and mutual love, finally realize.Chapter Seven summarizes the main idea of the thesis, points out its significance andlimitations, and give the prospects for further study. The Color Purple is a successful literarypractice of Alice Walker’s womanism, which finally build an ideal harmonious living pattern bycelebrating a unity of both men and women regardless of their race and color. The harmoniousrelationship between men and women, human beings and society, human beings and nature is thetrue implication of womanism.