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Walker, Womanism and The Color Purple

Neelam Nepal

Department of English

Tribhuvan Multiple Campus

Tansen, Palpa

e!ogni"ed as one of the leading voi!es among bla!k #meri!an $omen $riters, #li!e

Walker has produ!ed various $orks, in!luding poetr%, novels, short stories, essa%s, and !riti!ism&'er $ritings portra% the struggle of bla!k people throughout histor%, and are praised for their

insightful portraits of bla!k life, in parti!ular the e(perien!es of bla!k $omen in a se(ist and

ra!ist so!iet%& )n her $riting, she e(plores the issue of the spiritual survival of bla!k people, inparti!ular, bla!k $omen& )n her essa%, she $rites, *) am preo!!upied $ith the spiritual survival

$hole of m% people+) am !ommitted to e(ploring the oppressions, the insanities, the lo%alties,

and the triumphs of bla!k $omen*)n sear!h of -ur Mother.s /arden 0123& To address the issues

of bla!k $omen in #meri!a she introdu!es a term 4$omanism5 in her !olle!tion of essa%sentitledIn Search of Our Mothers Garden& 6he regards this !on!ept as a more vital and a!!urate

des!ription of bla!k #meri!an $omen5s ethos in !ontrast to feminism, $hi!h is predominantl%

$hite middle7!lass $omen5s perspe!tive& 6in!e the time of slaver%, bla!k $omanhood has beendestro%ed, distorted, dismantled and abused $ith ra!ial, se(ual and inhuman pra!ti!es b% bla!k

men and $hite men and $omen& )n the pro!ess, the% have lost their genuine *self*, and have

developed a *double !ons!iousness*& W&E&8&Du8ois !alls this as *this sense of al$a%s looking atone.s self through the e%es of others, of measuring one.s soul b% the tape of a $orld that looks on

in amused !ontempt and pit%* 9:3& The% see themselves $ith the e%es of $hite men and $omen

and bla!k men& This has ultimatel% been responsible for the destru!tion of their self7!onfiden!eand the feeling of being human& 6in!e bla!k $omen fa!e a multifa!eted oppression that is

manifested in ra!ism, se(ism and !lassism, she finds the term 4$omanism5 espe!iall% importantto define and e(press the parti!ularit% of their e(perien!e&

Walker gives four definitions of the term 4$omanist5 in her !olle!tion of essa%sInSearch of Our Mothers Garden;

0&

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flo$er represented& Traditionall% !apable, as in; Mama, )5m $alking to Canada

and )5m taking %ou and a bun!h of other slaves $ith me& epl%; )t $ouldn5t be

the first time&B& oves musi!& oves dan!e& oves the moon&Lovesthe 6pirit& oves love and

food and roundness& oves struggle&Lovesthe

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and she stresses the need to !reate a global !ommunit% $here all members of

so!iet% are en!ouraged to survive and survive $hole& Madhu Dube% argues that

Walker.s $omanist proAe!t seeks to integrate the past and present, individual and!ommunit%, personal and politi!al !hange, into a unified $hole& BB3

Womanism suggests a distinguishing aspe!t that e(amines gender issues $ithin #fri!an

#meri!an !ommunities& )t brings both males and females together and supports the $holeness ofentire people, but gives importan!e, mostl%, to ra!e& ather than supporting separatism,

$omanism promotes universalism& Moreover, $omanism appears to provide an avenue for the

gro$th of stronger relationships bet$een bla!k $omen and bla!k men& Walker universali"es$hat are t%pi!all% seen as individual struggles&

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!ontributor in the transformation of Celie& 6hug enAo%s her life and tries to spread the happiness

to those around her& 6he is a$are of her o$n ph%si!al beaut% and uses it to !ontrol men&

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notion of the monotheisti!, bibli!al /od also begins to be affiliated $ith fear and violen!e,

mirroring her !on!eption of her father, and ne(t of Mr& 77777&

Thus, it is not surprising that as an adult, Celie likens the monotheisti! udeo7Christian/od, $hom she kno$s to be distin!tivel% male, to the same burdensome traits of all males, as

she remarks to 6hug; *the /od ) been pra%ing and $riting to is a man& #nd a!t Aust like all the

other mens ) kno$& Trifling, forgitful, and lo$do$n* 0113& This /od keeps Celie in !onstantfear of being punished, bridling her into subordination be!ause Celie has been dis!arded b% this

*old $hite man* 2I03& 6hug.s lesson for Celie in!ludes re!ogni"ing that */od* isn.t ne!essaril%

to be found in the institutional !hur!h, nor should *its* image be old, $hite, and male& 6he triesto subvert the patriar!hal !ulture b% uestioning the traditional theolog%&

Most radi!all%, 6hug reAe!ts anthropomorphi! !on!eptions !ompletel%;

'ere.s the thing, sa% 6hug& The thing ) believe& /od is inside %ou and inside

ever%bod% else& >ou !ome into the $orld $ith /od& 8ut onl% them that sear!h forit inside find it& #nd sometimes it Aust manifest itself even if %ou not looking, or

don.t kno$ $hat %ou looking for& &&& )t@ ) ast&

>eah, )t& /od ain.t a he or a she, but a )t& 2I23

6hug totall% !hanges Celie.s ideas about /od& ou bla!k, %ou pore, %ou ugl%, %ou a $oman* 20B37it is the nature7

/od that literall% enables her to speak and fight ba!k& #s Celie !urses Mr& 77777, she feels thestrength *seem to !ome to me from the trees* 20B3& #s Mr& 7777 attempts to reassert his

dominan!e, Celie defies against established hierar!h%; *).m pore, ).m bla!k, ) ma% be ugl% and

!an.t !ook& & & & 8ut ).m here*2093& Celie affirms that although she does not fulfill the standards

set b% the male7dominated $orld $hi!h surrounds her, her e(isten!e matters& Celie.s final letteris addressed, *Dear /od& Dear stars, dear trees, dear sk%, dear peoples& Dear Ever%thing& Dear

/od* 2123& The novel.s !on!lusion emphasi"es Celie.s dis!over% that /od is in ever%thing, and

therefore ever%thing is hol%, a !on!ept that defies an% sense of hierar!hal stru!ture& 6hug e(tendsthe realm of the sa!red to in!lude all of !reation, and she provides Celie $ith a bridge to a ne$

spiritualit% free from the domination of an angr%, $hite, male /od& Thus Celie.s movement from

monotheism to pantheism parallels her movement from feelings of isolation and inferiorit% undermale authorit% figures, into a ne$ sense of bonding $ith other $omen and appre!iation of

herself&

#nother important feature relevant for Celie.s metamorphosis is her initiation into

eroti!ism& 8efore her en!ounter $ith 6hug, Celie does not reali"e the pleasures that she !an getfrom her bod%& 6he reports to 6hug ho$ she felt $hen her husband had se(ual relationship $ith

her& That a!t $as like rape for her& 6he $as not a!tuall% parti!ipating in that se(& 6he $as Aust an

obAe!t in the hand of both Pa and #lbert& When 6hug !omes in her life, Celie slo$l% begins totake interest in 6hug.s life ho$ever $a%$ard her life might be& 6he falls in love $ith the image

of 6hug on a photograph, before she a!tuall% sees her& #s she stares at the photograph, she

remarks, 6hug #ver% $as a $oman& The most beautiful Woman ) ever sa$& 6he more prett%than m% Mama& 6he about ten thousand times more prett% than me F+G ) ast her Celie.s mother3

to give me the pi!ture& #ll night long ) stare at it& #nd no$ $hen ) dream, ) dream of 6hug

#ver%& 6he be dressed to kill, $hirling and laughing L3&

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Celie finds 6hug prettier, more outrageous and full of life& 6he be!omes Celie.s first

love& 8ut at this moment her love for Celie seems highl% ideali"ed and ina!!essible& u!kil% one

da% Mr& 777 brings ailing 6hug to his house& Celie gets an opportunit% to mother her love& The$omen develop a mutuall% loving and nurturing relationship& With the help of 6hug,

Celie reali"es the m%steries of the bod% and se(ual e(perien!e and makes it possible for her to

dis!over spee!h and her $a% to the freedom from mas!uline brutalit%& 6he tea!hes Celie toadmire her bod% and get pleasures $ithout guilt or repression& inda #bbandonato $rites; *)n

loving 6hug, Celie be!omes a desiring subAe!t, and in being loved b% 6hug, she is made visible

to herself as an obAe!t of desire* 00023& 6hug also helps to make Celie a$are of her o$nse(ualit%, and ironi!all% *redefines* her as *virgin* J03& 6hug asks Celie to see herself in the

mirror& ank do$n m% bloomers& 6ti!k thelooking glass t$een m% legs& =gh& #ll that hair& Then m% puss% lips be bla!k&

Then inside look like a $et rose&

+) look at her and tou!h it $ith m% finger& # little shiver go through me& ust

enough to tell me this the right button to mash& J23# lesbian relationship gro$s bet$een Celie and 6hug& )n

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Works Cited;

#bbandonato, inda& *# Oie$ from .Else$here.; 6ubversive 6e(ualit% and the e$riting of the

'eroine.s 6tor% in The Color Purple&*PMLA 106 (1991): 1106-1115.#brams, M& '&A Glossar# of Literar# Terms":th ed& Ne$ >ork; 'olt, inehart and Winston,

)n!&, 01JJllan, Tu"%line ita& $omanist and %eminist Aesthetics& -hio; -hio =niversit% Press, 011:&

Davis, #manda & To 8uild a Nation; 8la!k Women Writers, 8la!k Nationalism, and Oiolentedu!tion of Wholeness&%rontiers: A &ournal of $omen Studies 2:&B 2II93; 297:B&

Du 8ois, W& E& 8& The Souls of 'lac( %ol(& Ne$ >ork; 6ignet Classi!s, 01H1&

'ooks, 8ell& *Ending