AN INTERPRETATION ON THE GENDER RELATIONS IN THE COLOR PURPLE—FROM OPPRESSION TO HARMONY

Abstract

The Color Purple is the representative work of prominent African American women writer Alice Walker, who shows great concerns for the plight and pursuit of liberation of black women in the dual-oppression of gender and racial discrimination. It portrays black females’ lengthy search for and achievement of an independent and mature female identity, represented by the protagonist Celie. In addition, Walker’s emphasis on mutual women-loving support and the ultimate goal of womanism: achieve the unity and harmony of men and women, namely the integrity of the whole society is reflected in the novel. By analyzing how Celie gets rid of the chains of patriarchal constraints and pursues her female identities through physical and spiritual awakening, this thesis interprets the transformation of black male-female relationship from opposition to harmony: First, It elaborates the miserable state of existence of Celie’ being oppressed and slaved by black men, then explores the process of Celie’s awakening and resistance with the help of three important females, depicted as “female bonding” or sisterhood of love and support, finally gives an interpretation to the transformation of Mr_’s mentality and explores how Celie’s independence and achievement of female identity pave the way for the construction of harmonious male and female relations, which also reflects the aim of this paper, that is to provide instructive significance for the construction of freely harmonious gender relations in modern society