Index
Abstract
Resume
Introduction
Problem Formulation
• Research Question
• Sub Questions
• Problem Assessment
• Interpretation of the Quotation
Methodology
Dimension
Project Angle
Delimitation
Critical Discussion of the Material Used
Semester Theme
Possible Perspective
Summary of “The Color Purple”
The Waves of Feminism
• First-wave Feminism
• Second-wave Feminism
• Third-wave Feminism
Literary Analysis
Simone de Beauvoir in Relation to “The Color Purple”
Character Analysis
• The Beginning Until Shug’s Arrival
• From Shug’s Arrival to Nettie’s First Letter
• From Nettie’s First Letter to the Departure of Celie
Discussion
Conclusion
Group Dynamics
Bibliography
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Abstract
We have been working with Alice Walker’s novel “The Color Purple” and its
protagonist development as a woman. This was done in relation to Simone de
Beauvoirs thoughts on womanhood and the quote: “One is not born, but rather
becomes a woman.”1 It is our intention to see how this quote can be applied to
the novel by analysing the protagonist’s development throughout the novel. To
do that we will also look into the literary genre of Bildungsroman which,
structure wise, fits well with the novel. Furthermore we will also provide a brief
summary of the novel, a short introductions to the feminist waves and a
comparison with Beauvoir’s observations on women, from her book “The
Second Sex” and the novel, as background information for the analysis.
1
de Beauvoir, Simone. (1949, reprinted 1997) The Second Sex. (London, Vintage) p. 295
1
Resume
Følgende projekt bærer titlen: ”Feministisk filosofi i ”The Color Purple”.
Projektet bevæger sig inden for dimensionerne: tekst og tegn, og filosofi og
videnskabsteori.,
Hovedspørgsmålet er baseret på følgende citat af den feministiske filosof Simone
de Beauvoir: ”Kvinde er ikke noget man er, det er noget man bliver” og
analyseres i relation til både feministisk filosofi samt den kvindelige
hovedperson Celie’s personlige udvikling som kvinde.
Første del af projektet er en diskussion af vores forståelse af citatets betydning, i
forhold til Simone de Beauvoir’s bog ”Det andet køn” såvel som vores personlige
opfattelse. Ydermere indeholder projektet en kort beskrivelse af Simone de
Beavoir, hendes liv, og en sammenligning af vigtige passager fra ”Det andet køn”
og ”The Color purple”
Endvidere indeholder projektet en litterær analyse af bogen, baseret på genren
Bildungsroman. Denne analytiske indsigt i de strukturelle teknikker danner
rammen om vores person analyse. Denne har særskilt fokus på hovedpersonen
Celie, og de kvinder hun møder på hendes færd. Disse kvinder hjælper til den
udvikling Celie gennemgår som person. Som resultat af vores analyser kan vi
konkludere at det valgte citat til en vis grad kan relateres til den udvikling
hovedpersonen gennemgår. Som udgangspunkt opfylder Celie den rolle
samfundet opfatter som kvindelig, men gennem personlig udvikling samt
inspiration fra andre kvinder udvikler hun sig til en selvstændig kvinde.
2
Introduction
Womanhood refers to the state of being a woman. Our interest lies in this state,
either a state possessed by personal views or societal views imposed upon one’s
self reflection. Either way the state of being a woman has relevance for our life
today, tomorrow and yesterday, as notions on womanhood will be consistent
throughout time. Being a woman, does not take one’s race, looks or status into
consideration. A woman is a female human being. One could debate as to when
one is considered to be a woman. Being a woman must be more than just
belonging to a certain sex. In this project we wish to look into a distinct notion of
womanhood. This particular concept derives from the idea of feminist
philosophy, and more specifically the work of Simone de Beauvoir. As we sought
to investigate this philosophical idea, we decided to a look into a novel with
distinct female characters.
“The Color Purple” is an acclaimed novel written by Alice Walker. The story of
the young girl developing into a woman is told through a series of diary entries
and letters. Our interest is then to look into this personal progression with
inspiration from the feministic philosophical work of Simone de Beauvoir, based
on her book “The Second Sex”.
3
Problem Formulation
Research Question:
“One is not born, but rather becomes a woman”2 (by Simone de Beauvoir) How
can this quotation be applied as a notion of feminist philosophy in relation to the
development of the main female character in novel “The Color Purple” ?
Sub Questions:
• How can the chosen quotation be understood?
• How has feminist philosophy developed into different waves of feminism?
• Which literary theory could be used to understand the structure of the
novel “The Color Purple” and what are its effects?
• In what way, and by what means does the main character develop as a
woman? How is this form of development related to the chosen quotation?
Problem Assessment:
In order to fully grasp and seek to answer our research question we will first
look into our sub questions as a means to ensure a preliminary knowledge of the
topic matter.
Firstly we will seek to interpret the chosen quotation, on the basis of our
understanding of Simone de Beauvoir, feminist philosophy and our personal
reflections. Secondly we will look into the development of feminist philosophy
into different waves of feminism, in order to answer the question of how
feminist philosophy has developed throughout time. Furthermore we will look
into the philosophical teachings of Simone de Beauvoir, by introducing her
thoughts with specific interest in “The Second Sex” from which our quotation
derives and comparing some of her observations with “The Color Purple”.
2
de Beauvoir, Simone. (1949, reprinted 1997) The Second Sex. (London, Vintage) p. 295
4
Additionally we will be looking at the literary genre of Bildungsroman as an
inspiration for a literary analysis of “The Color Purple” in order to ensure the
dimension of “Text & sign” and to ensure a more technical understanding of the
novel. In order to refer to the novel “The Color Purple” we will include a brief
summary with emphasis on the angle we find relevant.
On the basis of the literary analysis, summary and understanding of the
quotation we will analyze the personal development of the main character Celie
and the women she meets along her way.
In order to reflect upon our analysis and chosen perspective we will include a
discussion of the limitations and possibilities we have stumbled upon along the
way. Lastly we will sum up our obtained knowledge and reflect upon the
answers to our research and sub questions.
Interpretation of the Quotation:
In order to ensure a comprehensible starting point for working with our chosen
quote, the following paragraph is a brief discussion of our understanding of the
quotation:
“One is not born, but rather becomes a woman”
The primary idea is the belief that being a woman is not an established essence
given by birth, but on the contrary womanhood is created by society and
cultural settings. Taking into consideration the time setting in which this
statement was written, there was a great division between the sexes. Thus the
idea of Simone de Beauvoir could also be perceived as a political notion and an
explanation on how gender identity is experienced by society. Beauvoir does
admit there are psychological and biological differences between women and
men, yet she does not accept that these differences give the right to the
oppression of women and their status as second-class citizens. According to
Beauvoir, “Sexual oppression continues because, gender roles are learned from the
5
very earliest age and reinforced perpetually.”3 To whatever extent this statement
is written in relevance with given society at its time, the philosophical ideas of
womanhood, are to our belief forever of relevance. As men and women evolve
throughout time, the universal ideas of differences in gender identity seem an
aim of constant pondering.
Thus the following project seeks to unveil some pondering on womanhood, in
relation to the novel “The Color Purple” and the development of its protagonist
Celie.
3
Tidd, Ursula (2004) Simone de Beauvoir. (London, Routledge Critical Thinkers.), p 51
6
Methodology
Dimensions:
In this project we wish to combine the textual analytical aspect with the
philosophical thoughts of feminism. Thus we wish to draw attention to the two
dimensions of text & sign and science and philosophy. The interrelation between
the two academic dimensions serves as the primary intention for both the
research question and the answers through analysis and discussion. However
we intend to use the novel as a constant aim of focus. As a result we have chosen
the literary genre of Bildungsroman to call attention to the dimension of text and
sign in order to fully describe the structure of the novel. The main motivation for
this choice of literary genre is its emphasis on the development of the main
character. It is this developmental process we wish to investigate further in our
in-dept character analysis.
Furthermore we wish to utilize the ideas of structural division seen in the genre
of Bildungsroman as an inspiration for our analysis of the main character Celie.
Project angle:
As we decided to work with the novel “The Color Purple” we looked into the
many different aspects of the novel. Yet we found the women and their personal
interaction to be the most appealing. Especially the development of the main
character Celie, from a young suppressed girl into an independent woman was
interesting. Thus we have chosen an angle with emphasis on feministic ideas. In
order to find a perspective which looked both into ideas of womanhood and
ways of personal development we decided to look into philosophy. We decided
to benefit from the extensive philosophical work of Simone de Beauvoir. As our
interest lies in her view on women we decided to look into her renowned book:
“The Second Sex” and its sections on womanhood. Here we found the quote:
“One is not born, but rather becomes a woman.” While reading “The Color Purple”,
7
we found it interesting that one of the main themes was the development of
Celie into the independent woman, which we thought fitted well with Beauvoir’s
thoughts.
In order for the reader to understand our references to “The Color Purple” we
have included a plot overview of the novel, focusing on the development of the
protagonist. In the same manner we have included a section explaining briefly
the three waves of feminism and a short biography of Simone de Beauvoir and
her thoughts, in order to provide background knowledge for the following
analysis and discussion.
As mentioned above, we have also chosen to analyse “The Color Purple” in the
genre of Bildungsroman, thus we have included a section, explaining the genre
and utilizing its relevance by means of analysis.
For our character analysis section, we have kept a focus on Celie’s, the
protagonist, development, and the influence on that from the women around
her. The reason we chose to look almost exclusively on Celie is because of her
personal development is in constant focus throughout the novel, and because of
the fact that she herself writes both letters and diary entries – we are able to
follow her personal thoughts. This entails a more candid and private look into
the emotional changes in her process of progress. Furthermore whilst rereading the novel, it became apparent that one could look at the other
subordinate characters as ‘role-models’ who helped further Celie’s process of
development rather than simply portraying life stories of their own. In this
manner we chose these characters as reflections on the life process of Celie, and
thus they are described only in relation to her.
Our discussion then seeks to tie the developmental experiences of Celie with the
thoughts of Simone de Beauvoir, as well as the knowledge obtained from the
8
literary analysis. Furthermore we have chosen to discuss the limitations and
possibilities of our chosen angle because we find this reflects our choices and
knowledge in an efficient manner. Especially seeing as the advantages help
support the interrelation between the different contexts.
Additionally we decided to reflect on the time setting, and our own personal
thoughts on womanhood, both in terms of our interpretation and because of the
fact that our theories derives from a wide spread time range.
Delimitations:
We have made the conscious choice as not to look into racial problems, despite
the fact that this is debatably an important theme in “The Color Purple”. We are
aware that race has effects on one’s personal development as a woman, yet we
have chosen not to focus on these consequences in this project. We have chosen
to view one’s personal development into womanhood as applicable for all
women regardless of their race, ethnicity or class status. We have decided to
look at womanhood as a universal concept, as the state of being a woman.
However we are aware that it is difficult to disregard class, gender and societal
expectations when discussing womanhood. The personal development is the
focus of our analysis with inspiration from other women, and their view on the
world. As well as the process of personal reflection by the main character. In this
manner we perceive the development as a result of inner reflections. Yet we
cannot control the inspirational ways of the other characters may or may not be
founded on the basis of their personal experiences in relation to their ethnicity.
Furthermore the notion of womanhood in relation to Simone de Beauvoir could
be perceived as a universal idea. However we cannot disregard the fact that the
motivation for her thoughts on womanhood stem from her experiences on
women’s role in given society, considering their class status in comparison to
men. All in all we are aware that several factors help constitute and construct
9
notions of womanhood, yet we have consciously chosen to avoid some and
emphasize others.
Critical discussion of the material used:
Our primary source is the novel “The Color Purple”, all other sources, including
“The Second Sex”, serves as an inspiration for arguments and starting points for
further thinking. Rather than making a comparison between the literary theory
and the feminist theory of philosophy, we have decided to focus primarily on the
novel. We see the work of Simone de Beauvoir as a source of inspiration for the
perspective we have chosen for our analysis. We have tried to be conscious in
our use of sources, as we have included a definition and discussion of the way in
which we interpret the chosen quotation. Seeing as “The Color Purple” is a work
of fiction, it is somewhat difficult to be critical of this work. However we have
touched upon its limitations considering the positivistic development of the
main character. This is reflected upon in special relation to the literary analysis.
Furthermore we have touched upon this seemingly simplistic structure of
personal progression, considering the hardship encountered by Celie, in our
character analysis. Taking into consideration that the novel is a work of fiction
these are all critical considerations concerning our assessments of its content.
In relation to the chosen literary genre of Bildungsroman, one might be critical
towards the fact that this genre was first introduced in the 18 hundreds by white
middle class European men and that the novel was written by an African
American woman in 1982. Especially since this is a literary genre inspired by
the time period called Romanticism, one could argue its tendency to focus on
positive and idealistic story lines. Traditionally Bildungsroman included work
with emphasis on the male “heroic” figure in the novel. As a result, our choice of
starting point in our literary analysis may seem challenging. We chose this genre
10
knowing its limitations, but we found that the structure was still applicable. The
way in which the genre fits is elaborated upon in our literary analysis.
Semester theme:
The theme of this semester was “Time, Space and Identity”. Our project fits well
within this theme because we are investigating the development and search of
identity. We are going to concentrate on the main character of “the Color Purple”,
Celie. We are going to concentrate mainly on Celie’s development into a woman
and how her self perception is changing throughout the book. Time is of course
relevant because we are looking upon her personal development throughout
time.
Possible perspective:
Considering the fact that the project primarily evolves around literary analysis,
it is unlimited as to what other angles may be applied for different analytical
viewpoints. However considering the particular interest in feminist philosophy
and womanhood, one could arguably have considered time to be a more
prevalent topic of discussion. The relevance of the project is evident to us as
writers, as we believe both the novel and notions of womanhood to have
relevance for women of today, as well for the future. More specifically the fact
that we focus exclusively on womanhood as a state of being, and thus not limited
to a certain time frame, ensures relevance for anyone interested in what
womanhood entails. However we could possibly have tried to find a modern day
critique or equivalent to Simone de Beauvoir, and in this manner ensure a link to
today’s view on womanhood. However the fact that a view on womanhood
belongs to a certain time period, does not necessarily constitute its relevance as
a perspective for an analysis. In conclusion we found the teachings of Simone de
Beauvoir to have sufficient value for readers today, and thus we hope the project
to ensure the same.
11
Summary of “The Color Purple”
“The Color Purple” was written by Alice Walker 1982.
Our main focus when summing up the “The Color Purple” lies in the aspect of a
story of the young woman Celie’s life and her development as a person.
We first encounter Celie when she is 14 years old; living with her sick mother,
her siblings and the man she believes to be her father, who abuses her violently
and sexually. The abuse results in two children, who are both taken from her
and whom she believes to be dead. She is consequently unable to have more
children. When she is about 18, she is married of to Mr_____, a widower with
several children. Mr_________ beats, humiliates and takes sexual advantage of
Celie, while despising her for not being his great love, the singer Shug Avery.
Mr________ brings his lover, Shug into the house, when she is sick and Celie is left
to nurse her. A emotional drive towards Shug, grows in Celie and she and Shug
develops a friendship. When Shug hears Celie’s life story she protects her,
teaches her about sex and becomes a mentor on life, for Celie and support her
throughout the novel.
In her life Celie encounters many different women: her strong and independent
step-daughter-in-law Sofia and her step-son’s lover Squeak (Mary-Agnes).
Celie believed that her beloved sister Nettie, whom she hasn’t seen since she ran
away, is dead until Shug and she finds some letters that Mr_______ has been
hiding. The letters tell Nettie’s story, about her meeting with a missionary
couple, who adopted Celie’s children and with whom Nettie travels as a
missionary to Africa.
Celie leaves Mr_________ and goes with Shug to Memphis, where she establishes a
business selling her specially designed trousers. The rich and independent Celie
moves back into her childhood-home, making up with Mr______, who becomes a
12
good friend and support. After many years Nettie, her husband and Celie’s two
children returns to America, and friends and family are finally united, around
the independent middle-aged Celie.
13
The Waves of Feminism
The purpose of this chapter is to provide background knowledge and an
overview of the three different stages of feminism, better-known as waves. The
reason that our main focus is on the political tendencies and its effects is that we
believe these helps support the way in which literature has developed.
Furthermore we will seek to support this understanding with references to
literary theories, in order to fully grasp the distinction between these three
waves.
First-wave feminism
First-wave feminism took place in the end of nineteenth century until early
twentieth century. It started in the United States and in the United Kingdom, but
it also affected many other countries. At that time education among girls and
women was not unseen of4, but women were still quite accustomed to
traditional roles. 5 First-wave feminism was especially a movement primarily
consisting of middle class women. They were often both well-educated and
wealthy, but still they where excluded from the political organizations and
institutions6. They had to arrange their own educational, social and religious
activities and build those as an institutional ground for women’s colleges and
professional corporations7. In this manner the women made it possible to
improve their own living standards by creating a fertile educational atmosphere
and possibilities to enroll in the working force. This new form of improved
education for women also gave them the skills and understanding for
campaigning their own rights. The main focus of first-wave feminism was to
4 http://www.ohiou.edu/~Chastain/ac/bachell.htm (13:39, 15/5/08) Encyclopedia of 1848 Revolutions - James
Chastain
5Bryson,
Valerie. (2003) Feminist Political Theory. (New York, Palgrave Macmillan.) p. 70
http://pers-www.wlv.ac.uk/~le1810/1stwave.htm (14:11 15/5-08) Women in Europe - Penny Welch
7 Threlfall, Monica (Ed.) (1996) Mapping the Women’s Movement. (London and New York, Verso.) p. 24
6
14
achieve the right to vote. Other inequalities women fought against, were for
instance, restrain from physical abuse and rightful ownership of their own
property8. In literature women acquired their right to having voice, as they
started to rebel against male dominance in the academic field.
For instance Virginia Woolf published “Jacob’s Room” in 19229, a novel which
proved the possibilities for women to experiment and be innovative in
literature.
Second-wave feminism
Second-wave feminism lasted from the late 1960s until late 1970s. It began in
the United States as a liberal protest against the “typical housewife” image, and
developed in several directions, such as racial- and sexual political movements10.
Many feminist organizations where formed in the wake of this newfound
political awareness. In contrast to the social movements of first-wave feminism,
it was now possible for the women to form much more organized political
structures. This also had its effects on literature, as many women became more
predominant and prevalent. An example of this is the novel “The Edible Woman”
by Margaret Atwood first published in 196911. A piece of feministic literature
that explores gender stereotypes of the society at the time by portraying women
in significantly different manner than prior to this novel.
Third-wave feminism
The inspiration for third-wave feminism was the notion that women were
treated unequally. It has been debated that second-wave feminism did not
sufficiently take into account the fact that women have individual needs and
ideas. By this we mean that second-wave feminism had a tendency to emphasize
on women as a collective unit in order to politically stand strong. Women’s
Bryson. pp. 70-84
Woolf, Virginia (1929, reprinted 1992) Jacob’s Room. (London, Penguin Books Ltd.)
10 Bryson. pp. 139-140
11 Atwood, Margaret. (1969, reprinted 1998) The Edible Woman. (Wilmington, Anchor.)
8
9
15
status in society varied depending on whether she was black or white, working
class or middle class, heterosexual or homosexual. This could also affect the
amount of access women had to social or political power. There is a
disagreement amongst researchers on whether third-wave ended in the 1990s12,
or if it still ongoing. As the prior waves, third-wave feminism derived from The
United States, but has ended up being a world-vide phenomena. Third-wave
feminism has yet to have a coherent, recognizable agenda; it can rather be
described as multiracial, multiethnic, multicultural and multisexual13. Thirdwave feminism has been divided into different categories, such as “racial
feminism” and other directions. The media and popular culture utilized thirdwave feminism because they are evident element in modern everyday life. An
example of this interrelation is to use stereotypical views upon women and
modify them in a positive manner in e.g. television-series and movies. The goal
of third-wave feminism is not only to challenge conventional understanding of
women, regardless of their ethnicity, sexuality, race or economic standing in
society14. As a literary example of this time-period one could look at “Bridget
Jones’ Diary”, a novel by Helen Fielding first published in 199615 which is a story
of a woman who embodies the concept of being an independent woman who
despite her seemingly enjoyable single status searches for the one and only.
This understanding of the different waves of feminism will help us combine the
literary dimension with feminist philosophy. In this way we will be more
capable to see the interrelation between the development of feministic thinking
throughout literature. As well as having created a basic understanding of
relation between the chosen quotation, the novel, and its relevance for today by
means of a commonly shared interest in womanhood.
Robinson, Victoria & Rickhardson, Diane (Ed.) (1997) Introducing Women’s Studies. (Hampshire and London,
Macmillan Press Ltd, Houndmills.) p. 87
13 Heywood, Leslie L (Ed.) (2006) The Women’s Movement Today – An encyclopedia of Third-Wave Feminism.
(Westport, Greenwood Press) p. 42
14
Heywood, p. 44
15 Fielding, Helen. (1996, reprinted 1999) Bridget Jones’ Diary. (New York, Penguin Books)
12
16
Literary Analysis
In this section we are going concentrate on why the term Bildungsroman can be
recognized as a significant literary genre in relation to “The Color Purple”. Firstly
by explaining the history and the basic structure of the term Bildungsroman.
Secondly by analyzing the novel with the tools we acquired. Finally we are going
to account for the tendencies and explain why this has relevance for our report.
The structure of a Bildungsroman was formed in the 18 hundreds with J.W.
Goethe as a role model. It has its origins in Germany with a special focus on
human optimism and on the “hero” of the story. The bildungsroman has
undergone many changes, the first type was the German, then beyond its linear
form (often connected with male writers, called the masculine form), and further
on but it has sustained its influence in literature throughout time16. The form of
the Bildungsroman has been used in the feminist movement and in the racial
debate to show the hardship but also victories of repressed people. The
Bildungsroman was revived in the second-wave feminist movement, and started
a “major critical recognition and construction of female tradition of the
Bildungsroman…”17. As mentioned above, the linear form of the Bildungsroman is
generally considered the masculine. The feminine has also the structure of the
masculine, but in the feminine there happens another realisation, late in the
heroine’s life she experiences a “… brief, internal epiphanic moment…”18 It is
important to focus on the feminine Bildungsroman because the author of “The
color Purple” is a woman. One of the major problems within early feminist
Bildungsroman tradition is that it “…fails to specify cultural and racial
16
Jensen, Thomas & Nicolaisen, Carsten. (1982) Udviklingsromanen – En Genre Historie. (Odense, Odense
Universitetsforlag) p. 190
17 Feng, Pin-chia. (1998) The Female Bildungsroman by Toni Morrison and Maxine Hong Kingston. (New York,
Peter Lang Publishing, Inc.) , p. 11
18
Ibid, p. 11
17
differences”19. It fails to see the different conditions of people who are being
subdued not only because of gender, but also because of social background,
ethnicity and sexuality. Celie is being subdued because of all the abovementioned factors and therefore she is perfect as the main character.
The basic structure of the Bildungsroman is used in many novels to underline the
change in the main character’s personality. In Wilhelm Meister’s words there are
two systems within the structure of the Bildungsroman “…a linear progression
toward knowledge and social integration, and an upward movement toward
spiritual fulfilment…”20 The Bildungsroman has a very classical form ›home ->
away -> home again‹. This means that ›home‹ equals safety, naivety and an
unlighted or uneducated face. ›Away‹ is the phase where the main character
experiences a break of her familiar world. She goes through shocking
experiences where the main character is forced to learn the harsh real world.
›Home again‹ is the end of the story and is the phase where the new and
enlightened main character returns to safety, maybe even the geographic place
they started from, and lives happily having realised the truth about the world. So
the three phases are both significant literally in a geographically sense and in a
figurative sense.
In “The Color Purple” we are first introduced to the main characters in this case
Celie and Nettie. The interesting thing is that the first phase ›home‹ is left out of
the book. It is therefore fascinating that it still is able to keep the structure of a
Bildungsroman. This is what we will try to prove though this paragraph. Celie
has, from the beginning of the book, already been thrown into the second phase
›away‹ where something has happened to change her way of life. In this case she
has been raped by Alphonso, who she believes to be her farther. She says that
this signifies a change by saying:
19
20
Feng, p. 12
Feng, p. 2
18
“I am fourteen years old. I am I have always been a good girl. Maybe you can give
me a sign letting me know what is happening to me.”21 She tells about the rape
and the changes that have happened to her body. She has been thrown in
something she can’t handle and she is now praying to God to help her. Her agony
is only evolving when she is being deprived her two children, her mother dies
and the abuse continues. Her situation changes geographically but not mentally
when she lives with Mr. _ but even then the ultimate change in her everyday life
hasn’t occurred yet. This happens when Nettie, who has come to stay with them,
is being forced to leave Mr._ in letter 11, this is when the actual and final
departure from everything safe happens, it can therefore also be discussed if this
is where the phase ›away‹ finally is executed. She keeps on writing to God to find
some help in overcoming her agony. Within the second phase Celie begins to
develop her personality, this happen when the strong women of the novel are
being introduced in the novel. These women are Shug Avery and Sofia. Sofia is
being introduced as a strong independent woman and she is the first woman in
the novel who stands up to both Mr._ and Harpo22.
Shug is even more important as she introduces Celie to a world of passion,
freedom and rebelling from her slave like existence. This happens in small steps,
Celie feels an instant attraction to her even when she first sees her on a poster.
The passion becomes apparent later in letter 35 and 47 when Celie tells Shug
that she doesn’t enjoy sleeping with Mr.____ and later that she has been raped by
her farther. There is no doubt that Celie feels attracted and has a strong loving
relationship with Shug, and that this is one of the things that strengthen her in
terms of her personal development.. This is also why she ends up nearly cutting
Mr.____’s throat while shaving him. This is her revenge because he has been
hiding the letters from Nettie, which where so important to her23. Her break
Walker, Alice. (1982, reprinted 2003) The Color Purple. (Florida, Harcourt, Inc. ), p. 1
Mr______ eldest son, Sofia’s husband.
23
Walker, p 122
21
22
19
away from Mr.____ are symbolised in letter 73 when se stops writing God,
because he is not listening anyway. She now takes action into her own hands and
is no longer believing that God can change her life or give her an answer, now
she has to find that herself. The final break from her submissive state happens in
letter 74 she ends up leaving Mr._ and she has already found out that Alphonso is
not her farther (letter 67 and 69) and her children are not her siblings. The
break between her and Mr.____ Signifies a change, Celie is starting to develop her
independence and she starts to enter the ›home again‹ stage. Celie is not quite in
the ›Home again‹ yet, she curses Mr._ before leaving and she starts up the
“Folkspants, Unlimited”. Celie now misses nothing but Nettie and reconciles with
Mr._ after he returns her letters. Alphonso dies and Celie finds out that her
childhood home is actually hers and Nettie’s home. While restoring it she is
preparing for the final ›home again‹ stage, signifying the final independent stage
before entering the ›home again‹ stage. When Nettie returns home with Olivia
and Adam24 the feeling of safety, love and enlightenment is completed. This can
also be seen when she finally addresses God and now embraces her destiny and
life. Celie needs “A sense of community, a network of relations, is of particular
importance to ethnic women in their struggle against the joined fire of racism,
sexism and classicism”25. And when this I fulfilled she experiences the final relief.
In Bildungsroman the formation of the main characters personality is in focus.
The phases of a Bildungsroman are very specific and this evidently characterise
this novel. Another set of characteristics that can be recognised in this novel is
the specific use of binary characters. In a classical Bildungsroman there is a
binary person, who begins from the same starting point as the main character. In
the beginning the binary character is living the same life as the main character
but at a specific point, the second stage, they split up. One can through this
person’s eyes see the life that could have been lived by the main character. This
24
25
Celie’s children
Feng, p. 12
20
is also easily recognisable in “The Color Purple” where Nettie is splitting up from
Celie and ends up living an entirely different and more satisfying life then Celie.
The reason why we describe Nettie as a main character is because she is not
going through the same exact pattern as Celie even though she also ends up
going from ›home, away, home again‹ she does it as a mirror image towards
Celie. So in this relation one can distinctively see Celie’s personal development in
complete contrast to the life lived by her sister Nettie.
We call this a Bildungsroman even though it starts ›away‹, because if follows the
two prior described very important characteristics. The reason why Alice
Walker chooses to start the novel in the ›away‹ phase could be because she
wants to make a strong emphasis on the steps Celie follows, slowly developing
from a little insecure uneducated child to a strong independent loving woman.
The Bildungsroman is as mentioned a very positivistic genre, and much
literature seem naïve and two-dimensional within this field of literary theory.
One might argue that this occurs in “The Color Purple”. The main character
experiences both sexual and psychological abuse throughout most of her life.
However she ends up taking upon a social taboo role in her life, such as her
sexual orientation, economic independence and gender and so forth. She ends
up completely satisfied with this role in life without seemingly suffering from
her past experiences. In this way both the theory of Bildungsroman and the
novel “The Color Purple” illustrates the way in which a character development
can be described in classical developmental terms and how it on the other hand
also could entail a somewhat lacking character insight. However one might view
the Bildungsroman as that it has been an evident source of inspiration to the
writer, as it ensures the reader a powerful personal description of female
development, regardless of time setting and power relations.
21
In the above mentioned section we have learned about the structures of the
literary theory Bildungsroman, and we have tried to apply these to the novel of
interest “The Color Purple”. We will seek to use the basic understanding of this
structure as a source of inspiration for our characther analysis. Thus we will
divide this analysis into sections of pivotal points, which underline the different
phases of personal development for the main character Celie.
In conclusion our newfound understanding will serve as both a basis and further
inspiration.
22
Simone de Beauvoir in relation to “The Color Purple”
We used the quote “One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman”, as an
inspiration in the analysis of “The Color Purple”. We found it relevant to look at
some similarities between “The Color Purple” and Simone de Beauvoir’s
observations on women’s situation and development. In this section we will
briefly look at Simone de Beauvoir, her book “The Second Sex” and some points
which bare a resemblance with “The Color Purple”.
Simone de Beauvoir (1908-1986) was a French author and philosopher. She is
one of the most important characters though the twentieth-century, especially in
the field of feminist philosophy and literary studies.26 Simone de Beauvoir is
often associated with the philosophical trend called existentialism, which
developed in France during the Second World War. Existentialism argues that
humans are responsible for their own lives and their values. Or to say it in
another way, they do not have essence created by God or nature. 27
Beauvoir’s most well known novel is “The Second Sex”, which was published in
France in 1949. Her inspiration for the book was provided by France’s political
and social circumstances. At that time there was a huge pressure on woman to
maintain the traditional roles of wife and mother, mostly because all major
political parties aimed to increase the birth rate.28 French woman obtained the
right to vote 1944, but the right to abortion, contraception or own bank account
were still illegal.29 One of Beauvoir’s main arguments is that throughout history
women have been constructed as men’s ‘Other’ and therefore missed an
autonomous existence.30 Women have been defined only in relation to men. 31
Tidd, pp. 1-2
Ibid, pp. 13-14
28 Ibid, pp 49-50
29 Ibid, pp. 49-50
30
de Beauvoir, p. 16
26
27
23
In the “The Second Sex” Simone de Beauvoir, refers to marriage often being a
bargain in which a girl is sold to the man, sometimes accompanied by a dowry32.
“The Women’s body is something he buys…”33 and the woman is expected to do
the house chores and take care of the children. We see such a bargain in “The
Color Purple” when Celie is “sold” to Mr________, by Alphonso. “She ugly. He say.
But she ain’t no stranger to hard work. And she clean. And God done fixed her...”
“…She can take that cow she raise down there back of the crib.”34 Later when
Mr______ returns to Alphonso, his only interest is whether the cow is still a part of
the bargain.35
In connection with ‘the bargain’ Alphonso informs Mr________ that “And God done
fixed her. You can do everything just like you want to and she ain’t gonna make
you feed it or clothe it..”36Alphonso refers to Celie inability to have anymore
children. As she is not able to produce offspring, she is considered ‘broken’.
Beauvoir argues that when a woman ages and she looses her fertility which, “…in
the view of society and her own, provide the justification of her existence and her
opportunity for happiness.”37she looses her femininity. Celie hasn’t aged, but as
she is ‘broken’, she can hardly be considered a woman, only workforce.
“Woman’s function is also to satisfy a male’s sexual needs and to take care of his
household. These duties placed upon woman by society are regarded as service
rendered to her spouse; in return he is supposed to give her presents, or a marriage
settlement, and to support her.”38 We see in “The Color Purple” that that is Celie’s
function exactly, she is however not provided with any financial support, except
her daily meals. As Mr______’s sister arises the question of Celie lacking clothes
de Beauvoir, p. 16
Ibid, p. 450
33 Ibid, p 450
34 Walker, p. 8
35 Ibid, p. 11
36 Ibid, p. 8
37 de Beauvoir, p. 587
38
Ibid, p. 447
31
32
24
“He look at me. It like he looking at the earth. It need something? his eyes say.”39
We learn that Mr_________ uses Celie to satisfy his own sexual needs, disregarding
any needs of hers.40 These are first awoken with the entrance of Shug Avery in
her life. Since Celie has never enjoyed sex, Shug announces that Celie is still a
virgin.41 Beauvoir mentions that “many women become mothers and
grandmothers without ever having experienced the orgasm or even any sex
excitement at all.”42 These women, like Celie feel no attraction to men and try to
avoid it in any way they can. “Two types of lesbians are often distinguished: the
‘masculine’, who ‘wish to imitate the male’, and the ‘feminine’, who are afraid of
the male’.43 Beauvoir argues that becoming a homosexual the “woman hopes in
this way to find self-realization under the aspect of herself as a thing; but then she
will be trying to find herself in her otherness, her alterity44.”45 For Celie it is a way
of finding herself, through the guidance of her friend and confident, Shug.
In Celie’s journey to become an independent woman, she has to achieve two
objectives. Firstly she has to free herself of Mr______’s oppression. His view on
Celie, is that which Beauvoir refers to as the ‘Other’. “Thus humanity is male and
man defines woman not in herself but as relative to him; she is not regarded as an
autonomous being.” “He is the Subject, he is the Absolute – she is the Other.”46 This
can be seen in the last argument Celie has with Mr______, as he says: “Look at you.
You black, you pore, you ugly, you a woman. Goddam, he say, you nothing at all.”47
Celie is nothing, especially not without him. By being with him she is at least a
wife. Celie’s response: “I’m pore, I’m black, I may be ugly and can’t cook, a voice
39
Walker, p. 21
Ibid, p. 78
41 Walker, p. 78
42 de Beauvoir, p. 462
43 Ibid, pp 427-428
44 A philosophical term, meaning otherness.
45 de Beauvoir, p. 436
46 Ibid, p. 16
47 Walker, p. 209
40
25
say to everything listening. But I’m here.”48 is not only a reaction to Mr_____
offending words, but to the general notion that a woman is nothing and means
nothing. She is present, therefore she is somebody. The second objective she has
to overcome is that she needs to be financially independent. “It is through gainful
employment that woman has traversed most of the distance that separated her
from the male; and nothing else can guarantee her liberty in practice.”49 Beauvoir
repeatedly stresses that financial independence is the only way for women to be
emancipated. With help and support from friends and family Celie establishes
the ‘Folkspants Unlimited’, her own business selling her designed trousers. This
gives Celie her independence. When she inherit her house she is able to recreate
it just as she wants, thus she is setting up her own world, created after her
wishes and desires, with the privilege of being able to welcome those she which
to see, and excluded anyone else . In this way we see complete liberation from all
previous ties.
Understanding how Simone de Beauvoir’s observations and ideas are
comparable to “The Color Purple” enhances the understanding of how a
quotation by Beauvoir can be applied as inspiration for the following analysis of
the “The Color Purple”.
48
49
Walker, p. 210
de Beauvoir, p. 679
26
Character Analysis50
The analysis takes its starting point in the philosophical framework of Simone de
Beauvoir, and thus there will be a particular emphasis on the development of
Celie as a protagonist. We have chosen to use a chronological framework to
divide the analysis into sections. The reason we have chosen to call special
attention to Celie as a predominant female figure is the fact that her
development is a distinct example to help illustrate our theory of feminist
philosophy.
As mentioned earlier, we will use the theoretical outline of Simone de Beauvoir’s
feminist philosophy as inspiration for our analysis. However in order to entail
such an analytical standpoint we will first and foremost look into the
perspective of feminist philosophy and secondly the chosen quotation from
Simone de Beauvoir’s book The Second Sex.
The following section aims to form a basic understanding of feminist philosophy.
Feminist philosophy, refers to philosophy approached from a feminist
perspective. The core canon of traditional philosophy is written almost
exclusively by men51, and is to some extent debatably sexist, especially in
regards to philosophy referring to gender and man. As an example Aristotle says
that the courage of a man lies in commanding, a woman’s lies in obeying; that
“matter yearns for form” 52As well as the female being a incomplete male or: “as
it were, a deformity”53
The following analysis is written on the basis of The Color Purple, by Niel McEwan, New York Notes 1998 as
well as Moore, Brenna and Ward, Selena. SparkNotes on The Color Purple. 30 Apr. 2008, and the novel The Color
Purple, Alice Walker, Harcourt Inc, 1982.
Furthermore we will include footnotes, with references to specific paragraphs. The extracts from other analyses
are consciously chosen with relevance to our form of analysis, and will lead to a reflection/discussion in relation
to our feminist philosophical perspective.
51 Kittay, Eva Feder and Alcoff, Linda Martín (ED.) (2006) The Blackwell Guide to Feminist Philosophy. (Hoboken,
Blackwell Publishing) p. 23
52 Ibid, p. 38
53
Ibid, p. 49
50
27
Feminist philosophy seeks to re-evaluate or even criticize these notions of
traditional philosophy, and can thus be viewed as a form of counteraction.
Feminist philosophers sought to use their anger productively by creating new
approaches to the history of philosophy. However, most feminist readings are
distinguished by a clear interest in questions regarding sexual differences and
gender.
Our specific interest in feminist philosophy lies in the following quotation “One is
not born, but rather becomes a woman” written by female philosopher Simone de
Beauvoir. A quotation taken from the book, “The Second Sex”
To our understanding this quotation contains the idea that becoming a woman,
is an individual journey each girl undergoes. Thereby implying that being a
woman is more than belonging to a certain sex, being woman involves much
more. Hence being a woman is not just a birth-given role, which to some extent
entails some societal factors and expectations, such as belonging to certain
groups, jobs, and believing in values, that are considered feminine. To society,
becoming a woman could be fulfilling a certain stereotypical role. However we
believe this quotation takes a different, more personal stand. As the role of a
woman, is described as something you become, rather than just naturally belong
to, it must include a development to reach this point. It is this journey of
liberation of the traditional expectations of womanhood; we are interested in
looking into within our analysis.
With particular emphasis on Celie, the novel The color Purple, could be divided
into the following pivotal points: “The beginning until Shug’s arrival”, “From
Shug’s arrival to Nettie’s first letter”, “From Nettie’s first letter to the departure
of Celie”.
These sections help highlight certain essential developmental steps for Celie
and, the women surrounding her.
28
“The Beginning until Shug’s arrival”
In the beginning of the novel Celie is described as a young woman, who has been
subjected to violence and abuse. Throughout her life she has been treated as an
object to others, and has had little chance to debate her life perspective with
others. As a result Celie’s only outlet to the world is her letters to God. These
letters functions as a mean of self-expression. And equally as a way for the
reader to experience Celie’s reactions on a more personal level. The ‘letterwriting form’ or epistolary54 form of the novel resembles a diary, and is meant
for the reader learn about Celie’s experiences in an honest and personal way.
Though Celie’s letters are straightforward and sincere, they are sometimes
difficult to make sense of, especially since there are limitations to Celie’s ability
to narrate her own life story. One must bear in mind that, we often exclude or
emphasize certain experiences when speaking of our own life. In relation to
Celie, many of her experiences are both appalling and even forms of
mistreatment, as a result she tries to cover them up or even repress these
incidents. For instance letter 1, Alphonso commands her to keep quiet of his
repeated sexual abuse as: “He start to choke me, saying You better shut up and git
used to it.”55
“Walker’s use of Celie’s own voice, however underdeveloped, allows Walker to tell
the history of black women in the rural South in a sympathetic and realistic way.
Unlike a historian’s perspective, which can be antiseptic and overly analytical,
Celie’s letters offer a powerful first-person account of the institutions of racism and
sexism”56 This specific quote illustrates the importance of the personal writings
of Celie, as a way for the reader to fully grasp the emotional development of her
as character. However we believe one must be skeptical of the fact that this
“sympathetic and realistic” manner of portrayal also means that our view is on
54
Consisting of letters
Walker, p. 1
56
Moore, Brenna and Ward, Selena. Spark1otes on The Color Purple. (from http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/purple/)
55
29
Celie is primarily based on her own reflections, and not those of a, for instance,
3.rd person narrative. There are both positive and negative effects of the
narrative technique, however in the case of our perspective of analysis, the
‘letter-writing’ form could be treated as a more tangible way to fully understand
Celie’s development on a confidential level.
However simple the letters might seem, the language still reveals the emotional
state of Celie. In her second letter to God, Celie tells of the death of her mother, in
a way that proves her lacking ability to fully grasp emotion and misfortune as
she states: “My momma dead. She die screaming and cussing. She scream at me.
She cuss at me.”57 This section entails the lacking reflections on her personal
emotional state. Nowhere does Celie speak of the way the death of her mother
makes her feel, or of the situation she now faces.
Furthermore the initial letters are as noted directed to God, not to Celie self, a
confidant, sister or friend. The relation to God is more of an outlet than that of a
savior, as she never asks for favors, prays for material goods or emotional
support. Her link to God is described as a relationship to a universally
recognized and acknowledged but distant figure, whom she never asks to
overturn or help prevent the injustice she experiences in her life. This is evident,
as she believes God is an authoritative figure as she reflects on her missing baby
in the second letter.. : “I say God took it. He took it. He took it while I was sleeping.
Kilt it out there in the woods”58 However it seems she mistakes the authority of
God, and that of Alphonso. Either way, Celie believes her destiny lies in the
hands of the dominating male figures in her life.
The use of God as the recipient of the letters could imply Celie’s lacking
contemplation on existential matters. One could even interpret the use of God in
the letters as a symbol of the patriarchal society Celie is a member of, and thus
on her view as the female gender being submissive. The fact that Celie writes to
57
58
Walker, p. 2
Ibid, p. 2
30
God could be viewed as her expression of her unconscious perspective on men,
in this case, God as a man, being the natural person in command of her life. Celie
does not question the commonly accepted understanding that God is a figure to
which one directs their thoughts, feelings and confessions. So one might
conclude that Celie never questions other commonly accepted beliefs, such as
men being superior to women. Either way, the letter writing alters along the
way, as Celie later on directs her letter to her sister rather than God, which helps
underline her personal transition into independence.
The lacking ability to act in self-reflective manner steadily changes during the
time span of the novel. In letter 21, however Celie proves that she has become
aware of the way other people perceive her, as she admits to Sofia that she is
jealous of her assertive and confident personality, after having advised Harpo to
beat her; “I say it cause I’m a fool. I say it cause I’m jealous of you. I say it cause you
do what I can’t. What that? She say. Fight. I say.”59 This section shows signs of
self-reflection from Celie, as she now realized her role in comparison to the role
of other women surrounding her. Not only does Celie admit and own up to
feelings of jealousy, she also realizes that the answer to her circumstances lies in
her inability to fight back. However, as mentioned Celie did initially advice
Harpo to beat his wife Sofia, “… This is an opportunity for Celie to participate in
the control and abuse of woman other than herself, leaving her with another role
than being the oppressed”60. Thereby saying that Celie is influenced by her birthgiven role as an submissive and exploited woman among controlling men, and
that these experiences has had consequences for her view on other women.
Additionally her view on women is challenged as she is introduced to a type of
woman, such as Sofia, who objects to mistreatment. Yet one would expect Celie
who herself has experienced mistreatment to try abort any actions of this
nature, however we must bear in mind that Celie has not known of any other
59
60
Walker, p. 40
Moore, Brenna and Ward, Selena. Spark1otes on The Color Purple. (from http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/purple/)
31
circumstances, and that she is expectant of the role of women to be both
compliant and submissive. Or as stated in the in abovementioned citation, she is
faced with an opportunity to seize some control, instead of always being
controlled herself. Nevertheless Celie acts remorsefully and apologizes to Sofia,
leaving the two women with the ability to share their life stories and compare
their upbringing. Celie even explains to Sofia that she has lost the ability to feel
emotions as she says: “Then after a while every time I got mad, or start to feel
mad, I got sick. Felt like throwing up. Terrible feeling. Then I start to feel nothing
at all. Sofia frown. Nothing at all?”61 A passage, which proves Celie’s increasingly
ability to detect and reflect upon her experiences and the consequences they
have had on the life, she is leading now. Furthermore the meeting between Sofia
and Celie functions as a representation of the manner in which the female
characters function as sources of inspiration for each other, throughout the
novel. When speaking of Celie, this is especially important, as Sofia teaches Celie
the way which women can support each other and fight men, when she talk
about her siblings: “six boys, six girls. All the girls big and strong like me. Boys big
and strong too, but all the girls stick together”62 In this way Sofia implies that
deep ties among women are a powerful mean to fight both sexism and abuse.
From Shug’s arrival to Nettie’s first letter.
Upon Shug’s arrival in letter 22, Celie still does not match her feelings with what
she says, as she clearly feels excitement. “My heart begin to beat like a furry, and
the first thing I try to do is change my dress… I don’t know what to do, I’m so beside
myself”63 but does not speak freely of these feelings. During the course of time
Shug spends with Celie their relationship quickly develops. Alice Walker uses
this relationship to introduce her idea of a varied nature of intimacy among the
61
Walker, p. 42
Ibid, p. 41
63
Ibid, p. 44
62
32
female characters in the novel64 as stated: “Sexuality and sexual orientation is
unconsciously described as a range of possibilities rather than just the conscious
level of two polar-opposite choices”65 Thereby saying that sexuality can be
difficult to define and much more complex than e.g. dividing between either
heterosexuality or homosexuality. In relation to Celie as our principal focus
point, our interest lies in the underlying processes that Shug is the trigger in her
sexual liberation and understanding. Celie’s feeling towards Shug are described
as sexual as she says: “First time I got the full sight of Shug Avery long black body
with it black plum nipples, look like her mouth, I thought I had turned into a
man”66 a clear indicator that Celie feels sexually aroused by this intimate setting.
However the relationship between Celie and Shug is also based on feelings of
admiration, camaraderie and even maternal tenderness. Throughout letters 2223 Celie describes how she has nursed Shug back into health, and compares her
to her “mama”. However, in contrast to Celie’s natural mother Shug is neither
oppressed by traditional gender roles nor dominated by the men in her life. The
bond between the two women helps Celie to break free of her existing role and
enter a new form of womanhood. Especially since Shug and Celie discuss both
womanhood and sex, here for the first time Celie is able to talk about her sexual
experiences and abuse. As a result Shug says: “Why Miss Celie, she say, you still a
virgin”67 seeing as Celie has not experienced any satisfaction nor delight while
engaging in sexual relations. Consequently Shug declares Celie a virgin, and even
renames her Miss Celie. This experience leads to a new identity for Celie both in
a figurative and literal sense68, as the declaration and renaming are seemingly
critical aspects in Celie’s personal development. The fact that Celie is able to take
on a new name implies she can leave the ‘old’ Celie behind and thus shed an
identity, which has been imposed on her. In this sense Celie is now able to attain
64
McEwan, Niel. (1998) The Color Purple (York, York Notes), p. 17
Ibid, p. 24
Walker, p. 49
67
Ibid, p. 78
68
Moore, Brenna and Ward, Selena. Spark1otes on The Color Purple. (from http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/purple/)
65
66
33
an identity with matching values on the basis of her own experiences and free
will. As a form of inspiration Shug represents an independent woman, who in
relation to sex does not merely function as a reproductive role in society. On the
contrary she redefines traditional views on virginity, by saying that it is not lost
when a woman has sex for the first time, but rather when a women willingly
partakes in enjoyable sex for the first time. Shug helps Celie realize that there
are alternative ways to think and perceive life, sex and womanhood. Celie’s
recognition of these alternatives leads her to a new sense of control, and is to
our belief vital steps in her personal journey towards independence as a woman.
However in relation to Celie’s personal sexual development, one might argue
that Alice Walker quite straightforwardly describes Celie’s transition from an
abused woman to her recognition of sexual feelings towards Shug. Commonly
sexual abuse, such as incest or repeated rape would traumatize a woman
terribly, and interfere to a large extent with her sexual identity.69 However this
seemingly trouble-free shift of character in Celie debatably supports the notion
that there is strong emphasis on the positive traits of development rather than
the negative. Celie undergoes much hardship and mistreatment, which is
described briefly, and it has a limited effect on her processes of change. Then
again, the mistreatment and oppression is by no means disregarded in the novel,
and the lack of emphasis could be a conscious choice of Alice Walker to ensure
the growth of Celie into a strong female character is accentuated.
The relationship between Celie and Shug has evident effects on Celie’s
personality, both considering her internal reflections as well as her actions
towards other. The positive experience of being renamed is even something
Celie now advises other women to follow as she tells Squeak: “Make Harpo call
you by your real name, I say”70 thereby not only contemplating but also reacting
upon her own valuable experiences. As a result Squeak also renames herself, and
rejects the somewhat demeaning nickname given in favor of her real name. An
69
70
Schmidt, Finn Lykke. (1998) Misbrugt og Krænket, Om Incest og Tabet Af Tillid og Selvværd. (Århus, Forlaget Kim)
Walker, p. 86
34
action, which proves to show the continuality of positive experience among the
women in the novel, and the way in which they inspire each other to seek
independence. The letters between 44-60 entail Celie’s increasing personal
progress, especially in terms of her communicative skills. Celie is now able to
fully open up emotionally, as she puts her life story into words and reacts with
sincere emotion when remembering her initial experiences of mistreatment: “I
start to cry too. I cry and cry. Seem like it all come back to me, laying there in Shug
arms”71 The development of Celie’s communicative skills is to a large extent the
result of her relationship with Shug, as it centered around storytelling. However
sad Celie’s life story may seem it also hopeful because of her growing emotional
and sexual relationship with Shug. At this stage their relationship is very much
reciprocal, seeing as they both serve as a model of inspiration to each other. One
might argue that Celie’s sense of self as a women is primarily a result of her
watching and learning from Shug, whereas Shug has softened and become
gentler as a result of the nurturing and caretaking from Celie.
From Nettie’s first letter to the departure of Celie.
As mentioned earlier the relationship between Shug and Celie is centered
around storytelling, this is also the case as Celie is able to retrieve and make
sense of her long lost sister Nettie’s letters by means of Shug. Celie reacts with
both anger and resentment towards Mr._____ as she discovers that these letters
have been hidden from her for so long as she says: “Naw, I think I feel better if I
kill him, I say. I feels sickish. Numb now” to which Shug responds: “Naw you won’t.
Nobody feel better for killing nothing. They feel something is all.”72 This reaction of
anger and rage is a new reaction to Celie’s past experiences of mistreatment; and
it illustrates her growing emotional range and ability to react according to
sentiment. Especially since she is now able to debate these emotions with a
confidant and friend, is she now able to fully attain them.
71
72
Walker, p. 114
Ibid, p. 144
35
By finding and reading the lost letters form Nettie, Celie is able to resurrect her
sister’s lost voice and begin to understand her own independent story.
Especially since the letters are a link to a life she once lived and thought she had
lost. Being able to put her life story into context, both in terms of clarification of
her past but also in terms of putting her existence into a larger context by
learning of other cultures through her sisters letters, are important steps
towards independence. Through the letters Celie learns more of her upbringing
and the truth of her relative’s relation to her. The fact that Nettie is alive gives
Celie the necessary strength for self-reliance as she now slowly begins to rely
less on Shug, and even overcome her fear of Mr.________ as an authoritative figure
in her life. Even more so Celie for the first time questions her faith in God as she
ends her last letter, before she starts writing to Nettie, by summing up her new
information of her life story by finally saying to God: “You must be sleep”73 As a
consequence Celie now directs her letters to her sister Nettie. The fact that Celie
stops writing letters to God, is a distinct indicator that she is focused on the life
she is living now, and no longer waits for the ‘kingdom of heaven’ as a
destination of peace and happiness. On the contrary Celie now begins to seek for
happiness in her current life. The letter writing to God could be viewed as the
last link to the woman Celie was before embarking on her personal
developmental journey. As regards to our understanding the feminist
philosophy of Simone de Beauvoir, Celie is not entering the role of womanhood
that one develops into, and is not given by birth into a specific gender.
Furthermore when speaking of feminist philosophy it is also our understanding
that these ideas were counter actions towards male concepts of female role’s in
society. More specifically a role loaded with traditional accepted female values
such as caretaking, nursing and motherhood, and it is this specific role Celie is
elaborating on, if not leaving behind. Celie has now fully realized that being a
woman, is not fulfilling a function or a certain role, on the contrary it is entering
73
Walker, p. 178
36
a world of possibilities. In the following letters 70-82, Celie enters this world of
opportunities, as she take on sewing, a traditionally domestic chore and turns it
into an instrument of independence. Celie’s assertion of self comes on full force
in this section. Celie’s significant moment is the speech she gives to Mr._______,
where she is able to unleash years of pent up emotion and anger as she says:
“You made my life a hell on earth. And your daddy here ain’t dead horses’s
shit.”74 Resulting in all the women present bursting out in laughter: “Shug look at
me and us giggle. Then us laugh sure nuff. Then squeak start to laugh. Then Sofia.
All us laugh and laugh.”75 An example of the strong connection amongst the
women in the novel, and their mutual understanding and love.
However later Mr.______ tries to use his old tricks by stripping Celie of her new
sense of self, as he says: “You black, you pore, you ugly, you a woman. Goddamn,
he say, you nothing at all.”76, but this time Celie’s self-worth is strong, she knows
she is no longer helpless so she resists to his claim, by reinterpreting his words
in a defiant manner saying: “I’m poor, I’m black, I may be ugly and I can’t cook…
But I’m here.”77 As Celie reinterprets Mr_____’s insults she does not feel the need
to take into account his remarks of her being a women, thereby implying she
does not see this aspect of her persona as a negative characteristic. As a result of
Celie’s confident and forceful manner she is even able to make Mr._______
reevaluate his life, proving that her attainment of self-respect has broken a cycle,
and she herself has functioned as a source of inspiration to others.
Another important aspect of Celie’s empowerment is her newfound economic
independence. Celie’s clothing design and sewing is an entrepreneurship, which
leads to self-sufficiency. Very much in contrast with conventional societal
understandings of the female role, Celie goes against tradition as she is now
completely independent. Once Celie also inherits her family’s old property she is
74
Walker, p. 202.
Ibid, p. 203.
76
Ibid, p. 209.
77
Ibid, p. 210.
75
37
able to complete her circle of self-sufficiency with her own economic funds,
friends and life story.
The final letters of the novel prove the extent to which Celie as a woman has
evolved throughout the novel. Celie’s initial letters were mere accounts of
actions without relation or contemplation. Gradually the letters start to entail
perceptive observations of others, and distinct articulation of personal
emotional reactions towards experiences. The novel ends with an insight into
others feelings as Celie says: “But I don’t think us feel old at all. And us so happy.
Matter of fact, I think this the youngest us ever felt.”78
By making the letter writing a key process in Celie’s development, Alice Walker
is able to emphasize the importance of literacy to women. Furthermore this
process is not only productive in the sense that it leads to self-reflection for
Celie, it also allows her to liberate herself from the lacking intellectual challenges
in her life as a caretaker and mother. Even though Celie has not been able to
attain any professional schooling she is able to learn about the outside world
and other cultures through Nettie’s letters. Through the skills of writing and
reading she is able to unshackle herself from the traditional imposed
requirements of womanhood, and she then become a woman on her own terms.
In conclusion the division of the analysis into separate sections helps underline
the pivotal points of the novel seen from our point of interest. Firstly we were
able to determine the state of Celie through her letters to God, and experience
her view on herself through her meetings with strong women, such as Sofia.
Secondly we experienced Celie’s personal development as she met Shug and
embarke on a sexual and therapeutic journey. Lastly we were able to learn of
Celie’s past and see her become both mentally and physically independent of
others. Conclusively Celie develops into her form of womanhood, strongly
influenced by the women she has met along the way. In the end Celie has
78
Walker, p. 294.
38
discovered surrogates for God and her parents in the form of other women.
These strong ties among the women of the novel allow Celie to create a new
family and life story in the face of the hardship she has endured. Celie is no
longer just a wife, caretaker, mother or friend – she is a woman on her own; with
a business, sexuality and life story of her own.
39
Discussion
The following section aims to discuss and reflect upon the knowledge we have
obtained so far, and reflect on this in relation to the different time setting of
today. We are going to do this by including a brief summation on the collected
preliminary work leading up to this discussion, and then looking into the
limitations and possibilities of the approach we haven chosen to use on “The
Color Purple”.
In our project we have dealt with different subject matters in order to
understand the life, work and thoughts of feministic philosophy by Simone de
Beauvoir. Our specific interest lies within the quotation: “One is not born but
rather becomes a woman” from “The Second Sex” and this has served as an
inspiration for both our literary – and character analysis. In our literary analysis
we have found that “The Color Purple” partially fulfils the structures of the genre
Bildungsroman, but that Alice Walker consciously has chosen to object to this
form in an effectual manner. However one might argue that the novel is not even
a Bildungsroman. Seeing as the first phase of the novel does not take place at
>home< but in the <away> phase. Despite this we believe that the notion of
Bildungsroman has been relevant to our project, as it has served as a way to
effectually divide the novel in to understandable pivotal points. This is making
the development of the protagonist more pronounced and tangible to the reader.
Especially considering our specific interest when looking at the main female
character Celie’s personal development as a woman.
On the basis of our literary analysis, we decided to use the structural division of
pivotal points for our character analysis. We were able to look into the different
women along the way, as they influence the protagonists personal development.
This division of the novel was a way to ensure a constant aim of focus. However
40
one might argue that certain important factors were excluded because the
structure is quite tight, and serves a limited perspective on the other characters.
The view on these characters was described only in relation to Celie. Then again
our main intention has been exclusively to look into the progress of Celie, and
thus the relevance of the other characters became limited only to their function
as role models. Even more so the advantage of looking at one specific character
allows one to form a view on the subordinate characters through the eyes of this
person. It could have a positive effect, considering that the intention of the
author is probably to ensure a credible 1. Person account of a life story.
In this project we have decided to work with a quotation as a source of
inspiration. This specific quote reflects, in our belief, Simone de Beauvoir’s
philosophy on womanhood. However we are aware that we were not able to
fully grasp or simply chose a quotation to represent the extensive philosophical
work of Simone de Beauvoir in its entirety. Yet as we included a section with an
explanation of our understanding of this quotation both in terms of our
comprehension and intention for this project, we feel as if the quotation serves
both applicable and relatable when reading the novel. It is this philosophy we
wanted to use in our analysis of the novel “The Color Purple”, as we believe the
female characters are predominant. Seeing as the female characters are
described with many positive attributes and that their interaction is emphasized
throughout the novel, we found a female perspective to be relevant.
Furthermore we found the male characters to fulfil supporting roles, to create
the destinies of the women. Instead of fulfilling their own life goals, they create
the basis for the women to seek other paths in life. However we are aware that
the men themselves possess a significant role in the novel, but since “The Color
Purple” is an extensive piece of literature, which has been heavily debated; we
feel that making a complete analysis would be infeasible considering our time
limit. We believe that despite our restricted focus, it has made it possible for us
41
to go into depth with our angle, and that this has helped us to succeed in trying
to take upon another angle than what we found done before.
As mentioned earlier we have chosen to work with Simone de Beauvoir’s
feministic philosophy as a source of inspiration. Prior to this discussion, we have
touched upon our understanding of the chosen quotation, both in terms of our
perception, and in relation to Simone de Beauvoir’s work, and the book “The
Second Sex”. Yet our understanding has certain limitations, as we have not been
able to fully grasp the entity of Simone de Beauvoir’s work, seeing as we have
chosen to look into certain sections of the book “The Second Sex”. However
restricted our understanding may be, we feel that the way in which we have
interpreted the quotation has served relevant for our analysis. The basic idea
that womanhood is more than merely fulfilling a certain societal role could be
perceived as a reaction to the time setting in which it was written. We have
chosen to apply this notion, to a novel written many years later then when it is
partaking, it is because we believe it has significant value both then and now.
Society role for both men and women may be altering throughout time; however
womanhood is constantly a topic of interest. Some might argue that we, in
modern times, seek to shed the roles given to men and women, however many
may believe that some of the basic values connected to these roles remain the
same. Either way, the notion of entering womanhood by way of personal
development does not reject the ideas that some values are related to a certain
gender or role. Taken as whole we believe that the idea of “becoming a woman”
is a process, a personal process of development, regardless of the time setting or
expectations of the given society.
Yet we cannot disregard the fact that we have chosen a philosophical notion
from the 1950’s, a literary theory from the 18 hundreds and lastly a novel from
the 1980’s, and the intention to make this relevant for a modern day reader. We
however believe that the main notion of both the literary and theory and chosen
42
quotation are unrestrained to their time setting, as they serve as inspiration for
our approach. And also seeing as philosophy should be universal, thus relating
to the whole universe, regardless of time.
We haven chosen to look at what it means to be a woman, and how one develops
into a woman. By looking at Celie, the women she meets along they way, and the
way her self-reflection and outlook on the world alter throughout “The Color
Purple”. We have sought to find the answers to the above-mentioned
speculations. The basic idea of womanhood and what it entails is, in our
perspective considered as, a universal discussion of personal development and
gender identity. Therefore we believe it to be set free from time setting. But with
limitations, as we cannot disregard the fact that the social view on womanhood,
certain extent, has effects on the way women perceive themselves. Despite the
fact that some values connected to women changes throughout time, there are
some conditions and characteristics which are somewhat invariable. For
instance one would argue that these could be characteristics such as nurturing,
gentleness and kindness. However constant these might be, we still find the
importance of personal development to be more interesting than adopting
socially accepted values on womanhood. It is this specific idea; of personal
developing we intend to unveil in our analysis.
Considering our perspective of interest, chosen theories and sources of
inspiration, we feel that we have used a structure, which served most effectually
to our intentions of the project. Generally speaking we believe our limitations
serve as our advantages, as they help us go into depth with our area of interest.
All in all we found the interrelation between the structure of the novel and it’s
content to help underline the creation of identity of the main character.
43
Conclusion
Initially we set out to find the answer to how feminist philosophy and the
thoughts of Simone de Beauvoir could relate to the novel “The Color Purple” And
more specifically how these thoughts could be interpreted through the personal
development of the main female character Celie.
By way of our sub questions we sought to find preliminary knowledge in order
to fully grasp the full idea of our project’s intention. Firstly we discussed our
personal understanding of the quotation, as we felt this had to be done in order
to ensure a sensible starting point. The result of our work is used in our
discussion later on, and reflects both our personally – and theoretically obtained
knowledge. We believe the quotation’s primary idea is the notion that
womanhood is not a role one is born into, but on the contrary a role one
develops into. Secondly we looked into feminist philosophy, and the way it has
developed throughout time. We learned that the different waves in feminism,
proves the tendencies in which literature has developed. In relation to this
knowledge on feminist philosophy, we have also learned extensively about
Simone de Beauvoir. Furthermore we have touched upon the relation between
selected sections of “The Second Sex” and “The Color Purple”, and as a result
realized that the development of Celie in some ways correspond with Simone de
Beauvoir’s ideas of an independent woman. Thirdly we tried to find a literary
theory which could be applied to “The Color Purple”. We chose to look into the
genre of Bildungsroman, in order to find our answer. The reason we find this
genre relevant is because the basic structure of Bildungsroman can be seen in
the novel, and furthermore seeing as the main character is emphasized. This
emphasis on the main character is of particular interest us, especially
considering our main research question. We learned through our literary theory
that Bildungsroman to some extent is applicable to the novel, and the ideas of
44
personal development of the main character by means of the subordinate
characters could be used in our character analysis later on.
Lastly we used this structure as basis for our character analysis. In this analysis
we sought to find the answer as to how and by what means Celie develops as a
woman. We sought to find the answers by looking into her personal letters, and
conversations with the other characters. And particularly the women she met
along the way we could trace her personal development, from an oppressed
young girl into and independent woman.
In conclusion we believe to have found a possible way to apply the quotation
“One is not born, but rather becomes a woman” to an analysis of the development
of a woman in a novel. All the while paying respect to the importance of textual
analysis and considering our basic understanding of feminist philosophy.
However in order to fully grasp our perspective, we felt the need to include a
discussion of the limitations and possibilities of this chosen angle. As a result of
this discussion we have learned that the many positive traits of the genre
Bildungsroman could reflect a seemingly naïve story line, where the main
character easily overcomes hardship. However this does not imply that the
novel’s content is simplistic it merely means that the primary focus is on the
development of the main character. And in order to ensure, that Celie ends up as
a fully independent and loving woman, there is a need for positive progression
in her life story.
Our research questions reads: “One is not born, but rather becomes a woman”
How can this quotation be applied as a notion of feminist philosophy in relation
to the development of the main female character in novel “The Color Purple” ?
We believe to have found the answer to the above mentioned by looking at the
result of our theoretical work, and especially our analysis. All in all Celie’s
personal development corresponds to a certain extent with our understanding
of Simone de Beauvoir’s quote. In the sense that being a woman is not simply
45
obtaining a societal role, but entering a form of womanhood, which on the
contrary liberates one from the strain of social expectations. Initially Celie sets
out as a prime example of a woman whom has been subdued to hardship and
oppression by others, and merely functions as a woman by fulfilling a role in the
society she functions. Yet by way of personal development, both in thought, and
through interaction with others, Celie is able to free herself from this birth-given
role. And as a result enter a form of womanhood, she herself defines.
In conclusion we believe to how found a way to interpret the quotation, as well
as the novel in order to successfully apply this notion to the personal
progression of the main character as a woman.
46
Group Dynamics
The following section briefly sums up the dynamics of our group.
Even though it was the second semester, not all the group members knew each
other that well when we began on the project. This meant that we had to start by
getting to know one another. We did however overall work well with each other.
As we began on the project, each member naturally took on a role, fitting to the
person’s personality, which made the work process run more smoothly.
The group has been able setup timetables which enabled us to avoid long
pauses, but maintaining a continuous workflow. It is evident that this limited the
stress about the project, which consequently also led to less quarrels, as we
might otherwise had experienced.
Since we all came with a different background and different experiences from
the last semester, it was a challenge to make that work, from that we did
however gain the experience that it can be valuable to learn to do thing in a
different way then what you are used to.
Despite all efforts, there will always be some in the group who carries a bigger
workload then other that can not be helped. But since we divided the work as we
did, it became problematic that not all commented enough on the different parts.
As we, at the end of the project, all read the entire project through several times,
there were several possibilities to comment on the project then. Furthermore,
we had some very good discussions, but not enough, which was one of the
mayor problems, since it could be argued that not all members spoke out their
opinions.
Generally it must be said to have been a good group, with a pleasant atmosphere
and we are pleased with the result of our efforts. One mayor lesson learned from
this project, which we can bring with us to our next project, is to sit down before
47
writing the different sections and discuss as a group what they should entail
before writing it. Otherwise you often find yourself rewriting the sections over
and over again.
48
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