Celies Struggle for Freedom in The Color Purple Essay -- The Color Pu

Celie's Struggle for Freedom in The Color Purple Events in history have influenced writers’ style, genre, and emphasis in their stories. 1 Alice Walker was greatly influenced by the time period of the 1940’s. There was much racism and oppression during that time, especially for black women. Women were beaten and abused simply because of their color and gender. Celie, a young black woman, endured many hardships reflective of the time period including racism, oppression, and sexism but remained strong in her faith in God and overcame these obstacles to show the quiet strength of a woman. The oppression of black women is very evident in The Color Purple (Ryan 3062). It is especially shown in the relationship between father and daughter, Alphonso and Celie(Fulmer 1). From the time Celie is very young she is subject to oppression. She is raped repeatedly by her stepfather and is told to keep quiet about it (Walker 1). This is very demeaning to Celie and it causes her to fear men for a good portion of her life (Walk er 6). Celie gets pregnant twice with her stepfather. He takes the first baby and â€Å" kilt it out there in the woods.† The other he sells to a family in a nearby town (Walker 3-4). Celie is oppressed all throughout her life, but she learns to overcome it and support herself (Ryan 3062). Celie also endures other forms of both physical and mental abuse. â€Å"He beat me for dressing trampy but he do it to me anyway† (Walker 8). Abuse was very common in those times. It was used for control and ultimately complete domination. Celie could not run from her stepfather because she had nowhere else to go. Alphonso later forces Celie to marry the Reverend Mr.______. This is not that bad for Celie because she no longer... ... body of the black family and of most black mothers† (Ryan 3062). The same oppression is still seen today and black women across the globe are still fighting for freedom. The Black Feminist Caucus (BFC) is fighting to ensure equality between women and men. They are also battling with the different forms of violence that black women deal with because of black males (BFC 1). Oppression is a battle that must be fought and won to ensure that America is the land where all men (and women) are created equal. Works Cited Black Feminist Caucus. Fumler, Constance M. â€Å"The Color Purple.† Masterplots Complete. CD-ROM. 1999 Paul. The Holy Bible. 1 Corinthians 6:10 and Romans 1:26. Ryan, Bryan, ed. â€Å"Alice Walker.† Major 20th Century Writers. Vol. 4. R-Z. Detroit: Gale Research, Inc., 1991. Walker, Alice. The Color Purple. New York: Pocket Books, 1982.