“Alice Walker’s Depiction of Female Characters in ‘the...

â€Å"Alice Walker’s depiction of female characters in ‘The Color Purple’ is intended to act as a stark contrast to how many female characters have been portrayed throughout literature† Discuss this statement with reference to the critical anthology Throughout literature there has been an array of female portrayals, most prominently those in 19th century fiction, who didn’t work unless driven to it by necessity. Instead, the focus of interest was on the heroine’s choice of marriage partner, which would decide her ultimate social position and exclusively determine her happiness and fulfilment in life, or her lack thereof. However, when Walker published her novel The Color Purple, she rejected the traditional stance of the woman in literature†¦show more content†¦In one of her letters to Celie, Nettie says, â€Å"The Olinka do not believe that girl’s should be educated. A girl is nothing to herself; only to her husband can she become something†¦the mother of his children†. This shows just how big a role sexual politics plays throughout the narrative as these thoughts aren’t only expressed in America with Celie; she is expected to look after Mr.―children; but also in the isola ted community of the Olinka tribe. Walker wants her reader to recognise that female subjugation is not restricted to the southern states of America, but is present across the world. Furthermore, the sexual politics within the novel are again highlighted through the way that Fonzo, Mr.― and then later Harpo treat their women. The women in the novel, in particular Celie, are seen by these men as being slaves or servants who are their to do the bidding of men whilst they enjoy life, as if the women have no rights or free will of their own. We are exposed to this harsh reality when Fonzo ‘gives Celie away’ to Mr.―, ‘She ain’t no stranger to hard work. And she clean†¦she can work like a man’. The way that Fonzo describes Celie holds likeness to how slave auctioneers would sell off potential slaves to potential slave owners. However, in spite of this cruel treatment at the hands of men, Walker is keen to show her readership that regardless of the hardships that women face, they can find comfort in strength in one another. A clear example of where we see this female