The Color People
Uploaded by Admin on Nov 18, 1999
Rape, incest, sex , forced labor, and a little reefer on the side. These are all of the components of a Novel by Alice Walker. All of these views are illustrated proficiently in Alice Walkers third novel, The Color Purple. Each one of these aspects had a lasting impression upon the ideals and notions of the time. Walker's writing's helped to break the racial barrier that existed in some people's minds.
One way that the barrier was destroyed was through Walker's depiction of an imperfect black person. If a white person wrote about a less than perfect black person than it was considered racist. Now that a black person is writing about other blacks that are foretaking in acts that are, in their eye's, immoral and corrupt, the subject is brought into a new light. These actions are discussed out in the open, and the idea that all people have their own "flaws", is thought to be more fisable. Walker combines all of these issues in her story in a deceptive way.
They all are linked together by way of a semi-believable story line with one major overlaying theme. Prescott sums it up nicely, "Love redeems, meanness kills"(p74). This is illustrated in many ways in Walker's novel. One perfect example of this is Mr. _____. Mr. _____, as he is called throughout the novel, was a wife beater, who, having been denied Celie's sister, marries Celie to look after his children. He beats her and rapes her and is just plain nasty to her. Finally, one day, after Celie discovers another mean thing that Mr. ____ did to her, she leaves with her girlfriend to start a new life. Mr. _____ is left all alone. He starts to fall apart. He becomes afraid of the dark, and just gives up on life. That was his meanness that started to destroy his life. Now, just as Mr. ____ is nearing death, his son Harpo, starts to take care of him. Mr.___ starts to love him again. Now Mr.____'s life takes a towards revival. He becomes a new man. Once he starts to love his life starts to look up again. His and his son's love redeemed him.
"The more I wonder, he say, the more I love.
And people start to love you back, I bet, I say.
They do, he say, surprise. Harpo seem to love me."
(Walker, pg. 290)
Walker's novel is very unique...