Themes in The Color Purple by Alice Walker

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Themes in The Color Purple by Alice Walker
The setting of the play is in America before in the 1930s. The author, a black woman, narrates the plight of black women in that era. She vividly describes the horrific abuses they went through from the society, husbands and their fathers. Male chauvinism is a central theme supported by religion, feminism, sexuality, racism, violence, marriage and family. These themes are deeply explored and contextualized to describe the life of a black woman in southern states of the United States in the time setting of the novel. This essay expounds on these themes especially patriarchy and male chauvinism highlighting how the author articulated them to develop the characters and hence the plot.
Celie, the main protagonist in the novel, shows how women have been exploited in the male dominated society. She does everything males tell her to do, passively without resistance and she suffers greatly for this. She is also abused by the very men who are supposed to protect her. Her father, Alphonso, and husband, threaten and abuse her emotionally, physically and psychologically. ‘She ugly. He say. But she ain't no stranger to hard work. And she clean. 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.’ This description by her father as she hands her over to marriage whilst belittling her womanism and beauty clearly show how the downtrodden women in the novel are treated. Throughout the novel, she seems to become numb to these abuses and steps up to fight them eventually liberating herself from the male domination late in her life. She is, however, grateful and seemingly happy that she takes control of her life. Sofia also suffers in this society that trounces feminism and ...