Alice Walker and Feminism

Paper Summary:

According to African-American author Alice Walker, tradition and inheritance of culture are more important to black women than resistance and denunciation of the typical problems affecting them. This paper is an analysis of feminist issues discussed in Walker's prose "In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens", her novel "The Color Purple" and Steven Spielberg's film adaptation of the latter in 1985; highlighting the role played by a major character of the novel and the portrayal of this character in the movie.

From the Paper:

"The story is not one that allows for easy transposition to the screen. Given its complex themes and recurrent debate of the "contrary instincts" of Walker's book, the actors and producers were called upon to handle the film with great sensitivity. Celie is a black woman who grows up in the rural South in the early decades of this century, in a world that surrounds her with cruelty. When we first see her, she is a child, running through fields of purple flowers with her sister. But then she comes into clear view, and we see that she is pregnant, and we learn that her father has made her pregnant, and will give away the child as he had done with a previous baby. Her situation worsens with her marriage to a cruel husband, her inability to bear children again and her separation from her sister to whom she is deeply attached. None of these adversities dampens her spirit, and she endures, even prevails by the end of the film. The film is not about suffering but about the victory of the human spirit. There are many examples of this victory that are shown through Celie's actions."

More papers on Alice Walker and Feminism:

• Essay # 132538 : "Comparing and Contrasting Feminism in The Color Purple by Alice Walker and Beloved by Toni Morrison"
• Analytical Essay # 42468 : "Nineteen Fifty Five" and "Roselily"
• Comparison Essay # 102698 : "Feminist Elements in Literature: A Comparison"

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