Alice Walker's "The Color Purple"

Paper Summary:

The paper explains how the author uses her main character Celie's uneven language development as a means to illustrate and underscore Celie's poor self-confidence and sense of self. The paper highlights how the author portrays Celie's gradual ego development and ultimate satisfaction through her successful sewing business. The paper describes Celie as both an abused and a neglected child, and then an adolescent with nowhere to turn in order to express herself. The paper shows how the readers share the pain and the triumphs of Celie's linguistic and other developmental processes. The paper concludes that Celie is Walker's narrative voice of the long-silenced African-American woman.

From the Paper:

" Alice Walker in her novel The Color Purple (1982) uses her main character Celie's uneven language development, as a means to illustrate and underscore Celie's initially poor self-confidence and sense of self, and then, slowly, Celie's ego development and ultimate satisfaction and self-actualization, through her successful sewing business. Celie's initial use of language, within the first part of the story, is the verbal equivalent of halting, hesitant baby steps. Later on, though, after much hardship and humiliation, and with much verbal support and encouragement from friends like Shug and Sophia, Celie learns to speak with much greater confidence and language fluency. I will describe how Celie's use of language within The Color Purple underscores both her struggles and her character development throughout the story."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Abbandonato, Linda. "A View from 'Elsewhere': Subversive Sexuality and the Rewriting of the Heroine's Story in The Color Purple." PMLA 106 (1991).1106-115. Academic research Library. Retrieved December 7, 2005, from:< www.feminism.cn/uploadfile/ pdf/2005-5/2005523125220170.pdf>.
• Berlant, Lauren. "Race, Gender, and Nation in The Color Purple" in Modern Critical Interpretations: Alice Walker's The Color Purple. Harold Bloom (Ed.).Philadelphia, PA: Chelsea House, 2000. 3-11. Questia Online Library. Retrieved May 22, 2005, from: <http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a =o&d=98103788.html>.
• Bloom, Harold. "Introduction.". In Modern Critical Interpretations: Alice Walker's The Color Purple. Harold Bloom (Ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Chelsea House, 2000. 1-2. Questia Online Library. Retrieved May 22, 2005, from:<http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o &d=98103788.html>.
• Cutter, Martha J. Philomela Speaks: Alice Walker's Revisioning [sic] of Rape Archetypes in The Color Purple. Melus. Vol. 25, No. 3/4 (Fall/Winter 2000) 161-180. Retrieved December 7, 2005, from: <http://www.findarticles.com /p/articles/mi_m2278/is_2000_Fall-Winter/ai_74483364.html>
• Gates, Henry Louis Jr. "Color Me Zora: Alice Walker's (Re)Writing ofSpeakerly Text." 29-52. Harold Bloom (Ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Chelsea House, 2000. Questia Online Library. Retrieved May 22, 2005, from: <http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=98103788.html>.

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