Women And Religion in "The Color Purple"

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses Alice Walker's 1982 novel, "The Color Purple." The paper looks at the issues in this novel, such as gender differences and dynamics, social issues, religion and its impact on the world and racial tensions. The paper focuses specifically on theme of the importance of female relationships and their impact on the dissolution of a patriarchal God figure that dictates the roles of womanhood.

From the Paper:

"Celie begins to liberate herself from the dogmatic and deeply embedded images of religion after Shug expresses her own thoughts about God. Instead of writing letters to God, Celie now begins to write letters to her sister Nettie. Celie states to Nettie "trying to chase that old white man out of my head. . .[is] hard work. . .He been there so long, he don't want to budge. . .I hardly pray at all. . .I. . .[write] to you instead of to God" (Walker 179-180). Because of the friendship that Walker establishes between Celie and Shug, this internal transformation in Celie's self-awareness about God and religion is able to take place. Because Celie is no longer fearful of who or what God is, she is able to make other liberating decisions in her life. For example, she tells her berating husband that he is "a lowdown dog" (Walker 181) and that "it's time to leave [him] and enter into the Creation" (Walker 181). Celie's former acquiescence to a controlling male environment is clearly evaporating from her own world due to Shug's personal influences. James C. Hall (1992) explains that it is Shug's own rejection to the patriarchal view of God that makes possible "the way for Celie's selfhood" (Hall 94)."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Hall, James C. "Towards A Map Of Mis(sed) Reading: The Presence Of Absence In The Color Purple." African American Review 26 (1992): 89-98.
• Hankinson, Stacie Lynn. "From Monotheism To Pantheism: Liberation From Patriarchy In Alice Walker's The Color Purple." Midwest Quarterly 38 (1997): 320-328.
• Simawe, Saadi A. "Shamans Of Song: Music And The Politics Of Culture In Alice Walker's Early Fiction." Black Orpheus 9 (2000): 231-268.
• Walker, Alice. The Color Purple. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1983.

More papers on Women And Religion in "The Color Purple":

• Book Review # 107579 : "The Color Purple"
• Book Review # 107661 : "Sexism and Religion"
• Book Review # 118379 : "The Power of Women in "The Color Purple"

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