FEMINISM PORTRAYED IN THE MAIN CHARACTER, CELIE, IN ALICE WALKER’S THE COLOR PURPLE
A THESIS
Presented as partial Fulfillment of the Requirements to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree
in English Language Education
By
Name: Nina Setyorini Student Number: 031214078
ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION
FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION SANATA DHARMAUNIVERSITY
vi
DEDICATION PAGE
“
Bermimpilah karena Tuhan akan memeluk setiap mimpimu”
By: Andrea Hirata
The author of “Edensor”
This Thesis is dedicated to:
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to Allah SWT for His bless
and grace which empowered me to finish this thesis. Everything is possible
because of Allah SWT. I thank Him for accompanying me when I felt down and
hopeless, so that I could still smile and be stronger than before.
I would like to thank Henny Herawati, S.Pd., M.Hum., my major sponsor,
who guided me in writing this thesis patiently. I thank her for understanding my
difficulties. I would also like to thank Christina Lhaksmita Anandari, S.Pd, M.Ed.,
my co-sponsor, who helped me in checking the language in my thesis. I thank her
for giving me guidance and encouragement for finishing my thesis. Without their
deep concerns, I am sure that this thesis would never be completed. I would also
like to thank all lecturers of English Language Study Program of Sanata Dharma
University for the time they taught and gave me knowledge. I wish God always
bless them.
I give my deep appreciation to my lovely parents, Anton Hartono, S.E. and
Sukorini, who always become the shelter and take care of me with their endless
love. I thank them for the prayers and for everything. I also dedicate this thesis to
my younger brother, Hendri Dwi Prasojo and my younger sister, Widya Pusporini,
who always support me.
This thesis is also dedicated to Ari “dogy”, Eva, Mbamboed, Tia, Githa,
Budi, Nova, Ferry, and Sary who support me in every single thing. I thank them
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all friends at the English Language Education Study Program ’03, especially
Priska, Febri, Datu, Rere, Yuni “jawa”, Anas, Linda, Uti, Yusta and Wiwit. All of
you are my friends that I cannot live without. I thank Uyek and Fahmi for the
computer (without their presence, this thesis could not be accomplished!). I thank
my friends at my boarding house who also help me and support me during my
thesis writing, especially to Githa who always be there for me.
Last but not least, I thank those who have supported and encouraged me to
finish this thesis. May god bless them all.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
TITLE PAGE ... i
APPROVAL PAGES ... ii
STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY ... iv
DEDICATION PAGE ... v
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ... vi
TABLE OF CONTENTS ... viii
CHAPTER II. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE A. Review of Related Studies ... 7
B. Review of Related Theories ... 8
1. Theory of Critical Approach ... 9
2. Theory on Character and Characterization ... 10
a. Theory on Character ... 10
b. Theory on Characterization ... 12
3. Theory of Feminism ... 15
a. Liberal Feminism ... 17
b. Radical Feminism ... 18
c. Marxist Feminism ... 19
x A. Celie’s Character Depicted in The Color Purple before Meeting Shug Avery ... 26
B. Feminism Portrayed in Celie’s Character in The Color Purple ... 32
1. The Type of Feminism Represented by Celie in The Color Purple .. 33
CHAPTER V. CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS A. Conclusions ... 44
B. Suggestions ... 46
1) Suggestion for the Future Researchers ... 46
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xii
TABLE OF APPENDICES
Appendix 1 The Summary of The Color Purple ... 56
Appendix 2 The Biography of Alice Walker ... 60
Appendix 3 Alice Walker’s Complete Works ... 64
Appendix 4 Picture of Alice Walker ... 67
Appendix 5 Lesson Plan for Teaching Extensive Reading I ... 68
Appendix 6 The Material for Teaching Extensive Reading I ... 74
xiii ABSTRACT
Setyorini, Nina. 2009. Feminism Portrayed in the Main Character, Celie, in Alice
Walker’s The Color Purple. Yogyakarta: Department of Language and Arts
Education, Faculty of Teachers Training and Education, Sanata Dharma University.
This thesis analyzes Alice Walker’s novel entitled The Color Purple. The story is about a black woman’s life. Her name is Celie. It is interesting to discuss this novel since it portrays a struggle of a black woman as a main character. As a main character, Celie, experiences many problems in her life. Realizing the bitter life she faces, she demands the equal right as men to gain her happiness.
This study contains two problems formulation to be analyzed. The first is how is Celie’s character depicted in the novel and the second problem is how feminism is portrayed through the main character, Celie, in the novel.
In writing this thesis I conducted a library research to answer all the questions that are presented in the problem formulation. There are two kinds of sources that are used in this thesis. The primary source is obtained from the novel itself, The Color Purple. The secondary source is obtained from the books related to the theories and other sources are from the internet. The approach used to analyze the novel is feminist literary criticism. It is used to analyze the ideas of feminism, which are revealed in the main character, Celie, in Alice Walker’s The Color Purple. I also applied theories on character and characterization to reveal Celie’s characters in the novel.
xiv ABSTRAK
Setyorini, Nina. 2009 Feminism Portrayed in the Main Character, Celie, in Alice
Walker’s The Color Purple. Yogyakarta: Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa
Inggris, Jurusan Pendidikan Bahasa dan Seni, Fakultas Keguruan dan Ilmu Pendidikan, Universitas Sanata Dharma.
Skripsi ini menganalisa novel Alice Walker yang berjudul The Color Purple. Novel tersebut menceritakan kehidupan seorang wanita berkulit hitam. Wanita tersebut bernama Celie. Novel ini menarik untuk diulas karena menggambarkan perjuangan seorang wanita kulit hitam sebagai tokoh utamanya. Celie mengalami banyak masalah di dalam hidupnya. Menyadari kepahitan hidup yang dialaminya, Celie menginginkan persamaan hak yang setara dengan laki-laki untuk mendapatkan kebahagiaannya.
Studi ini berisi dua rumusan masalah untuk dianalisa. Yaitu: (1). Bagaimana karakter Celie digambarkan di dalam novel? (2). Bagaimana feminisme digambarkan melalui tokoh utama, Celie, didalam novel?
Di dalam penulisan skripsi ini saya menggunakan studi pustaka untuk menjawab pertanyaan yang ada pada rumusan masalah. Ada dua macam sumber yang digunakan pada skripsi ini. Sumber utama diperoleh dari novel itu sendiri, yang berjudul The Color Purple. Sumber kedua diperoleh dari buku-buku yang menunjang teori dan dari internet. Pendekatan yang digunakan untuk menganalisa novel ini adalah pendekatan feminisme. Pendekatan feminisme digunakan untuk menganalisa ide feminisme yang digambarkan oleh tokoh utama, Celie, di dalam novel The Color Purple. Saya juga menerapkan teori karakter untuk menunjukkan karakteristik Celie.
1 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
There are five parts in this chapter. They are background of the study,
problem formulation, objectives of the study, benefits, and definition of terms.
The background of the study provides background information related to the
issues discussed. It includes a description of the topic and the reason for choosing
the topic, as well as why the issue is worth studying. The problem formulation
states two problems related with the issues being discussed. The third part,
objective of the study states clearly and precisely the objective of the study. The
fourth part, benefit of the study, identifies who obtains the benefit from the study.
In the last part, that is definition of the terms, the writer clarifies some specific or
important key terms used in this study.
A. Background of the Study
In literature, there are a lot of literary works, such as novels, essays, and
plays. In this study, I choose to work on a novel because it is interesting in its
ability to take the readers to a certain situation, place or periods that occur in the
novel. The novel is a reflection of problems in life. Through its series of events
and conflicts experienced by the characters, the readers seem to enter the
character's life in the novel. The readers make a kind of effort to feel, to
understand and to solve the conflicts that they gain from the novel. At the end of
the novel, the readers can obtain the messages or values which are revealed in the
The Color Purpleis one of Alice Walker's novels which talks about social
issues and feminism, two issues which I am interested in. Alice Walker is a
talented author. Her novels are meaningful and enjoyable. Her novel is
meaningful because, at the end of the novel, the reader can obtain important
values of life that reflect the author’s ideas about life. It can give spirit and enrich
the reader’s understanding about the power of a woman’s struggle for equality and
happiness in her life. In writing her novel, Alice Walker uses slang and African
American’s language. Therefore, her novel is unique, enjoyable, and interesting to
read.
Alice Walker's The Color Purple reveals the role of gender of a woman
reflected in the main character, Celie. I intend to explore and write about
feminism because it is an interesting issue and it can give spirit for the readers
especially for women who struggle and survive in life. Feminism, in which
women are struggling to achieve an equal right, is still a controversial topic of
discussion today. As a woman, the main character, Celie, has to face many
problems in her life. She has to struggle in her life about her gender as a woman in
her black community. Her ways to survive give spirit and conviction to the
readers. This is an interesting issue which is concerned with women especially in
a black community because they have to fight to defend their dignity as women in
The main character, Celie, has to be an obedient daughter, a mother and a
married woman in her life. The old belief among the black people which states
that women's best place is in the house gives them difficulties in finding choices
in their life. Women need to be strong and independent rather than weak and
dependent, because women have more than one role in life. They can be a mother,
a daughter, a housewife, and a wife who should take care of their husbands,
children and parents well. Celie’s patience in life makes her survive and bring her
to happiness. Realizing the bitter life she faces, she actually demands the equal
right. She wants to convince others that she can do everything alone in order to
prove that a man is not more important than her. The language, story and
messages contained in this novel make me eager and want to reveal feminism
portrayed by Celie in Alice walker’s The Color Purple. I am interested in studying
Celie’s process in solving her problem in life.Celie’s process can give significant
lessons about feminism to the society through Celie’s character in Alice Walker’s
The Color Purple.
B. Problem Formulation
There are two problems formulated in this study. They are:
1. How is Celie’s character depicted in the novel?
C. Objectives of the Study
The aims of this paper are to describe the characters of the main character,
Celie, and to reveal feminism portrayed through the main character, Celie. In
order to achieve the objective, there are two points that need to be considered.
Firstly, this study aims to describe the condition of the main character, Celie, as
presented in Alice Walker's The Color Purple. Secondly, I intend to reveal
feminism portrayed in the main character, Celie.
D. Benefits of the Study
Women's struggle to gain equal and fair treatments in the society is the
issue of human being, the issue of men and women. This study also gives benefits
for me as a researcher to understand and provide more knowledge about
feminism. This study may also give benefits to future researchers who conduct
studies on feminism or on The Color Purple, by providing preliminary study on
feminism. This study may make readers realize that one’s right is not based on the
gender or belief and make them more aware that all people are born to be free and
E. Definition of Terms
The definition of terms is presented in order to avoid misunderstanding.
There are two definitions that are defined. Those are feminism and character.
1. Feminism
Humm in The Dictionary of Feminist Theory states that feminism
incorporates both doctrines of equal rights of women (the organized movement to
attain women's right) and an ideology of social transformation which aims to
create a world for women beyond simple social equality (Humm 74). It means that
there is social transformation for women to gain social equality. She also states
that certain terms in contemporary theory, such as work, family, patriarchy, and
sexuality, are used to sum up the basis experiences of women. According to
Terrey in Women's Studies Encyclopedia (Vol. 1), feminism can be described as a
belief and a commitment to equal rights and opportunities (Terrey 139). Davies in
Gender Theories in Education states that feminism is women’s assertion of their
equality with men and their demand for access to those roles and positions of
public life traditionally regarded as the province of men (Davies 62). In this study,
I present feminism as a way to gain equal rights as a woman to obtain her freedom
2. Character
According to Abrams in A Glossary of Literary Terms, characters are the
person represented in a dramatic or narrative work, who are interpreted by the
readers as being endowed with particular moral, dispositional, and emotional
qualities by inferences from what the person say and their distinctive ways of
saying it the dialogue and from what they do the action (Abram 32). The grounds
in the characters’ temperament, desires and moral nature for their speech and
actions are called their motivation (Abrams 33). In this study, character refers to
the figure in the novel. I choose the character of Celie in Alice Walker’s The
Color Purple because I intend to reveal the feminism exemplified by Celie’s
character.
3. The Color Purple
The Color Purple in Alice Walker’s novel explains that purple is a kind of
color which represents sadness, gloomy and violence. The main character, Celie
experiences bad treatments from her stepfather and husband. Violence becomes a
topic from Alice Walker’s The Color Purple. Celie is raped by her stepfather,
Alphonso. Celie never feels happy with her marriage with her husband. Her
childhood is not enjoyable. Celie has to do all the housework. Alice Walker wants
to emphasize about the color in this novel. The Color Purple shows that the issues
of color people are explored in this novel. This novel spots the life of black people
CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
Review of Related Literature covers three main parts. They are review of
related studies, review of related theories and theoretical framework. In review of
related studies, I review other related studies previously done by other researchers
or writers on the same topic or author. In this undergraduate thesis, I review some
studies which discuss study from the same author.
In this part, I review two main theories related with the topic about
feminism portrayed in the main character, Celie, in Alice Walker's The Color
Purple. They are theory of character and characterization and some theories of
feminism, such as liberal, radical, marxist and socialist feminism. In theoretical
framework, I explain the contribution of the theories and reviews in analyzing the
problems of the study.
A. Review of Related Studies
In this study, I present some researchers who discussed and subjected to
the same work on the Alice Walker’s The Color Purple and other discussions
related to the whole study.
In Sugiharto's undergraduate thesis, which talks about the influence of the
society and surrounding on Celie's view toward life, Sugiharto showed how this
society had made or had formatted the way of thinking of the main character to
become so special. The way Celie’s thinking gives great effects to Celie’s
decision to lead her life on. Gender criticism also becomes the main topic in
Widiastuti's undergraduate thesis. The thesis talks about how people, especially
black women at that time, became the lower class of the social class system in the
United States. Black women did not just experience the discrimination but also
sexual abuse. Black women have to experience two discriminations under the
white people and under the black male. The thesis concerns how Celie struggled
with all the discrimination she experienced during the time.
Widiatmoko's undergraduate thesis talks about the concept of nirvana
revealed in the main character, Celie, in the Alice Walker's The Color Purple. He
wants to show Celie's life and the revelation in the concept of nirvana. Celie
accepts all the offerings that she had. Celie’s efforts in seeking what was the cause
of her suffering are concept that Buddha has taught in some other continents that
has different culture with America in that year.
In this thesis, I am going to reveal that Celie, the main character of the
novel, has shown evidences of feminist action. This study has never been
conducted before by other writers. This study talks about Celie's struggle in life to
survive and to have equal rights as a human being.
B. Review of Related Theories
This study uses some theories to support the study. Theories which are
used are theory of literature and theory of feminism. Theory of literature is
character and characterization. While for the theory of feminism includes radical,
liberal, marxist and socialist feminism.
1. Theory of Critical Approach
In this study I use feminist literary criticism to support the theory of
critical approaches. Feminist literary critics or feminist approaches attempt to
explain how men and women imbalance, due to gender, are reflected in literature
texts. In its diversity, feminism is concerned with the position of women in a
secondary position, where women do not gain equal position with men.
According to Goodman in Literature and Gender, feminist literary criticism is an
academic approach to the study of literature which applies feminist thought to the
analysis of literary texts and the contexts of their production and reception. It has
developed in recent years into a fascinating and highly specialized field with a
language, set of theories and a vocabulary all its own ( Goodman xi).
Feminist critics examine how languages as a focus for studying women
writers can reveal the idea of feminism in a literary text to be analyzed into the
writing and allow the readers to illustrate the importance of feminist concerns in
the contemporary work such as in the novel The Color Purple. Feminists examine
the experiences of women from all races, classes and culture. Despite their
diversity, feminist literary criticism convinced that the goal from feminism study
are to expose patriarchal premises which result in prejudices, to promote
This study uses feminist approach or feminist literary criticism to reveal
the idea of feminism exemplified in the main character, Celie, in The Color
Purple. The novel tells about the struggle of a young African American woman
who lived under the pressure of her father, husband and her black society. Her
desire to struggle for a brighter future shows that she can achieve equal rights with
men to feel happy, and create the world that she wants. The feminist approach or
feminist literary criticism then is used to analyze this novel.
2. Theory of Character and Characterization a. Theory of Character
Character and characterization have a very important position and function
in literary works. Baldick defines characters as the person in dramatic or narrative
work. They also refer to a kind of prose sketch briefly describing some
recognizable type of person (Baldick 33).
Abrams in his A Glossary of literary Terms defined characters as the
persons presented in a dramatic or narrative work, who are interpreted by the
reader as being endowed with moral and dispositional qualities that are expressed
in what they say, the dialogue and what they do the action (Abrams 20).
Basically, based on the importance, the character can be divided into two
categories. They are main or major character and minor character. A major
character usually appears in the story. He/ she becomes the focus of the story. The
events that appear in the story always involve him/ her directly or indirectly. On
are less important than the main character because they are not fully developed
characters and their roles in a story are just to support the development of the
major character (Abrams 20). Henkle agrees with Abrams’ definition, that major
characters are the most important and complex character in a novel. “It is the
major character who deserve our fullest attention because they perform a key
structure function, upon them we built expectation and desires, which in
modification, shift or establish our values” (Henkle 87).
The minor characters are the characters who act as a foil to the major
character. They interact or clash with the major character in order to bring out into
the open crucial elements (Henkle 94). Here the characters appear briefly as hints,
since they are the minor figures who are there in the story to show us what is
going on (Koesnosoebroto 68). According to Baldick in The Concise Oxford
Dictionary of Literary Terms, foil is a character whose qualities or actions serve to
emphasize those of the protagonist (or some character) by providing a strong
contrast with them. Another source says that in literature, foil is characters that is
presented as a contrast to a second character so as to point or shows to advantage
some aspect of the second character (Webster 423).
Therefore it can be said that one of the most important aspects of the major
novel is the interaction of characters. Contrasts between characters are important,
and such contrast makes both figures more real, but the characters also act on one
another and develop as a result of these interactions, which is often most of what a
mainstream novel is about (Boulton 81). According to Forster in The Aspect of
complexity, namely flat character and round character. Sometimes, flat characters
can be called types or “two dimensional”. They are captured by the author’s view
on one side. The author usually does not develop them as fully as the major
character. They are static and not grow or change in the story. The advantages of
flat character are easily recognized and remembered by the readers afterward.
Round character often appears as the center of the story and looks like real human
beings. With his or her complex aspects in temperament and motivation,
sometimes he or she surprises the readers with unexpected behavior. The author
develops round characters fully, and the characters grow and change during the
story (Foster 46-54).
b. Theories of Characterization
Characterization refers to the presentation of persons in narrative or
dramatic work by means of character’s action, speech, or physical appearances
(Baldick 30). A character can be differentiated from others because they have
their own personality and physical attributes.
The way to study the characters is through understanding the
characterization which provides the creation of major character and the minor
ones, so that the result is a clear explanation. Characterization is one of the literary
elements representing persons. Holman and Harmon define characterization as the
creation of imaginary persons. They are created imaginatively, but they have to be
seen real, so that they exist for the readers as lifelike (Holman 81). The author can
description of a certain character and the readers can figure out characteristics or
personality traits of certain characters.
According to Allport, as quoted by Larver and Scheier in Perspective on
Personality, the characteristics of a character are related with his or her behavior,
thoughts, and feelings (Allport 5). They will influence the way of thinking, feeling
and behavior from a person. Therefore, to understand deeper about character, it is
important to know well about his or her characteristics.
According to Holman and Harmon, characterization is the description of
the characteristics. The characterization is the act, the process or the result, of
characterizing. In fiction (the drama, the novel, the short story, and the narrative
poem), the author reveals the characters of imagery persons and the creation of
these imagery persons so that they exist for the reader as lifelike is called
characterization (Holman 81).
The author describes the character through the characterizations so that the
reader can imagine what kind of person the character is. Barnet says that
characterization is defined, as in fiction, by what the characters do, by what they
say, by what others say about them, and by setting in which they move ( Barnet
746).
According to Perrine in Literature: Structure, Sound and Sense,
characterization must observe three principles. First, the characters must be
consistent in their behavior. They must not behave one way on one occasion and a
different way on another unless there is a clearly sufficient reason for the change.
when there is any change in their behavior. We must be able to understand the
reasons for what they do, if not immediately, at least by the end of the story.
Third, the characters must be plausible of life like (Perrine 69).
Murphy in Understanding Unseen also conveyed some details of
characterizing the character. The character’s personality can be seen through
personal description that is from the description of his physical appearances and
attributes, which may refer to the clothing or the way he dresses. The author can
also give direct knowledge of what a character is thinking about. Besides
describing the character directly, the author can describe the character through the
eyes and opinions of the characters. It can be through the conversations and the
things they say about him. The characters’ past life can also help us to figure out
his motives of his present action, and the author can gives us a clue of his
character by letting us know how he reacts to various situations and events
(Murphy 161-173). Those are some ways which the author makes his reader
aware of the characteristics of the characters that he writes about in his book
However, I only choose six ways to understand the character of Celie so the writer
can get a clue to find the characterization of Celie. They are:
1. Character as seen by another: the author describes the character through the
eyes and opinion of another.
2. Speech: the author can give the readers an insight into the character of one of
the persons in book through what the person says
3. Past of life: by letting the reader can learn something about a person’s past life
the author can give a clue to events that have helped to shape a person’s
character.
readers know how that person reacts to various situations and events.
5. Direct comment: the author can describe or comment on a person’s character
directly.
6. Thoughts: the author gives the readers direct knowledge of what a person is
thinking about.
3. Theory of Feminism
Women, from time to time, carry great duties and burdens serving the
men (Harley 45). Women have to take care of their children and have to serve
their husband as their responsibilities. Montagu says that “in almost every society
there is a belief that men are superior and women are inferior, women also think
that belief is right, because it believes as what really happens” (Montagu 23).
The men from one generation to the next generation exploit women.
Gender discrimination is a great burden for women, because they have to face the
idea of gender discrimination and have to fight against the men in order to change
the idea of gender discrimination and men’s attitude toward women, which is
conditioned from time to time. Women are not only physically oppressed but also
mentally oppressed (Harley 57).
Montagu states that in society there was conditioned norm, which states
what women can do and cannot do. Women lack of opportunities to develop their
skills. They are not given the chances to develop their intelligence and skills and
they have different equality of opportunities to men (Montagu 38).
Women are treated unfairly. It is the fact that from the past the gender
feel that they are weak and inferior. The feeling of weakness makes them much
weaker than what they think.
Feminism appears from the women's suffering from injustice, because of
their sex and their consciousness of female oppression. Consciousness arises since
feminism means knowledge of existing things in a new light. Many feminists
described the different historical, psychological, sexual and racial experiences of
women and how feminism can be a source of power and knowledge.
Women are conditioned as weak creatures. People believe this condition
from time to time. People believe that women are unable to do hard work better
than men. They have double positions in families as mothers and wives. The
unfair division of work to women continues from generation to the next until they
realize their mistakes in receiving the unfair treatment from men. The realization
of the equality of rights and opportunities then becomes a belief called feminism.
The theory of feminism does not only support the feminist ideas but also
the theory of superior feeling. Actually, women are not inferior, as men and
people say. Women are more realistic, effectively control their feelings and they
can use power for good purposes. Women have good abilities in expressing their
feelings. This makes them more realist than men. They are better in handling the
bad conditions they face in life, like starvation, exposure, fatigue, shock and
illness (Montagu 143). From Montagu’s statement, we can conclude that women
are more realistic. They can control their feelings effectively and use their power
The basic goal of feminism theory is to understand women's oppression in
terms of race, gender, class and sexual preference and also how to change it. It is
true that physically women are different from men. Some people believe they are
also psychologically different. It can be seen that men are more rational and
aggressive than women. Therefore, women are more capable to have domestic
job. A job describes women's character such as secretary, nurse and administrator.
Meanwhile men are more capable to do a job, which is describing male
characteristic. In addition, there are many different perspectives between the
feminists. As the result, there are four types of feminism presents. They are liberal
feminism, radical feminism, marxist feminism and socialist feminism.
a. Liberal Feminism
The liberal emphasis on the individual stresses the importance of the
individual autonomy which is protected by guaranteed rights, economic justice
and equality of opportunity. Liberal feminists are using the basic liberalism
philosophy that every human being is created with the same rights and every
woman must have the same opportunity in developing their future. Basically there
are no differences between men and women. Therefore, liberal feminism is trying
to put the women and men equal, corporate, independent and free to decide their
own future. According to Ilyas, “changing the individual attitudes especially the
women's attitude toward men destroys the patriarchy and they must realize on it
and fight for it “(Ilyas 47).
community where there is a corporation between men and women based on the
equality. These kinds of feminism considering inequality are the reaction of the
oppressive structures, which result in sexism and patriarchy.
The fact that women are left behind are the cause of the foolish and
irrational thought because of the traditionalism. Therefore, modernization and
industrialization are the best ways to increase women's status.
b. Radical Feminism
This type of feminism is growing faster in the United States since
1960s-1970s. They consider that the main aspect of the sexual working class is the
patriarchy where women’s positions are always under the men’s in every aspect of
life. Ilyas says that
The source of women's is on the biologic structure. Along of the history of women where there is no contraception yet, it is found that women are the victims of the biologic function, such as menstruation, menopause, giving birth and taking care their children, etc. (Ilyas 50).
Such conditions have made women always dependent on men. This
reproduction difference creates the sexual working class. This kind of feminism is
inclined as a male hates and asks women to be independent without the presence
of men in their life.
In radical feminist terms, gender oppression is the most fundamental form
of oppression. Radical lesbian feminists assert that being a lesbian means to
release from male domination. They only worked in the sexual reality and less for
c. Marxist Feminism
This kind of feminism is the reaction of the liberal feminism. They think
that women’s decline is not the cause of the direct individual action but it is from
the economic, social and political structure in relation with capitalism.
A family is a production group where whole family including women does all humans' needs in survival. But after the development of industrial capitalism, a family is no longer being the production group (llyas 48).
Nowadays, women are no longer the part of production and the sexual
working classes appear. Men can get the public job, which is more productive and
economical while women can only have the domestic job, which is unproductive
and uneconomical. The Marxist feminism refused the basic gender differentiation,
where a husband is described as the bourgeois class and women are the oppressed
class.
d. SocialistFeminism
The socialist feminist argues that living in the capitalist community is not
the main reason of women's under development. Socialist feminists criticize that
there is a connection between women's participation in production and women's
status. It is true that women's participation is important in economics but it does
not mean to increase the women's status. Ilyas stated that there is a correlation
between the women’s participation level and women's status but it makes the
This feminism movement is focused on the women's consciousness about
these disadvantages positions. The socialist feminism's purpose is to structure the
society in order to get the equality in gender. On the other hand, socialist
feminism highlights the relationship between paid work and domestic labor in
which it reveals the impact of the sexual division of labor, by pointing out that
women in the home do more work.
C. Theoretical Framework
The focus of the study is on the analysis of feminism portrayed in the main
character, Celie, in Alice Walker's The Color Purple. Theories related to the study
must be used to accomplish the analysis. Some theories of intrinsic elements are
used to support the analysis of the main character. The theories of character by
Abrams, which provide definitions of the term character, extend descriptions on
the understanding of whatcharacter in fiction is. Abrams also differentiated the
character into major and minor based on their importance.
Foster’s theory is helpful to determine the complexity of the nature of the
character, which refers to flat and round character. By using Foster's theory, I can
recognize what kind of character Celie is. By the application of the theory, it can
To analyze the main character, the writer needs knowledge on how to
reveal the character. Therefore, some theories of characterization are needed in the
analysis to characterize the main character, which lead the analysis to the traits of
his circumstances towards the main character. The theory of characterization
proposed by Baldick, Holman and Harmon, and Barnet give various descriptions
or explanation about what characterization is. The method of characterization is
given by Perrine through his direct and indirect methods. Perrine also gives three
principles in characterization in making the process of characterization more
understandable.
I also use the theory of characterization by Murphy to gain the methods of
characterization. Murphy proposes several ways in which he gives details of how
the character of fiction is portrayed and how the author reveals the story.
To show what type of feminism portrayed in the main character, Celie, I
use the theory feminism to analyze the two questions I proposed. The theories on
feminism in liberal feminism, radical feminism, marxist feminism and socialist
feminism are used as an addition to support the analysis, that is to show what kind
CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY
This chapter discusses the methodology in conducting this study. This
chapter consists of three parts. The first part discusses about the subject matter
that contains a brief description of the novel. The second part presents the critical
approaches used in this study. The third part tells about the research procedure,
which discusses the steps done by the writer in conducting the study to answer
two questions stated in the problem formulation.
A. Subject of the Study
This study deals with the novel which is written by an Afro-American
woman, Alice Walker. The title is The Color Purple. Alice Walker won the
Pulitzer Price for this novel. This novel consists of 244 pages. It was published in
1982 by Harcourt Brace Javanovich, New York. This novel consists of 91 letters.
These letters were written by the main character, Celie, and also her sister Nettie.
In this novel Celie writes 70 letters which are written to God and also addressed to
her sister, Nettie. Whereas Nettie, her sister, writes 21 letters all of them addressed
to her older sister, Celie. From the letter which Celie wrote to God, she tells about
her feeling and also her daily activity, while the letters to Native consists of her
interactions with her circumstances includes Sophia, Shug Avery, Mr.___,
Harpo,etc and Celie’s opinion about them. Nettie writes letters about her
experience in New York and also her journey as a missionary in Africa when she
find Celie's children which are sold by Celie's father. Some of these letters are
never sent and they are like diaries.
The story takes place in South of America, where most black people live.
Some small towns are mentioned in the story which actually lies in the state of
Georgia. This novel portrays the condition about the distinction of black and
white people also the men and women in the black community. Black people do
not have equal status with white people. In black community, women’s positions
are always below the men’s position. Men dominate women in every aspect of
life. This black community is a place where the main character, Celie, accepts all
the pain, not only from the white people who make her as their slave because she
is black, but also from her own society. The black male also makes her as a slave
to fulfill their sexual needs, taking care of their children and also the field. All of
these bad conditions could be seen as a suffering. The main character has to deal
with this condition to survive and not to fight or rid off all the pain from the male
domination.
B. Approach of the Study
In analyzing the problem, I apply the feminist approach as the appropriate
approach to deal with the feminism depicted in Celie’s character in The Color
Purple. I can analyze Celie's life experience and feminism represents by Celie in
The Color Purple. According to Guerin in A Handbook of Critical Approaches to
literature, the feminist critics’ claims that earlier criticism has been male
C. Method of the Study
In order to complete the analysis, I used the library research as the method
in gathering the data of the study. This method aims to collect data from written
source books which would be useful for the analysis. The primary data for the
analysis was taken from the novel The Color Purple, while the secondary data was
derived from other sources, such as books, movie, internet, and other which could
be fully supported the study, and were related to the problem. The books are: A
Glossary of Literature Terms; A Handbook of Literature; Gender Theories in
Education; Feminisme Dalam Kajian Budaya Al Qu’ran: Klasik dan
Kontemporer; Literature and Gender; The Anatomy of prose Fiction; The Aspect
of the Novel; The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms; The Dictionary
of Feminist Theory; The Natural Superiority of Woman; Understanding Unseen;
and Women’s Studies Encylopedia.
In analyzing Walker’s The Color Purple, firstly I read the novel to gain
deeper understanding about the story of the novel. Then I took notes to gain a
clear description about Celie, as the object of the analysis. Since I wanted to
reveal feminism depicted in Celie’s character, I needed to understand Celie’s life
in her society. Secondly, I made a critical analysis by using some references. I
tried to analyze the work objectively, therefore, I could make a reasonable
analysis. In analyzing the Celie’s character perception of the feminism, I used
Celie’s characters. Their thought as the inferior woman has made them feel
challenged to maintain a better life. Thirdly, I analyzed Celie’s character as the
major character, and tried to analyze feminism. Then I tried to relate it to the main
character of the story. Fourthly, I finally made a conclusion from the analysis. In
analyzing the particular topic, I used many books that were taken from library as
the references and also from the internet.
After I finished writing my thesis, I proposed suggestions for future
researchers and for the implementation of teaching learning activities in English
Language Education Program using The Color Purple Novel. I also provided the
appendices which contained the summary of the novel, the picture of Alice
Walker, biography of the author, the lesson plan for teaching English Subject
CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS
In this chapter I answer two problems that have been proposed in the
problem formulation. There are two major parts that are analyzed in this chapter.
The first part is Celie’s character depicted in the novel. In analyzing Celie’s
character, I use the theory of character and characterization. In the second part, I
use theory of feminism to find out the type of feminism portrayed by Celie in The
Color Purple and to analyze the traits revealed in the evidence of feminism
represented by Celie.
A. Celie’s Character Depicted in The Color Purple before Meeting Shug Avery
There are many aspects found in a novel, such as the character, the
characterization, the plot, and the setting. These aspects support the novel to be a
good story. One of the aspects that will be discussed in the thesis is character.
Character and characterization have important roles in literary works. As the first
step, Iwould like to describe the main character in The Color Purple. Celie is the
main character of the story. She has a big role in developing the story of The
Color Purple. Henkle in Reading The Novel states, “It is the major character who
deserve our fullest attention because they perform a key structure function, upon
them we built expectation and desires, which in modification, shift or establish
our values” (Henkle 87).
The role of Celie in The Color Purple not only as the main character but
also as the narrator of the story. In this novel, Celie writes letters to God and to
her sister, Nettie. Celie’s characters before meeting Shug Avery are portrayed
below.
1. Uneducated
Celie is a poor, uneducated fourteen-year-old black girl who lives in rural
Georgina, United States. From the language and the grammar that she uses to
write her letters to God, we can see that she is not well educated. The language,
which is used by Celie, is not well organized. The grammar that she uses is
incorrect, such as the use of -s and -es after suffix and the use of the uncompleted
words.
He act like he can’t stand me no more. Say I’m evil an always up to no good. He took my other little baby, a boy this time. But I don’t think he kilt it. I think he sold it to a man an his wife over Monticello. I got breasts full of milk running down myself. He say Why don’t you look decent? Put on something. But what I’m sposed to put on? I don’t have nothing (Walker 5).
As a young girl, Celie is constantly subjected to abuse and told that she is
dumb. It can be seen from the comments of people around her. This shows that
Celie is uneducated and does not know much about formal education. She has to
do all the housework. Her pa said, “…she ugly. Don’t even look like she kin to
Nettie. But she’ll make the better wife. She ain’t smart either and I’ll just be fair,
you have to watch her or she’ll give away everything you own. But she can work
Celie does not receive formal education like Nettie does. Her father,
Alphonso, never lets her goes to the school and learns like the others. Alphonso
said, “…you too dumb to keep going to school, say pa. Nettie the clever one in
this bunch” (Walker 11). From that statement we can conclude that actually she
wants to gain education but her father never gives a chance for Celie to go to
school.
2. Suppressed
At the beginning of her life, she is living with her sister, Nettie, her
mother, and her stepfather whom she called Pa. Her stepfather rapes her after her
mother refuses to have a sexual intercourse. Her mother has serious illness. Celie
receives its effect. She is forced to have the sexual intercourse with her stepfather
and she does not have the courage to fight it or to refuse it.
You gonna do what your mammy wouldn't. First he put his thing up gainst my hip and sort of wiggle it around. Then he grab holds my tities. Then he push his thing inside my pussy. When that hurt, I cry. He start to choke me saying You better shut up and git used to it (Walker 3).
The sexual intercourse that happened to Celie has a big effect on her
personality. Celie becomes depressed. This pressure makes Celie suppressed by
her husband and her stepfather. She never claims or rebels to what her stepfather
has done to her, although she hates to obey her father’s order. Celie's reason for
her weakness is the norm, which says that a woman must obey and honor her
husband or her father. Celie said, “…couldn’t be mad at my daddy cause he my
As a result of the incest, Celie gives birth to a girl, whom her father steals
and presumably kills in the woods. Celie said, “When I start to hurt and then my
stomach start moving and then that little baby come out my pussy chewing on it
fist you could have knock me over with a feather” (Walker 4).
Celie has a second child from her stepfather, a boy, whom her father also
steals. Her stepfather sells Celie’s children to a couple, named Samuel and Corine.
She does not fight to get her rights as a mother to take care and to protect her
children and cannot do anything to keep her children. Celie said, “He took my
other little baby, a boy this time. But I don't think he kilt it. I think he sold it to a
man and his wife over Monticello” (Walker 5).
3. Obedient
Celie is a type of person who does what the others say. Especially men,
such as her stepfather and Mr._____. Celie is not a rebellious woman therefore
she never dares rebel to what her stepfather does to her. She always obeys her
father’s order, for example when her stepfather insists her to get married to Mr.
______, Nettie's boyfriend. Celie is forced to marry Mr.____ a man she never
loves. Celie said, ”Mr.___ marry me to take care of his children. I marry him
cause my daddy made me. I don't love Mr.___ and he don't love me” (Walker 57).
Although she never loves Mr._____ but Celie cannot refuse her father’s decision
to make Mr._____ as her husband.
Other comments also come from Sophia and Harpo. Sophia and Harpo are
Celie cannot fight for herself and that Celie is just the same with her mama who is
always under her daddy’s foot.
She say, To tell the truth, you remind me of my mama. She under my daddy thumb. Naw, she under my daddy foot. Anything he say, goes. She never say nothing back. She never stand up for herself. Try to make a little half stand sometime for the children but that always backfire. More she stand up for us, the harder time he give her. Ha hate children and he hate where they come from. Tho from all the children he got, you’d never know it ( Walker 38).
On the other hand, Harpo gives comments on how Celie becomes an
obedient wife because she always does what Mr.____ says.
I want her to do what I say, like you do for Pa. Oh, Lord, I say.
When Pa tell you something, you do it, he say. When he say not to, you don’t. You don’t do what he say, he beat you ( Walker 56).
In her marriage, Celie gets the same treatment as what she got from her
stepfather, a sexual and physical abuse from her husband, Mr. _____.
He beat me when you not here, I say. Who do she say, Albert?
Mr.____, I say.
I can’t believe it, she say. She sit down on the bench next to m real hard, like she drop (Walker 66).
He beats Celie like he beats his children. Celie makes herself silent and
pretends to be invisible, also accepts it as her fate, because she never dares to
refuse what Mr.___ says.
4. Passive
Celie does little act to fight against her stepfather, Alphonso. Later in life,
when her husband, Mr.______, abuses her, Celie reacts in a passive manner. She
accepts all bad treatments from her father and her husband without complaint. It
can be seen from the conversation with Harpo that Celie gets bad treatment from
her husband, Alponso, who used to beat Celie like he beat the children. Celie
cannot do anything except take it as her fate and pretend that she is a tree, in order
not to feel the pain.
He beat me like he beat the children. Cept he don’t never hardly beat them. He say, Celie, git the belt. The children be outside the room peeking through the cracks. It all I can do not to cry. I make myself wood. I say to myself, Celie, you a tree. That’s how come I know trees fear man (Walker 22).
Celie is a passive woman. She plays her roles as a traditional wife. She
does not have an opportunity to develop her ability and talent. She is doing the
monotonous domestic jobs such as cooking, taking care Mr.____'s children and
cleaning the house. Kate, Mr._____”s sister give comment, “…and you right
about Celie, here. Good housekeeper, good with children, good cook” (Walker
20).
5. Full of Love
Celie is full of love. She loves her sister, Netti. Nettie is the only person
whom Celie always tell her feeling to after her mother's death. Celie said, “I keep
hoping he fine somebody to marry. I see him looking at my little sister. She
Celie loves Shug Avery. Shug is a beautiful black woman who could sing
and also could conquer man with her charm and sensuality. She loves Shug as a
person who understands and treats her as a woman and a human.
Shug Avery sit up in bed a little today. I wash and comb out her hair. She got the nottiest, shortest, kinkiest hair I ever saw, and I loves every strand of it. The hair that come out in my comb I kept. Maybe one day I’ll get a net, make a rat to pump up my own hair (Walker 48).
Celie realizes that she deserves to get her rights as a human who is born
free and equal. Therefore, she accepts Shug's offer to come with her to Memphis.
Celie shows courage to fight Mr____’s order which forbids Celie not to go to
Memphis with Shug. Celie tries to show that she is no longer a weak and passive
woman. She can be a strong woman who is willing to do what she wants or to
apply her skill and talent.
Anymore letters come? I ast. He say what? You heard me, I say. Anymore letters from Nettie come? If they did, he say, I wouldn't give 'em to you. You two of a kind, he say. A man try to be nice to you, you fly in his face. I curse you, I say (Walker 175).
B. Feminism Portrayed in Celie’s Character in The Color Purple
In this part, I analyze the type of feminism presented in Celie’s character,
in Alice Walker, The Color Purple. In answering the second problem formulation,
I analyze the development of the female characters of The Color Purple on their
idea of feminism. It is revealed from the feeling of being discriminated and
1. The Type of Feminism Represented by Celie in The Color Purple
In the novel, the society at that time holds the concept of patriarchal
family. Patriarchy is a rule in society that sees men as the one to hold the power of
the house and the whole family, and the women’s position is as the subordinate, as
revealed in Celie’s character in The Color Purple. In the novel, Celie is considered
always dependent on the men. She must have proper behaviors and duties
according to the society’s expectation. She is supposed to be a good mother and
only does the domestic jobs. She is not allowed to work outside the house.
There are many aspects in determining feminism or someone who is
considered as a feminist. In this analysis, I would like to focus on Celie’s
characters and behaviors which reflect the practices of feminism. In this novel, the
main character, Celie, shows the different images of what is society’s view and
expectation about women. At that time women were used to staying at home and
doing the domestic jobs, but Celie can turn those images and prove that she can
change the image into a confident and an independent woman. Celie makes a big
change in her life. Celie starts her big changes by deciding to get out from
Mr.____’s house and goes to Memphis with Shug. Celie shows that she is no
longer afraid of Mr.____ and wants to start her new life.
You a lowndown dog is what’s wrong, I say. It’s time to leave you and enter into Creation. And your dead body just the welcome mat I need. Say what? he ast. Shock.
All round the table folkses mouths be dropping open.
You took my sister Nettie away from me, I say. And she was the only person love me in the world.
Finally, Celie dares to say what she wants to do in her life and curses
Mr.____ for what he has done to her all this time. It is a new start for Celie to
reach her own dream in life, also to prove that she can live happily without men.
She turns from a woman that lacks confidence lack into a confident
woman. It can be seen from her letters to Nettie. She has courage and self
confidence to write her name and her address in the letter.
Your sister, Celie Folkpants, Unlimited. Sugar Avery Drive
Memphis, Tenesse (Walker 182).
Celie writes some letters telling him that she feels happy now. She shows
big changes in her life because she has the courage to write how her life is now
and what she feels as a human being. Celie said, “I am so happy. I got love, I got
work I got money, friends and time. And you alive and be home soon. With our
children” (Walker 183). Celie’s life is completely happy now surrounded by
people who love her and support her.
Celie can prove that she can live without men. From the letter which she
writes to Nettie, it is clearly stated that she gets love from Shug. Shug teaches
Celie about love and life. Celie understands how to fulfill her biological need that
is, by masturbating.
I lie back on the bed and haul up my dress. Yank down my bloomers. Stick the looking glass tween my legs. Ugh. All that hair. Then my pussy lips be black. Then inside look like a wet rose.
It a lot prettier than you thought, ain’t it? She say from the door. It mine, I say. Where the button?
I look at her and touch it with my finger. A little shiver go through me. Nothing much. But just enough to tell me this the right button to mash. Maybe ( Walker 69 and 70).
Although Celie has a husband in her marriage with Mr._____, but she does
not feel happy. Celie doesn’t get love from Mr.____, all she gets only bad
treatments and bad words. Celie gets love from Shug and other people that she
loved.
Shug teaches Celie and gives her a motivation to develop her ability in
making pants. Then she returns to a society as an independent woman. Celie
proves that she can live without man and gets some money from her new
business.
She laugh. Let’s us put a few advertisements in the paper, she say. And let us raise your price s a hefty notch. And let’s us git you some more women in here to cut and sew, while you sit back and design. You making your living, Celie, she say Girl, you on your way ( Walker 181).
Later, Celie becomes a modern and successful woman as an owner of a
pants factory. Celie's thought is also developed from a traditional woman, with a
simple thought that a woman should obey and be faithful to her husband's words,
to a modern woman with a radical thought that a woman can stand by herself
without a man's help. As stated in review of the related theory the main aspect of
radical feminism is the sexual working class is the patriarchy where women are
managed under male's power. Ilyas says that
This reproduction difference creates the sexual working class. This kind of
feminism is inclined as a male hate and asks women to be independent without the
presence of men in their life. From the evidence and the characteristic of radical
feminism presents above, it can be concluded that the type of feminism represents
by Celie in The Color Purple is radical feminism.
2. The Idea of Feminism in the Main Character, Celie.
In this analysis, I would focus on Celie’s characters and attitudes which
reflect the practices of feminism. It is revealed from the feeling of being
discriminated and oppressed in the patriarchal of society.
a. Celie Asks for Equality
The definition of feminism by Humm in The Dictionary of Feminist is
incorporate both doctrines of equal rights of women (the organized movement to
attain women’s right) and an ideology of social transformation which aims to
create a world for women beyond simple social equality (Humm 74). It shows that
equality is a balance between men and women with the intention of liberating the
individual. The aim of equality is to deny the justice of some existence in equality
of treatment. In the United States there is an amendment which states the equality
rights on August 20, 1920, which states that the rights of citizens of the United
States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state
It is stated in the previous explanation that Celie is a weak, passive,
dependent, and conventional woman. Alice Walker begins to explore her idea of
feminism in Celie's story with the presence of Shug Avery, a jazz and blues singer
and also her husband's lover. Celie is asked to leave Mr.___ who never loves her
and always treats her not as her wife but more as his maid. It is the way of being
free from male domination and getting her rights. Furthermore, the amendment
above has been a constitutional and legal recognition to guarantee women in
getting their equality rights. It is also an important step in the right direction that
women have their rights in developing themselves.
Shug Avery whose pride, independence, and appetite for living act as a
catalyst for Celie and others has made Celie awake and realize that she has rights
to get her own life free, equal and an opportunity in developing her ability.
God creates men and women equal with some characteristically human natures that they are equal and free to develop their own abilities and to find their happiness behind all their differences. You not my maid, I didn't bring you to Memphis to be that. I brought you here to have you and help you get on your feet (Walker 179).
Later Celie dares to refuse Mr.____ and she is angry at him because he
forces Nettie to leave Celie away and keeps Nettie's letters. Leaving Mr.____ is
the only way to get her freedom and equality. Celie said, “You took my sister
Nettie away from me, I say. And she was the only person love me in the world”
(Walker 170).
b. Celie's Freedom
One of the absolute keys in getting happiness in human life is freedom. No
her lost rights as a free woman from her husband. It happens after the presence of
Shug Avery in her marriage. Later she finds out from the letter which is found by
Shug that her sister, Nettie, the only person who can understand her still alive.
Nettie said, “…I know you think I am dead. But 1 am not” (Walker 100).
Humm explains in her book The Dictionary of The Feminist Theory that
actually there are three areas of freedom which are described in feminism:
political, economic and sexual. Sexual freedom is not the most important aspect.
Women have to define themselves not as the sexual objects but more as the sexual
aspect. It can be seen when Shug teaches her how to be a free woman and lives
without a man. A woman can have her sexual relationship with another woman.
Shug teaches how to masturbate and introduces Celie into a lesbian relationship.
Shug said, “Listen, she say, right down there in your pussy is a little button that
gits real hot when you do you know what with somebody…” (Walker 69).
Instead of Shug, Sofia's role has given a good effect to her in getting her
freedom and confidence. Her behavior teaches Celie that a woman is not weak.
Celie's courage to fight Mr.____ is showed when Shug tells him that Celie will
come with her to Memphis but Mr.____ refuses it. Celie said, “You a lowdown
dog is what's wrong, I say. It's time to leave you and enter into the Creation. And
your dead body just welcome mat I need” (Walker 170). It is Celie's first time to
fight Mr,____'s order because Celie has realized that she deserves to get her rights
c. Celie's Independence
Another stereotype of female inferiority in The Color Purple is
dependence. The female weakness has brought her to be dependent on someone
else especially to male. It has been a disadvantage for women to develop their
abilities. Linda Brannon explains in her book Gender; Psychological Perspective
that women are more as the opposition of men in a number of ways. They are
more passive, dependent, pure, refined and delicate. Meanwhile men are active,
independent and strong. For some people living in dependence can bring them to
the monotonous life because they cannot decide the best thing for them easily.
After moving to Memphis with Shug, Celie changes her opinion that
women's duties are not only doing the domestic duties. Later Celie develops her
ability in making pants no matter that she is black, because Celie has rights in
developing herself like the white woman, rights to be treated equal. As stated in
the Declaration of Independence on 4th July 1776, “We hold these truths to be
self-evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their creator
with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of
happiness” ( Zilversmith 145).
Later Celie succeeds as an independent woman who has a pants factory
with many female employees in it. Shug’s role in making Celie to be an
independent woman is important. She gives Celie motivation and her house as
Celie's business field. Shug said, ”…and let's us just go ahead and give you this
while you sit back and design. You making your living, Celie, she say. Girl, you
on your way” (Walker 181).
d. Celie's Opportunity
Montagu stated that men and women are biologically different in function
but not in rights. Women have to emancipate themselves from the inferiority and
to realize their potentialities. Women fight to get their freedom and independence
as a demand for equality of opportunity between sexes. As cited in The Natural
Superiority of Women, Montagu explains that right of every human being to
enjoy those opportunities, equality with all other human beings, which would
enable them to realize their potentialities to the optimum degree (Montagu 128).
Celie finds her opportunity to develop her ability and to get her confidence
after moving to Memphis with Shug. There, Shug gives her the freedom to do
what she likes to do. Celie tries to make pants for Shug. Later it becomes a
business field for Celie with the help of Shug. Celie said,” I sit in the dining room
making pants after pants. I got pants now in every color and size under the sun…”
(Walker 180). Celie starts to enjoy her new activity in making pants which later it
becomes Celie opportunity to change her life.
In her marriage, she never finds this kind of opportunity. There are
monotonous activities, such as cooking, taking care children and cleaning the
house. Celie learns how to be an independent woman inside of her relationship
with Shug. Shug's love has brought Celie to a better life. Therefore, Celie fights to
