Studying the Depth of Lonelinesss and Dependency

İn the light of separated family

Alice Walker in her The Color Purple uses a very especial narrative strategy. She

makes her readers to change their responses step by step by following her writting

through a collection of letters in this book. “ I remember one time you said your life made

you feel so ashamed you couldnt even talk about it to God ,you had to write it,bad as you

thought your writing was”( Walker,117). During reading this novel at first I thought that

she perhaps is talking about Celie’s shame or her believing in God, for having an

opening by using “ Dear God” as the tittle for Cillies letters . But following her writing

I noticed that it not only changes to “Dearest Nettie” after finding her sester’s letters but

also Walker refute it; “I dont write to God no more...what God do for me?...he gave me a

lynched daddy, a crazy mama,a lowdown dog of a step pa and a sister I probabely wont

ever seen again....God...trifling,forgitful and lowdown”(Walker,173). I feel that she uses

“God” to show the depth of Cillies loneliness and dependency; “I get tired of talking to

myself I talk to you”(walker,236).

Moreover in the rest of the story it seemed that Walker points to homosexuality

issue as a center theme ,but still continuing my reading I found out that she refutes this

view too; “ I can live content without Shug...I be so calm.If she come I be happy.If she

dont I be content”(Walker,257). In my opinion her aim is pointing to some other

problems than homosexuality or any religious beleif . Although she refers to the existance

of such incidents and relations in this novel,there are many good qoets which shows it is
a study of some life and social problems in the light of a separated family of a poor,

unhappy, lonely,homeless,hopeless,and independed colored woman who represents a

none white nation .

A good example is Cillie’s complaing of her life by saying; “Let him hear me,I say.If

God ever listened to poor colored women the world would be a different place...he dont

think.Just sit up there glorying in being deef”( Walker,174-5 )

In adition ,I think that the narrative strategy of this novel has changed it into a lesson

which is being lectured through the separeted sisters language in their unreplied letters to

each other. Walker makes us as the readers to be aware of what had happened in the

south and Africa along with ,how did a nation unroothed from their rich culture and

nation and became slaves, poor and dependents, and finally celebrated their reunion in

4th of July .

Consequently Walker created two unrooted, separated sister characters who represent

the non white nation and showed their confronted life and socilal problems and finally

likeas their nation’s history brought them , “reunited”, together. Walker Ironically gives

this novel as alecture to her readers by saying; “while people busy celebrating they

independence from England July 4th, say Harpo, so most black folks dont have to work.

Us can spend the day celebrating each other”( Walker,261).