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Kendra Holman

Ms. Bradshaw

AP Lit & Comp

28 Mar. 2021

Breaking the Chains

Throughout the world, people are oppressed for a variety of reasons: the color of their

skin, their religion, their gender, who they marry, what job they hold, their economic status, to

name a few. According to the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, oppression is “cruel and

unfair treatment of people, especially by not giving them the same freedom, rights, etc. as other

people” (“Oppression.”). The United States has been built on oppressive acts, specifically toward

indigenous and black people. Alice Walker is an award-winning author who calls out oppression

in her texts and is often criticized due to her “negative portrayal of black males” as she speaks

the untold struggles of black women (“Alice Walker” 423). In The Color Purple, Walker

primarily focuses on the repeated discrimination of black women. Not only are these women

faced with the hate and racism of being black, they are also women living in a male-dominated

society (Jyotsna and Srinivasan). The double oppression black women endure is detrimental to

their development as individuals in society; the connections with and support of other women are

vital to growing self confidence and character.

Walker wrote about her own experiences, ones shared by many black women across the

country, an idea many critics of the time seemed to miss. In The Color Purple, Walker based the

main character, Celie, on her own experiences as a black girl living in the depths of the racist

south who experienced misfortunes that caused her to become an outcast in the community of

black women. As a child, she was shot in the face with a BB gun, which resulted in one of her
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eyes being compromised and a scar (Abbott). Additionally, in her young adult years, she became

pregnant and decided to have an abortion, which was not something that was accepted by society

at that time (Shackleford). Walker lived in the south and experienced hatred simply for being a

black woman. With the addition of a scarred face and an abortion into the mix, Walker was an

outcast who experienced tremendous pain and agony. Walker’s experience is not unique;

however, society rarely talked about or even acknowledged the themes she wrote about. In her

novel, Walker showcased supportive women, Nettie, Shug, and Sofia, in Celie’s life who were

able to help her become a strong independent woman. It was in part due to Walker and her novel

that these topics rose to the surface; thus, she opened a door for women to discuss the cruel

treatment they received. Through her gift of writing, Walker has given women something to

relate to and inspired them to seek out supportive relationships with other women.

The traditional gender roles in the United States perpetuate expectations that women

should stay at home in order to care for the children, complete chores around the house, and cook

for her family; conversely, men should be the ones to earn a living outside the home in order to

provide for his family financially. These gender stereotypes have persisted over time, across

cultures, and are “really strong and sticky” (Miller and Grise). As they grow up, children are

taught their roles in their families by how many chores they are expected to complete each day.

One study of teenagers fifteen to nineteen found that the males were expected to spend an

average of fifteen fewer minutes on chores per day than their female counterparts (Miller and

Grise). Instilling this mindset beginning with childhood chores, perpetuates this pattern of

tradition. In The Color Purple, this traditional mindset is heavily prevalent, but it also evolves

throughout the novel as the society progresses. At the beginning of Celie’s life with Mr.___, she

asked Harpo, his oldest son, to help her with one of the chores, and his response was, “Women
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work” (Walker 21). Harpo, and children in general, would not develop this mindset without some

influence of a role-model or parental figure in their life. Walker uses Shug's influence on Celie to

help her to overcome these traditional stereotypical roles. Throughout the novel, Shug is building

to the point at which she takes her to Memphis and Celie starts her own business. It is not until

this point, when Celie was no longer living under the control of men, that she was able to break

the chains of tradition and become in control of her own life. Even after she moved in with Shug,

Celie was doing chores around the house and trying to help Shug out any way she could, but

Shug thought she was doing too much: “You not my maid. I didn’t bring you to Memphis to be

that. I brought you here to love you and help you get on your feet” (Walker 210). Shug

recognized the way being a maid for those around her had been instilled in Celie’s brain, and she

was determined to be the friend to improve Celie's life. With the indoctrination of women being

the ones to do the housework, unless there is a change in perspective, women will continually be

stuck in this cycle and continue to be oppressed by the dominance of the male.

Disproportionate male dominance in the American society causes women to be

undervalued. Due to this status of being of lesser value, the men in Celie’s life treated her as an

object. Her father, Alphanso, who she later finds out is actually her step-father, treats her horribly

and uses her as an object for sex when her mother will not comply. He later decided that she was

too old to be living at home, so he created a type of sales pitch to convince Mr. ___ to marry

Celie instead of Nettie: “She good with children, Pa say… Never heard her say a hard word to

nary one of them. Just give ’em everything they ast for…” (Walker 11). Getting out of such a

cruel and harsh environment might seem like a good idea, but marrying Mr.___ was a much

worse option. Since he already had another woman whom he loved, Shug Avery, he only married

her to have her take care of his children and to satisfy his sexual desires. When Mr.___’s sister
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was visiting one time, she mentioned that Celie needed new clothes. Due to his lack of attention

and care for Celie, he had not noticed that her clothes were in shambles: “He look at me. It like

he looking at the earth. It need somethin? his eyes say” (Walker 20). The way he called Celie “it”

reveals that he does not even see her as a person. At this time in the novel, Celie is led to believe

that her sister Nettie, who Mr.___ originally wanted to marry and Celie sacrificed to help save, is

dead. Although her life is miserable, she decided that she would rather submit to this torture than

be dead (Walker 21). Women in situations similar to Celie’s have lost themselves because they

are continually being treated like objects. They have no source of individuality or

self-confidence. The constant belittling and negative actions from their surroundings cause their

mental processing to change. In order to avoid being beaten, they become submissive to

everything those who hold authority over them demand of them. Although Celie was compliant

to Mr.___’s command, Shug advocated for Celie to Mr.___. When Harpo opened his juke joint,

Celie was not allowed to go per Mr.___, but Shug stood up for her: “Mr.___ didn’t want me to

come. Wives don’t go to places like that, he say. Yeah, but Celie going, say Shug….” (Walker

71). As much as Celie wanted to go, she would not have had the confidence to confront Mr.___

about it because she did not want to have to face the consequences. Shug’s support helped Celie

to realize that she deserved to be treated better and that men are not in control of her actions.

During the time of slavery, black women had to fight together to bring about change. One

of the basic goals of their fight was to “… preserve their dignity and affirm their humanity”

(Mankiller). Thus, before the fight for freedom and equality could begin, black women had to

fight to even be recognized as humans in society. As northern stats abolished slavery, the now

free black women were able to unite in order to form a larger population and many “…engaged

actively in the abolition movement” (Mankiller). Other slaves were able to escape slavery by
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running away and taking refuge in the north. Many were then able to rescue other slaves from

their situations. One notable example is Harriet Tubman, “…one of the Underground Railroad

‘conductors’” (Dickson). Tubman knew and understood the risks at play each time she ventured

south to liberate enslaved workers, yet she recognized that the impact she was having was

stronger than the possible costs. Her courage and determination fueled those who heard about

what she was doing, inspired other free women to join the fight, and offered enslaved people the

courage to seek refuge. After arriving in the north, women “…developed supportive and

empowering female networks…” (Mankiller). In The Color Purple, Celie had been submissive to

male domination her entire life. She needed a Harriet Tubman-type of inspiration to give her the

confidence to stand up for and protect herself. Throughout the novel, Mr.___’s mistress, Shug

Avery, was portrayed as a strong, independent, rebellious woman (Walker 49). She did not care

what others thought about her, rather she cared about what made her happy. Over time, Celie and

Shug became best friends, and Shug became the inspiration and support system Celie needed to

leave Mr.___ (Walker 176). As the novel progressed, both Shug and Harpo, Mr.___’s son, treated

Celie with respect by calling her “Miss. Celie” (Walker 33). By doing this, they helped to boost

Celie’s self confidence and showed her that she is more than just an object. Harpo turned to Celie

when he needed someone to talk his problems through with (Walker 36). He began to value her

as a person, rather than just thinking of her as a slave to his father.

Sometimes all a woman needs is the push to leave the oppressive situation in order to

become her own person and flourish into a beautiful soul. Once Celie left Mr.___, she was

finally able to find a hobby and grow into her own person. Her life started taking turns for the

better, and she was becoming genuinely happy. She became fascinated with sewing pants, she

loved to be able to make different styles and patterns for every occasion and person in her life:
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“Since us started making pants down home, I ain’t been able to stop” (Walker 210). Celie had

never had a passion before, and sewing pants opened a new door to pleasure and satisfaction for

her. So many people wanted her pants that she created a business out of it. It grew so quickly that

she needed more labor, so she was able to employ a few other women in her life to help her

(Walker 212). Once one person breaks the mold, they can lay stepping stones to help ease the

transformation for other women. Madam C.J. Walker of Louisiana is one notable example of

women empowerment. She was able to become an entrepreneur in the beauty industry, and her

work grew into a large-scale collection of “…beauty schools and a manufacturing and marketing

system that allowed thousands of Black women to become independent operators of beauty

shops and thus escape the drudgery of exhausting, low-status, underpaid household labor”

(Mankiller). Not only were both Celie and Walker able to escape the loathsome situations and

lives they had been stuck in, they were both able to become strong female entrepreneurs who

could assist others to understand their worth and grow into beautiful women.

Over time men have begun to recognize the lesser value society places on women. After

Celie left him, Mr.___ finally realized the immense value of all the work Celie did for him. He

realized the pain and agony he was causing her by abusing her the way he did. He realized the

modifications he needed to implement in his life in order to be a kinder and more loving person.

After all of this change, Celie and he were able to become friends: “I mean when you talk to him

now he really listen, and one time… he said Celie, I’m satisfied this the first time I ever lived on

Earth as a natural man…. Us sit, have a cold drink. Talk about our days together….” (Walker

258). This was a monumental moment in Celie’s life because she was able to see a complete

evolution in Mr.___’s life. He began to really understand the value of women. He learned that

women are not objects and are worthy of fair treatment. In the world today, men have a better
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understanding of the burdensome workload that their wives endure each day because of the

Coronavirus. Since the shutdowns, “‘A lot of men are working at home so the ‘invisible’ care

work is very visible….’” (Miller and Grise). Many women work in essential jobs, so they were

still going into work through the pandemic. Thus, the men were at home to care for their kids and

the house, on top of working. Many men do not realize how much work their wives do around

the house or for their children each day, as well as doing their paid jobs. Although the pandemic

has been a global catastrophe, it is bringing light to the imbalance of household work between

women and men. The world will be changed in many ways after the pandemic is over, and we

can only hope that a more proportionate distribution of chores and responsibilities is one of those

ways. Without their wives being there to submissively tend to the chores and children, men are

realizing the difficulty and importance of their work as Mr.___ recognized with Celie in the end

of The Color Purple.

Alice Walker, Harriet Tubman, and Madam C.J. Walker, among numerous other black

women throughout the United States, have opened endless doors for oppressed black women to

escape exploitation and become strong individuals. Without the support of other women around

them or the inspiration of other women around the world, all women, and black women in

particular, can get stuck in their situations. Black women throughout the United States have a

deep connection with one another because each one of them has endured this double oppression

to some degree. With the efforts of each woman comes change; some might be notable like

Tubman’s, yet others are small and difficult for the world to see. What matters is that change is

happening. People across the country would not have been able to see the change in Mr.___, but

his change had a monumental impact on Celie, Harpo, and the rest of their family. Lately, some

of the burdens women carry with the housework and tending to their children have been
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revealed. The pandemic might have been a spark to start a wildfire of change at home. With

more people, but specifically men, working from home, it will be easier to even out the

responsibilities at home. Novels, like The Color Purple, that unashamedly address the tragedies

that black women face have been both encouraging and comforting to others who endure the

same or similar circumstances. Although Walker’s novel is criticized for using too many strong

descriptors and for negatively portraying the black male, it is novels like this that spark change.

In order to free one’s self from the tragedies of oppression, one needs the support of other

women, whether it be through a novel or a career opportunity, to grow the confidence it takes to

stand up for one’s self.

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Works Cited

Abbott, Randy L. “Alice Walker.” Great Lives from History: African Americans, Dec. 2010, p.

120. EBSCOhost,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=b6h&AN=55597841&site=brc-live.

“Alice Walker.” Contemporary Literary Criticism. Vol. 46, 1987, pp 422-423.

Dickson, Michelle M. African-American Women's History Honored. , 2006. SIRS Issues

Researcher,

https://explore.proquest.com/sirsissuesresearcher/document/2250281173?accountid=6704

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Jyotsna, Jinka, and R. Srinivasan. “Alice Walker’s The Color Purple: A Formidable Journey in

Search of Self.” IUP Journal of English Studies, vol. 15, no. 1, Mar. 2020, pp. 27–32.

EBSCOhost,

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Mankiller, Wilma. African American Women. , 1998. SIRS Issues Researcher,

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Miller, Claire Cain, and Chrisanne Grise. "Who's Still Doing the HOUSEWORK? New research

suggests that young people are holding on to traditional ideas about who does what at

home. Will the pandemic change that?" New York Times Upfront, vol. 153, no. 2, 21 Sept.

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Accessed 3 Feb. 2021.

“Oppression.” Oppression Noun - Definition, Pictures, Pronunciation and Usage Notes | Oxford
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Advanced Learner's Dictionary at OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com,

www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/us/definition/english/oppression?q=oppression.

Shackelford, Lynne P. “Alice Walker.” Research Guide to Biography & Criticism, vol. 6, Feb.

1991, p. 777. EBSCOhost,

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Walker, Alice. The Color Purple. PENGUIN BOOKS, 2019.