Phobias In The Color Purple

A phobia is an extreme fear about something that can even trigger physiological
responses because it stimulates one's fight or flight response. Androphobia is the fear of men,
which is clearly seen in the book The Color Purple by Alice Walker. After being accused of
winking at another man at church, Celie denies the accusation and says that: “[she] looks at
women, tho, cause [she’s] not scared of them,” (Walker 5). Her statement shows that she is afraid
of men which is why she chooses to not look at them. She looks at women instead because she
feels more comfortable when she does. Celie developed this fear from watching her father
sexually, physically, and verbally abuse her mother, and soon having the same thing happen to
herself.

Masculine Norms in The Color Purple

Masculine stereotypes and “norms” were seen in the past and are still seen in society
today. Harpo and Mr.___ are two male characters in the book The Color Purple, by Alice
Walker, that represent some of the masculine norms during the early twentieth century. When
Harpo was talking to Mr.___ about how his wife doesn’t listen to him Mr.___ asked if he ever hit
her. To this, Hapro responded with: “naw suh, he say low, embarrass,” (Walker 35). Harpo was
embarrassed that he had to admit to Mr.___ that he didn’t hit his wife when she didn’t do what he
told her to. This shows that both Harpo knows that it is a norm to hit women and it seems that he
thinks it is what he is supposed to do. These thoughts are influenced by what he sees happen in
society and in his own household growing up when Mr.___ would physically abuse his wives.