Double Subjugation of Black Women in Alice Walker’s The Color Purple

BEE III-1 Group 6

Agcaoili, Laura Lei
Mangibin, Marlon
Redubla, Desiree
Serrano, Ashley

Faculty of Arts & Languages

College of Teacher Development
Philippine Normal University
February 9, 2023

ABSTRACT

This study explores the Black Feminist approach of Alice Walker's pièce de résistance, her 1982
epistolary novel, The Color Purple, examining the double subjugation of African-American
women portrayed in the story. The paper analyzes the discrimination of Black female characters
in the novel under the two intersecting experiences, as Black and woman. The narrative unfolds
the realities of racism against African-Americans in the United States, manifesting through
internalized discrimination, generational trauma, and career constraints among Black
communities. The main character, Celie, chronicles her painful experiences as a woman, the
cyclical domestic abuses in her family and generations before, and the illustrations of toxic
masculinity that unravel her existence and self-perception. An in-depth analysis uncovered layers
of the root causes corresponding to the double oppression experienced by the novel's Black female
characters, probing into the issues of race, class, gender, and intersectionality delineated in the
narrative and external inquiry about the history of the setting and Alice Walker's Black feminist
accounts.

Keywords: Black Feminism, African-American, Double Subjugation, Race, Class, Gender,

Intersectionality

INTRODUCTION

"Activism is my rent for living on the planet," once quipped author and African-American
feminist advocate, Alice Walker. Born in 1944 in rural Georgia, Alice was the youngest of eight
children, three girls, and five boys. Alice's vivid storytelling of The Color Purple perhaps echoes
the setting of her upbringing. During the early 1900s, Georgia set a gritty environment for poverty
and domestic struggles. The Great Depression after the stock market crash in 1929 ushered far-
reaching economic shock waves throughout the United States, especially the South, including
Georgia (Zainaldin, 2020). The conditions were harsher for the Black Georgians whose entrapment
in the sharecropping system since the Reconstruction era were forced off their land by declining
prices and into blue-collared jobs in urban areas (Zainaldin, 2020). This community experience is
underscored by the pains of Celie, the main character, to gain independence and escape the
dominance of the working men in her life by attempting financial autonomy. Alice exposes
African-American female narratives and identities amid the issues of sexism and racism through
an intimate series of letters. She gives voice to a Black female character who represents the
experiences of many amid the crossroads of double oppression: Celie Harris.

Since its publication, several analyses have been made about its merits as being Black
feminist Literature. Most of them center around the idea of double subjugation. One of the ideas
which sprouted from this was the creation of belongingness to America or a sense of nationhood
in America which includes the black community. According to Walker, one of her goals for writing
the book was to create an idea of nationhood where black women are also included. This is because
most of the literature being published which talks about equality were mostly patriarchal and
dismisses the double subjugation that black women faced because of their race and gender. We
can see this in the book by it covering other communities of black people when Nettie along with
David and his wife went to Africa to spread the word of God. In this particular scene, Berlant
(1988) highlighted that the book managed to widen the scope of identity that black people had in
America. This is because the tribe that they visited there were completely divorced from the idea
of American racism and hegemony that black people faced constantly. This idea of nationhood of
the book has also been exemplified by Celie valuing traditional American nationalistic ideals. One
of these was her still valuing the family that she has. This is despite the hardships she experienced
from his step father and husband. Another was her triumphant business of making pants for
different people regardless of their race or gender. This exemplifies one of the aspects of traditional
nationalism found in America because of the American idea of valuing the free market. Despite
his dad being lynched due to his business, she still wanted to participate in the system. That led to
a positive effect this time because it served her purpose as well as the interest of many people
despite their race or gender.

Another concept about double subjugation is sisterhood. According to Musanga and

Mukhuba (2019), most of the black female characters in the book acknowledged their subjugation
to either race or Gender and were able to rise above these oppressive structures through sisterhood.
We can see this in scenes such as Squeak helping Sofia to reduce her sentencing despite being
initially enemies. We can also see this in Celie and Shug being romantic partners despite Shug
initially being antagonistic towards each other. Finally, we also have Celie and Sofia making a
quilt together from tattered fabrics, which symbolizes their unity despite their initial unpleasant
interaction and differences and that they can make something beautiful.
 Lastly, another aspect of double subjugation is its conception of the Womanist perspective.
According to Alice Walker, the emergence of womanism came from the fact that feminism was
spearheaded by mostly white women Zeng & Li (2018). She also noted that because of this, white
women will often have a propensity of being racist because they do not know the struggles which
come from being both black and a woman. It is also good to note that the womanist perspective
which came from an understanding of double subjugation would later be transformed to
intersectionality. One of its proponents was Kimberle Crenshaw after she handled a case regarding
a woman who is Jewish. In contrast to the double subjugation which only looks at two aspects,
Intersectionality posits the fact that each of us has varying degrees of privileges and labels which
constantly influences us and the people around us. In short, Intersectionality is more robust and
encompassing in contrast to double subjugation.

ANALYSIS

Alice Walker crafts the complex story of The Color Purple uncovering the physical and
psychological violence inflicted upon female characters in a struggle with racial and gender
subjugation. The paper's in-depth analyses through a Black feminist lens reveal the social, cultural,
and political forces that wound the lives of the personalities in the novel. The approach identifies
the geographical and historical context which distinguishes the Black feminist experience from the
White or 'First World' feminist ideology and other involved ideologies. It questions the "shifting
meanings of 'Black' as a racial, cultural, national, or political term" (Mambrol, 2017), which has
implications for the double struggle of being both Black and a woman in the novel’s setting.

AS A BLACK

Dear Peoples: The World of Colored People

Racism has never been more familiar to African-American people. Tracing back from its
history during the late 1800s and early 1900s, there were evident struggles in their lives as they
were oppressed and discriminated against based on their attributes. Such differences became the
basis of white people to establish social construction based on race which allowed them to colonize
and enslave them. Consequently, years have passed and they are more subjected to brutality,
prejudice, and economic exploitation. One of which was being segregated in society and being
labeled as “colored people”. Richard van der Ross further explains the racial term “colored people”
for African-American people, during the early times they endured to be a socially marginalized
group who were constantly mistreated in various aspects such as political and economic for
numerous years (Spencer, 1995). This was also reflected in Mr. Garrison’s issues regarding
“Thoughts on African Colonization” and “Liberator” in 1832 which tackled the cruel policy of
American slavery and hatred towards colored people moreover the African people (Delany, 1993).
It resonates with Nettie’s recollection of the effects of racism on Africans:

Millions and millions of Africans were captured and sold into slavery—you and me, Celie!
And whole cities were destroyed by slave catching wars. Today the people of Africa—
having murdered or sold into slavery their strongest folks—are riddled by disease and sunk
in spiritual and physical confusion. They believe in the devil and worship the dead. Nor
can they read or write. Why did they sell us? How could they have done it? And why do we
still love them? These were the thoughts I had as we tramped through the chilly streets of
London (p. 76)

Even when there were actions done, like in 1910, when the National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was built with its aim to eradicate racism and
discrimination and ensure equal rights for them (Silk & Silk, 1990). Moving on, in the years 1880-
1930, Brundage (1993) discussed the continued racism throughout the South’s history which
established social customs to preserve a caste system where white people hold more power than
them. This was evident in Celie’s thoughts regarding God whom she prays for, “Then she sigh.
When I found out I thought God was white, and a man, I lost interest…I know white people never
listen to colored, period.” (p. 97) and in another instance, “I don’t know what she think, but I think
about angels, God coming down by chariot, swinging down real low and carrying ole Sofia home.
I see ’em all as clear as day. Angels all in white, white hair and white eyes, look like albinos. God
all white too, looking like some stout white man work at the bank.” (p.56).

Racist social norms developed during that time consisted of reconstruction, segregation, as
observed in how Miss Millie treated Black people when she refused to sit beside them in a car
emphasizing how two races shouldn’t be associated with each other, “That’s the problem, she say.
Have you ever seen a white person and a colored sitting side by side in a car, when one of’em
wasn’t showing the other one how to drive it or clean it?” (p.61) and “Oh, she say, I couldn’t ride
in a pick-up with a strange colored man.” (p.62). One of Nettie’s letters also provided an example
of race separation describing the train they took in New York, “The beds come down out of the
walls, over the tops of the seats, and are called berths. Only white people can ride in the beds and
use the restaurant. And they have different toilets from colored.” (p.75). Another situation of such
mistreatment was with her maid, “One day I was in town with Corrine and we saw the mayor’s
wife and her maid. The mayor’s wife was shopping—going in and out of stores—and her maid
was waiting for her on the street and taking the packages.” (p. 74), to which we can infer how
African-American people, particularly women, were often made to be “White women’s maids”.
This could also be an inference on how black people were not permitted to be in stores together
with white people.
 Other forms are sharecropping, white political hegemony which was evident from taxes
that come into different types of payment, “But the fact is, you got to give ‘em something. Either
your money, your land, your woman or your ass.” (p.93) and lynching in reference on what
happened to his father based on Celie’s letters to God, “Your daddy didn’t know how to git along,
he say. White folks lynch him. Too sad a story to tell pitiful little growing girls, he say. Any man
would have done what I done.” (p. 93). With the context given in the novel, white superiority and
racism were easily reflected upon the actions done by some of the characters in it e.i., white people,
and how these impacted black people’s lives throughout the story. On the other hand, John Dollard,
a psychologist described the violence and irrational behavior of white people among them as an
outlet of resentment, both their direct and suppressed aggression, fears, and wants in the forms of
drunkenness, public indecency, prostitution, wife abuse or sexual abuse, as seen on what Squeak
had experienced on the hands of white men, “He took my hat off, say Squeak. Told me to undo
my dress. She drop her head, put her face in her hands.” (p. 58), laziness with beatings, and lastly,
severe punishments like shooting someone, “Polices have they guns on him anyway. One move,
he dead. Six of them, you know.” (p. 53) or whipping someone to death, especially the victims
who didn’t meet their demands or those who tried to defend themselves (Brundage, 1993, p. 9). In
the scene in the novel of Sofia and the mayor with Miss Millie, “Mayor look at Sofia, push his
wife out the way. Stick out his chest. Girl, what you say to Miss Millie?” (p. 53) as well as getting
beaten by the police when she had this altercation with the mayor’s wife.

Sheriff say, Well make sure you do. And tell her she lucky she alive. When I see Sofia I
don’t know why she still alive. They crack her skull, they crack her ribs. They tear her
nose loose on one side. They blind her in one eye. She swole from head to foot. Her
tongue the size of my arm, it stick out tween her teef like a piece of rubber. She can’t talk.
And she just about the color of a eggplant (p. 53-54).

This abuse continued with Sofia being imprisoned in unfavorable conditions “Food bad
enough to kill you with it. Roaches here, mice, flies, lice and even a snake or two. If you say
anything they strip you, make you sleep on a cement floor without a light” (p. 55) by the police
which fits right into what Dollard had said.

Racism is one of the main issues that had a severe detrimental effect on the lives of African-
American people as attested by actual historical events notably in the South from the late 1880s to
the early 1900s along with Alice Walker’s novel as a context. From this situation, we witnessed
how it deteriorated through various means that fostered their physical, mental, emotional, and even
fatal abuse. The characters in the book gave us a glimpse of the world through the eyes of colored
people, revealing how their lives were always in danger and subject to exploitation because of their
race as seen by white people.
 You Black: Internalized Racism

Internalized racism can also be found in the story, this can be seen when Celie wanted to
leave the house of Mr.__ and start a new life away from his abusive behavior towards her.

He laugh. Who you think you is? he say.

You can’t curse nobody.
Look at you. You black, you pore, you ugly, you a woman.
Goddam, he say, you nothing at all. (p. 102)

Çankaya (2015) states that this was due to Mr._____ adopting the norms of the white man.
Due to his submission to the white patriarchal society, he acts in a manner that he feels is justified.
Because it is within the dominant culture to be controlling and abusive towards women(in this
particular scenario, Celie).

This also aligns with the definition of Jones (2000) of internalized racism, where it is
defined as the stigmatized group’s acceptance of the negative notions about them, the lack of belief
in themselves and others who look similar to them. It can also be an acceptance to the negative
notion that they have limitations to their full humanity which includes his/her dreams, self-
determination and range of acceptable self-expression. Based on this, Mr.___ inhibits Internalized
racism by dismissing Celie's dream of moving away from Mr.___’s abusive household. It can also
be interpreted that Mr.______ is accepting the limitation of Celie's self-determination and self-
expression. Because he has a deep seated notion that Celie is what a typical woman of color is
which was the mammy caricature (Ferris State University, n.d.)

Beat Me Like He Beat the Children

Generational trauma, also known as intergenerational trauma, occurs when painful

experiences or events are carried down from one generation into another, with reactions
comparable to the generation's predecessors. People of color, in particular, have a heightened
experience of historical and racial trauma. According to Ryder and White (2022), this trauma may
be passed down through cultural patterns, dominant family narratives, parents suppressing their
trauma, or the normalization of hatred and brutality as family disconnection, denial, trauma
bonding, and abuse keep worsening.

Without a doubt, The Color Purple is Celie's narrative as a survivor of many types of abuse.
However, when it comes to generational trauma patterns in the novel, Mr. _____ is a prime
example of a person who has experienced trauma and is directly inflicting it on others. The lengthy
history of racial segregation that has resulted in death and violence in the environment in which
Mr. _____ and African Americans in general supported their lives and its aspects, pushing them
into an eventual demise. This demise meant their lack of self-awareness as a result of their
ancestors' slavery. The concept of slavery appears to be integral to the story, as Alice Walker
explores slavery between white and black people and even within the black community itself.

The Color Purple runs in the background of 1900s, when lynchings of African-Americans
were prevalent. Lynching was employed by white people to ruthlessly rule African American,
mainly in the South (Lartey & Morris, 2018). Nguyen and Pfahl (2018) wrote that Walker created
characters who resemble the African American characteristics during those times. Celie and Mr.
Albert reflected Black living in Georgia's grim condition as poor farmers stuck in the land where
their ancestors were enslaved. At the time, black individuals were being lynched on a daily basis,
frequently without cause, without due process, and with insufficient information. In fact, a
lynching memorial can be located in Montgomery, Alabama, dedicated to the undocumented death
of black people under the White American barbarism (Robertson, 2018).

As previously established, the world of racism in which black people settled plays a role
in the people characterized by Mr. _____. They were dealing with a lack of education and resources
outside of the trades introduced to them through enslavement and passed down through their
families. The African American community was traumatized in many ways, which may have
affected their actions, outlooks, and desires. In this case, Mr. _____ was passing down oppression.
One can argue that he didn't necessarily agree with his status or everyone's perception of him, but
by tracing their history, we'd understand how he got there. However, the justifications for his
behavior are founded on things he was unaware were unhealthy. During his time, Black folks
simply didn't know whether they'd make it home alive. Living in a country that made Black people,
particularly Black males, fearful for their safety took a toll on their lives.

The mentality of Black males has been systematically damaged by physical brutality and
oppression during slavery and institutional racism in the decades after their emancipation (Walker,
2012). It would go on to impact the way they love, discipline their children, and regard themselves
as men, with the lingering thought that they must protect themselves. Mr. _____ resided in one of
the states with a high rate of lynchings. It would appear emasculating for Black men living in
places where they feel powerless to save their lives. Mr. _____ sought other ways to express his
masculinity in his environment and with the people around him.

“Well, this my house. This my land. Your boy Harpo in one of my houses, on my land. Weeds
come up on my land, I chop ’em up. Trash blow over it I burn it” (p. 53). Mr. _____'s father was
always present in his life, reminding him that he is not much of a man without all the belongings
he gained from his father. A Black man who is unable to support himself and his family was
regarded as worse than an infidel (Black, 1997, as cited in Walker, 2012). Everything in Mr.
_____'s life was governed by him, notably his search for a wife. According to his father, in order
to have a prosperous house, a man needs an obedient wife who can do every household chore,
regardless of whether the relationship grew out of love. Mr. _____ was still resentful for not being
allowed to be with the only woman he truly loved, Shug Avery, under his domineering father’s
watch. In return, he would mistreat his first wife, asserting his dominance. Similarly, Mr. _____
met Celie as a result of her father, Alphonso's, unwillingness to let Mr. _____ marry Nettie. He
was upset, but he moved on to live with Celie, whom he would treat worse than his first wife and
confined in slave-like conditions. Mr. _____'s personality is completely different when he's around
Shug, who describes him as a terrific lover. His love for Shug, which humanizes him, had been
taken away, and he had never appeared to obtain what he desired while living in the shadow of his
father since then.

The "androcentric ideology" passed down to Black males has stripped them of their
spiritual freedom and humanity, leading to unhappy marriages (Wu, 2019, p. 969). “Well how you
spect to make her mind? Wives is like children. You have to let ’em know who got the upper hand.
Nothing can do that better than a good sound beating” (p. 38). Mr. _____ is a stern and rigid father
to his children, particularly Harpo. Harpo fell in love with Sofia, an outspoken black woman who
was deemed unfit for the ideals of a housewife at the time. It is ironic that Mr. _____ would reject
Sofia as his son's wife given that she is as daring as Shug who also became the talk of the town for
her rebellious antics. Mr. _____ tried to apply pressure to his son in the same manner as his father
did to him. He attempted to govern Harpo in the way in which he was raised and in which he only
knew how to raise him. Despite his inability to manage Sofia, Harpo would follow in his father's
footsteps because he was "destined to," resulting in a chaotic household. He even considered
finding another woman he could dominate like Squeak, his mistress, but he would fail in the end
as well.

It's worth noting that Mr. _____ was coerced into the arrangement. He never desired Celie,
as evidenced by scenes in which Shug lived with them and Mr. _____ would die ministering to
Shug's every need while neglecting his wife. Celie and Mr. _____ do have something in common.
They are two human beings that yearn for different things but are chained for the purpose of
survival. Their environment and immediate circumstances utterly oppressed them. Mr. _____ is
one of those black individuals who were taught that being black and black women are synonymous
with defeat and that it is who they are collectively: hopeless and disposable in the society in which
they lived.

The novel has been criticized for its image distortion of black men and its relative
adherence to the widely known media stereotype of black men being savages, which many viewers
did not appreciate (Shipp, 1986). The novel focused more on sexual aspects than racial and class
politics. Walker's male characters must be "feminized" in order to be regarded as desirable (Bell,
1987 as cited in Stănişoară, 2016).

In contrast to those accusations, Walker's portrayal of the characters features generational

pain that also affects black males. It focuses not just on men's aggression towards women but also
on her idea that the oppressors were oppressed at some point in their lives and are not denied the
right to change. As Wu (2019, p. 971) said, this is Walker’s “most reformative perspective on
patriarchalism”.

Rather than distorting anyone's image, it appears that understanding African Americans'
tragic history and the passing down of frustration and oppression is one way to comprehend the
harsh characters in this narrative, particularly in the abuse of black women. It is more about how
one becomes "Mr. _____" in their community and how that impacts the environment and the
people in it, as well as the unfortunate reality that black women are the ones who are the end
recipients of it. There is no question that male characters, such as Mr. _____ did awful things and
projected their agony onto others and traumatized female characters, like Celie, are unable to
project in the same way because they were not raised to do so, but they were certainly fighting the
urge. Celie’s written letters symbolize that her only release from pain is a spiritual figure and a
relative experiencing the same conditions, which is closely related to African American women’s
isolated encounters (Lewis, 2017, p. 29).

Maybe Somebody Let You Work

Racial discrimination may create the so-called 'glass ceiling' in the work field, which is an
invisible barrier that keeps individuals - who are a part of a race or gender minority - from
ascending to more respectable and ambitious positions and places of authority at work (Outten &
Golden, n.d.). In The Color Purple, one sees a pattern of struggle for the Black characters to gain
respect with their limited means and society's career discrimination, highly based on their racial
situation.

Celie's family history is rife with the involvement of white supremacist injustice against
their career progress. Celie's father was one of the more fortunate endurers of Black slavery and
became a "well-to-do farmer who owned his property near town. Our town, Celie" (p. 90). The
rare distinction and success reached by her father as a Black man in farming in rural Georgia paved
the way for another career venture, opening a store "selling dry goods" (p. 90). However, the racial
climate at the time tipped the favor of White power against Black excellence. White merchants
were jealous of Celie's father's growing and successful business and complained that his "store
was taking all the black business away from them, and the man's blacksmith shop that he set up
behind the store, was taking some of the white" (p. 90). The business vendetta is explicitly racially
motivated. Their issue is not a geographical competition over customers but the assumption that
Celie's father was winning over Black and White buyers, which is supposedly a cause for
retribution.
 And so, one night, the man's store was burned down, his smithy destroyed, and the man
and his two brothers dragged out of their homes in the middle of the night and hanged (p.
90).

Celie's father lived in a world where Black efforts to rise in employment were stamped in
the severest ways. It was unbearable for White supremacists to see Black excellence. Interracial
competition in America developed into racial lynching terrors in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Lynchings based on non-criminal violations of customs were a tool of racial control to enforce
social norms and racial hierarchy in the South. The expectation of a White supremacist world was
that Black people remain inferior in position. To transgress this rule posed a threat to White
existence. Reports documented that Mississippi, Georgia, and Louisiana had the highest number
of African-American lynching victims from 1877 to 1950 (Lynching in America, n.d.). Celie's
father's awful killing presents unfortunate repercussions that affect the lives and livelihood of her
family, poverty and domestic unrest, which weaves the tale of generations of oppression.

Another striking example of racial employment discrimination is when the white mayor
and his white wife pass by Sofia, the prizefighter, and her children by chance in town and inspect
their physical form. The wife makes an unwarranted examination of one of the children, "Say, and
such strong white teef" (p. 53), like a factory assembly inspection. The impersonal behavior of the
wife hearkens back to the racist treatment of White supremacists over Black people, as she
addresses them like subhuman merchandise in the street ready for service. The apprehension and
discomfort are palpable in the response of Sofia and her prizefighter companion, who can not seem
to defend her and "don't say nothing" (p. 53). The political authority of the mayor aside, the racial
power dynamics during the setting in rural Georgia in the early 1900s explain the sense of
helplessness of Sofia and her company to speak up immediately against the wife. The Whites
dominated; the Blacks subordinated. Sofia is a part of a racial minority that is the brunt of skin
prejudice ingrained in the history of American slavery. The mayor's grimace or "little smile" (p.
53) shows his amusement at the racist caprice of his wife. There is an unspoken understanding of
the social dynamic; it is the norm. The mayor knows what is happening: "Now Millie, he say.
Always going on over colored" (p. 53). The bullying and superiority complex are his wife's stock
manners over non-white individuals, Black to be precise.

Without hesitation, the wife openly categorizes and demeans Sofia, despite her respectable
if not prosperous means, with her "car" and "wristwatch": "would you like to work for me, be my
maid?" (p. 53). It is a subtle but spiteful attack of the wife in an attempt to put the strong-minded
Sofia under her. Stereotyping Sofia by race with a low-status work position reveals the racial
climate at that time. Black people, if not discriminated against, were segregated into menial jobs.
Economics professor, Donald Dewey, explained employment segregation (Margo, 1990):
 In the fifty years before World War II the relative position of Negro workers in Southern
industry actually deteriorated; they did not share proportionately the expansion of urban
employment and they were not upgraded as individuals into jobs previously held by whites.

Sofia's enraged and justifiable refusal, "Hell no" (p. 53), is unjustly punished by racial
violence. The mayor slaps and humiliates Sofia in public, a physical assault by all means. Even
worse, "the polices come, start slinging the children off the mayor, bang they heads together. Sofia
really start to fight. They drag her to the ground" (p. 53). The hateful and unjust retribution of the
white-dominated neighborhood sheds its ugly colors just because a Black individual refused to be
the white mayor's wife's maid.

AS A WOMAN

Mr. _____?

The Black Feminist approach argues that there is a system of hierarchy that integrates race,
class, and gender discrimination, termed by bell hooks as "imperialist white supremacist, capitalist
patriarchy" (Fitts, 2011). Alice Walker coined her branch of feminism as 'womanism,' which is a
feminism of color that advocates against both sexism and racism (Wahlström, 2021). It critiques
oppressive males in power or abusive patriarchs in feminist terms. A Black Feminist analysis of
The Color Purple delineates a general social structure in which men hold power over women.

Alice portrays male characters who ascribe to a twisted form of patriarchy as they justify
their dehumanizing and abusive treatment of women. Celie's horrible ordeal under the roof of her
stepfather is an extreme example. The first raw letter reveals that Celie's stepfather, Alphonso,
raped and abused her when she was young while vilely telling her: "You better shut up and git
used to it" (p. 8). Celie's trauma with the first dominating male figure in her life affects her
perception of male figures in later parts of the novel. The recurring sentiment is fear. Celie writes,
"I don't even look at mens. That's the truth. I look at women, tho, cause I'm not scared of them" (p.
12). The long-term effects of Celie's sexual and physical abuses manifest in her withdrawn
behavior and damaged perception of a healthy relationship with men, as seen in her marriage and
family life with Mr. ______, who is also a physical abuser.

When Harpo asks Albert or Mr. ______ "why he beat" (p. 22) Celie, Mr. ______ replies:
"Cause she my wife." This exchange is a stark reflection of Mr. ______'s rotten upbringing. In
such societies where men assault their spouses, violent behavior is conventional practice and an
intrinsic part of their way of life. The distorted concept of patriarchy potentially theorizes violence
against women as a mainstay of dominance, gender, and power (Tonsing & Tonsing, 2017). It
seems that there is no forgivable room for even a margin of error for women. The disloyalty of a
woman in a relationship ultimately warrants a violent form of punishment as the man's right is
deemed to be dominant and sacrosanct within a family (Dobash & Dobash, 1979). Another
manifestation of this contorted belief is Harpo's self-perception based on Mr. ______ 's assertion
that it is his mother's murder to be blamed for his feeling of inadequateness.

Why I’m not good enough? Harpo ast Mr. ____.

Mr. _____ say, Your mammy.
Harpo say, What wrong with my mammy?
Mr. _____ say, Somebody kill her (p. 26).

Instead of a sympathetic defense for Harpo's mother, who was shot in the "stomach" (p.
26) while Harpo was a little child calling for "Mama, Mama," Mr. ______ reinforces a sense that
his mother's failure in their relationship deserved a brutal death. The same sexist superior complex
comes across as Harpo introduces Sofia to Mr. ______ whose cold response indicates harsh
condescension: "He just look her up and down" (p. 26). Just as Mr. ______ violently mistreats
Celie and his family, his father treated him the same way. In such a distorted perspective of male
and female interaction in her society, Celie finds herself stuck in the perpetual cycle of abuse from
her father, husband, and stepson. She advises Harpo to beat Sofia because of her jealousy of the
latter’s strong and assertive character. In such families, behaviors become conventions and beliefs
which perpetuate the power imbalance in the relationship between males and females. Celie herself
reveals the culture of violence from male figures in Harpo's family when his twelve-year-old boy
reacts to her arrival: "He pick up a rock and laid my head open" (p. 16). According to the Health
Education & Behavior (1999), the foremost role models and greatest determinant of aggressive
behavior among young children are their parents.

The evident miseducation of masculine behavior towards women is shown in the father-
son conversation between Mr. _______ and Harpo, which explain the cyclical nature of patriarchal
abuse.

You ever hit her? Mr. _____ ast.

Harpo look down at his hands. Naw suh, he say low, embarrass.
Well how you spect to make her mind? Wives is like children. You have to let ’em know
who got the upper hand. Nothing can do that better than a good sound beating (p. 29).

According to Gelles (1997), violence can be a means of patriarchal control over women
that are often subtle or deeply entrenched among families lest they attempt to break free from the
male figure’s dominance and assert their rights. Alice portrays this struggle by crafting Celie’s
language of experience in a raw and honest manner in her confession-like letters.
 See Daddy: Toxic Masculinity

The perpetuation of toxic masculinity in the book was evidently shown when Harpo was
told by her step mother Celie to beat his wife, Sofia so that she will be subservient. According to
Wahlström (2021) we can look at this through the lens of psycho analysis of Jacques Lacan.
According to him, Celie perpetuates toxic masculinity because of the concept of women wanting
to have a phallus. This theory of phallus in psycho analysis, argues that being born male gives
privileges which are lacking to women. One of the prevailing ideas of men holding power in
society is their sexual organ or the phallus. Based on this, Celie did such a thing because of her
lacking power or lack of having the metaphorical phallus. Celie, having experienced abuse from
the men around her (like her step father and husband), has fully acknowledged the legitimacy of
patriarchy. Hence, in one of her weakest moments in the novel, she recommends to Harpo to do
the same thing Mr.____ has done, which was to beat Sofia so that she will be his subordinate. This
conflict was able to be resolved when Sofia found out that Celie was the one who told Harpo to
beat her. Celie feels sorry and explains that this is because of her deep insecurity of being in control
like her. In the end they made up and told Harpo that their love for each other is genuine and that
he should no longer beat his wife to make him subordinate.

Another scene which shows the idea of how toxic masculinity was perpetuated was when
Harpo got constantly beaten by Mr.______ when he does housework which he actually has a liking
for. Looking at the psychoanalysis idea of the phallus, Mr.______ perpetuates this idea of toxic
masculinity by holding the ingrained ideas of rigid roles that men have in his time. It can be
observed in the part where Harpo asked Mr.___ why he beats Celie.

Harpo ast his daddy why he beat me. Mr. _____ say,
Because she is my wife. Plus, she is stubborn.
All women are good for—he doesn't finish. He just tucked his chin over the paper like hedo.
Remind me of Pa (p. 22).

Based on this, since Mr.______ benefits from the overarching patriarchal structure of
society, he also enforces such rigid roles onto his son as well (despite Harpo wanting to break from
these strict roles that the society has assigned to men). Thus, it can be noted that the perpetuation
of toxic masculinity does not only harm women in the process but men as well who are perceived
to be benefiting mostly because of the metaphorical phallus(power in society) that they have.

I Am Something

The Color Purple pins down black women’s "dialectical images". The idea of femininity
as delicate, maternal, and docile has been used to justify violence and prejudice. African
Americans have long been stereotyped as strong individuals who are unafraid of violence, asexuals
incapable of natural relationships, hypersexuals unfit for parenthood, and criminals unworthy of
protection (Richie, 2012, as cited in Crosby, 2018). With these representations injected to the
Black community alone, as well as the way women are required to bow to dominating forces such
as males in society, Black women are placed in a dismal scenario that undermines their ability to
advance in their careers.

Since the onset of slavery, black women were viewed as laborers in nature even though
they have personal responsibilities as mothers at home. This is due to government laws and
practices that favor white men and women over black women. Historically, black women's major
occupations were underpaid farming and household work. Although white people have dismissed
black women's motherly abilities, they have been recruited for jobs that require household tasks
(Banks, 2019). Black women's stigmatized employment was essential to American capitalism.
According to Lopez (2018), due to economic exploitation, the majority of black women were
unable to participate in intellectual work. They have no alternative but to suffer these tedious
"African American woman jobs" in order to survive extreme poverty.

This reality is reflected in the novel's portrayal of black female characters as having limited
career options. This was heavily emphasized in the story, placing them in a box and threatening
them with losing their already "comfortable" life as housewives, as the black male characters
would make it appear, and that all they have to do is be thankful.

You ugly. You skinny. You shape funny. You too scared to open your mouth to people. All
you fit to do in Memphis is be Shug’s maid. Take out her slop-jar and maybe cook her food.
You not that good a cook either. And this house ain’t been clean good since my first wife
died. And nobody crazy or backward enough to want to marry you, neither. What you gon
do? Hire yourself out to farm? Maybe somebody let you work on they railroad (p. 178).

Celie, having been denied an education, has only learned how to work around the house
and on the farm. Her stepfather would even pass her over to Mr. _____, arguing that she wasn't
attractive but at least she could help keep his house in order. In the novel, black women would act
as a helping hand to their husband's source of income. Sofia, for instance, married Harpo and
divided their work between their home and farm. Harpo's mistress, Squeak, would later assist him
at the juke joint he built.

Sofia is an example of a "mammy," a derogatory term for black women who care for white
families, as well as a "black matriarch," someone perceived as unfeminine and aggressive who
refuses to be a subservient servant (Collins, 2000). This demonstrates the injustice of "white
power" regarding black women as incompetent moms, but when they see one who can truly care
for their own children, they recruit her as housemaid. Instead of black women being good mothers
to their own children, they spend their lives away from them, working as caretakers for white
people's households. Sofia having a bold spirit throughout the novel paid the price in the face of
racism. She ended up being imprisoned for a long time, beaten to death, and with little possibility
of ever being released. Even after she was freed from jail, she still had to spend her years of slavery
with the mayor's family for so long that most of her children no longer remember her.

Shug Avery, on the other hand, is another powerful female character in the story who has
a tremendous passion for singing and performing. She is described as having worldly ambitions
and an immoral manner of life. All because she chose a route that opposed what others expected
of her, especially of her religious family. Her beauty and talent helped her make it far in her career,
but it was never an escape from sexism. Shug was accused of having several relationships, sexually
transmitted illnesses, and being a terrible mother to her children. Squeak's declaration that she
wants to be a performer like Shug made Harpo hesitant because she has their children to attend to.
“You ain’t had to sing in public since Jolentha was born. Everything you need I done provided
for” (p. 175). Essentially, a black woman seeking to make her own name and profession would be
considered delirious since it was not mainstream or a comfortable matter to discuss.

Walker's positioning of the female characters and their respective occupations has made it
apparent that women would be mocked by both black and white people because of their race,
gender, or both. It appears that black women can only work under the shadow of their husbands
without offending the males in the family, or if it continues to define them according to the societal
construct of a black person. If black men are marginalized by white supremacy, black women are
found in the "margins of the margins" between black men and the white world which makes black
women "white and black men’s slaves" (Sedehi et al., 2014, p. 1328).

Characters like Shug have been subjected to hypocritical adulation, which invalidates being
a performer as "real work" and reduces her role as a sex symbol. The same applies for Sofia, whose
first impression to Mr. _____ was that she had affairs with other men and held Harpo, his son,
accountable for her pregnancy. "Young womens no good these days, he say. Got they legs open to
every Tom, Dick and Harry" (p. 34). It is difficult for these black women to be viewed with respect
without having their worth reduced to men's pleasure. Some black women see their lives as nothing
more than housekeeping and childrearing as a result of society's toxic brainwashing. The fact is
that a woman must also go out into the world to contribute. Reducing black women to merely their
biological duties is referred to as "legalized prostitution," and it is a very hazardous lifestyle (Beal,
1969, para. 5). According to (Beal, 1969), itt is wrong to believe that in order to empower a black
man, a black woman must be stripped of all power.

The transition of black female employees from the kitchen to the corporate world was
difficult. Racial prejudice, in all of its forms, stood in their path. It was noted that one of the
primary barriers black women suffered was a lack of education, but even when they began to
achieve a sufficient educational foundation, society still favored white women over them. In jobs
that include being displayed in public, they were automatically off the table because their beauty
wasn't ideal (Bremmer, 1992).
 In the end, Celie ultimately achieved economic independence by starting her own sewing
business; Shug retired from performing; Mary Agnes became a performer through Shug's
guidance; and Sofia reconciled with Harpo and gladly worked alongside her husband in running
the juke joint. Sure, Walker found a way to provide these female characters with a positive ending,
inspiring them to pursue and achieve their dreams hand in hand, but it only proves that for black
women to acquire pleasure and success, they must revolt because the society didn't allot a space
for them to cultivate. They must take risks, overcome circumstances, and confront laws that
prevent them from viewing themselves as independent and free women (Kristeva, 2000, as cited
in Sedehi et al., 2014).

If Not Us, Who Will?

The Color Purple, as a liberated literary text, has featured sensitive issues of racial and
sexual discrimination and mistreatment that African-American people have suffered through its
characters, more specifically women since it has been noted that in addition to white people, they
were also victims of black men’s abuse. Under this system, they are controlled and silenced in
many ways giving us the sense that men in society back then were always expected and given the
upper hand. A sad reality wherein to enforce such power and recognition, men are allowed to abuse
and violate people, specifically women who from their birth are already objectified and given the
responsibilities to serve, obey, and fear men in American society. In relation to racial
discrimination and slavery, Anna Julia Cooper in 1886 mentioned in her speech titled, Womanhood
A Vital Element in the Regeneration and Progress of a Race that with all the abuse, weakness,
defilement, and moral thralldom of a black woman, she stands mute; however, the cycles wait for
her to be released and set to work, and only she can do it (Logan, 1999, p. 15). Much of this thought
has led us to see the other side of women being able to stand on themselves and freely do what
they want to do. Furthermore, according to Hine (1994, p.5), through the creation of female slave
networks, black women developed a shared understanding of gender-based oppression and
survival tactics, strengthening their dependence on one another, even creating planned activities
like weaving, quilting, spinning, caring for them during childbirth or with their children and others.
She added that it contradicted how the said society defined them as they were able to express their
emotions, share experiences, and world views as well as help one another grow in developing their
good self-image and self-esteem.

Alice Walker’s aim to explore black women’s history living in the South along with black
feminist discourse also presents the concept of womanhood. In the book, she presented different
viewpoints and experiences of black women who had been overlooked, misrepresented, and
abused and how they eventually came to be by proving their capabilities and with the help of one
another through a historical and literary manner (Sedehi, et. al, 2014, p.1330). Beginning with
Celie the protagonist of the novel, who ever since was silenced and has only been able to express
herself through the letters she made to God and Nettie. These letters served as a tool to introduce
us to Nettie and how sisterhood started with their close-knit bond and with her helping ad advising
Celie after observing her passive behavior, "Don’t let them run over you, Nettie say. You got to
let them know who got the upper hand. They got it, I say. But she keep on, You got to fight. You
got to fight. But I don’t know how to fight. All I know how to do is stay alive," (p. 19).
As the story goes on, Shug Avery comes into play as Celie’s support system, making her
more vulnerable when it comes to herself, "My life stop when I left home, I think. But then I think
again. It stop with Mr. _____ maybe, but start up again with Shug," (p. 51) after years of suffering,
finally, someone has come to her rescue. Shug realizes Celie’s lack of self-awareness and how she
lives under Mr.____’s and the other men’s abuse in her life, "I won’t leave, she say, until I know
Albert won’t even think about beating you," (p. 48). She made her aware of her sexuality and
realize how beautiful she was as a person, “Miss Celie, she say. You is a wonder to behold,” (p.
104) and as this went on, Celie soon realizes who she is, making her braver to speak up against
Mr. ____ and the others, "It’s time to leave you and enter into the Creation. And your dead body
just the welcome mat I need… You took my sister Nettie away from me, I say. And she was the
only person love me in the world… Everybody look at her like they surprise she there. It like a
voice speaking from the grave," (p. 99) and what she could do with her life, being independent of
Mr. ____, “Celie is coming to Memphis with me,” (p. 99) with the consistent support of Shug
throughout her journey, “You making your living, Celie, she say. Girl, you on your way,” (p. 104).

Another character that was seen to have bonded with them was Sofia, Harpo’s wife, who
was known to be distinct from the normative perspective about black women. She was independent
and strong, and she was not afraid of the people around her. But such qualities in an oppressive
patriarchal system were tested firstly with her relationship with Harpo which caused them to have
a conflicted relationship that eventually led to physical altercations and abuse, she couldn’t stand
no more so she decided to end it, take their children, and go back to her family’s home with Sofia’s
sisters having her back when she needed help as she parted ways with him, “Sofia right about her
sisters. They all big strong healthy girls, look like amazons. They come early one morning in two
wagons to pick Sofia up,” (p. 45). Moreover, we could see this form of supportive connection
especially when Sofia was imprisoned and enslaved when she had an altercation with the mayor
and his wife. Knowing her condition, Celie and Shug made sure to visit her, “Us see her twice a
month for half a hour…Miss Shug cuss. She come from Memphis special to see Sofia…How the
children? she ast. They all fine, say Harpo. Tween Odessa and Squeak, they git by. Say thank you
to Squeak, she say. Tell Odessa I think about her,” (p. 55). This bond continued even after Sofia
became free with Odessa her sister, helping to take care of her children while she struggled to get
her life back, "Yesterday us all had dinner at Odessa’s house. Odessa Sofia’s sister. She raise the
kids. Her and her husband Jack" (p. 99).

Despite facing sexist, racist, and gender discrimination, the women in this novel still found
their way toward fulfilling what they desired in life. Sisterhood had given them opportunities to
identify, express, and pursue their potential, and to bravely follow their aspirations which were
encouraged because of each other’s emotional support (Sedehi, et. al., 2014). Like Celie, Squeak
also had a dream to sing, but this was hindered given that women in this period were belittled and
blocked to achieve their goals in life, "I want to sing, say Squeak…I need to sing, say Squeak…
When I was Mary Agnes I could sing in public," (p. 100). Shug realizes firsthand Squeak’s
potential and encourages her to showcase her talent, "Shug like Squeak too, try to help her sing.
They sit in Odessa’s front room with all the children crowded round them singing and
singing…Shug say to Squeak, I mean, Mary Agnes, You ought to sing in public…" (p. 66). Soon
after, she transforms into her true self as Mary Agnes with the other characters’ support which
greatly helped in her aim to become a singer, “I don’t reckon Mary Agnes could come back this
time, say Sofia… She finally working steady, singing at two or three clubs round town. Folks love
her a lot. Suzie Q so proud of her, she say. Love her singing. Love her perfume. Love her dresses.
Love to wear her hats and shoes,” (p. 106).

Besides the characters introduced in Celie’s life, Nettie on the other hand, also had a
motherly supportive love particularly with Olivia and Tashi as they lived through their journey
from Africa to America. Here we witness more of Nettie’s mindset towards women empowerment,
encouraging Olivia and Tashi to live the best out of what they were conformed to do and provide
insightful pieces of advice regarding the problems they encountered throughout the story, “You
will grow up to be a strong Christian woman, I tell her. Someone who helps her people to advance.
You will be a teacher or a nurse. You will travel. You will know many people greater than the
chief,” (p. 83). She comforts and motivates Olivia on what she will be in life amidst her worries
about becoming the chief’s wife and judgment of the village to her. “Tashi is very intelligent, I
said. She could be a teacher. A nurse. She could help the people in the village,” (p. 85).
Consequently, Nettie’s support made both Olivia and Tashi expand their minds toward women’s
role in society and their capabilities.
I thought: Aha. Tashi knows she is learning a way of life she will never live. But I did not
say this. The world is changing, I said. It is no longer a world just for boys and men…Nettie
notices changes in Tashi as she learns many things with Olivia. This concerns the parents
of Tashi since they are used to conformity with regards to their women in their village but
to Nettie’s likeness, she proceeds to gain knowledge, becoming intelligent, seeing greatness
in her future (p. 85).

The novel also represented the black women community in Africa towards how they relate
to each other which was influenced by their culture with Nettie’s viewpoint especially when
Tashi’s father died, “It is in work that the women get to know and care about each other,” (p. 86)
along with Samuel describing them, “This friendship among women is something Samuel often
talks about. Samuel is confused because to him since the women are friends and will do anything
for one another—not always, but more often than anyone from America would expect—and since
they giggle and gossip and nurse each other’s children, then they must be happy with things as
they are,” (p. 86). Their traditions as rich and diverse as they may seem, also pose a threat to
women, specifically with their rite of female initiation where they are required to participate in
physically changing their body to fit in as witnessed in Tashi’s experience although she eventually
got through it with the help of Olivia, “After two days it became clear that Tashi was deliberately
hiding. Her friends said while we were away she’d undergone both the facial scarification
ceremony and the rite of female initiation. Adam went quite gray at this news. Olivia merely
stricken and more concerned than ever to find her… She and Olivia hugged. But it was a quiet,
heavy embrace” (p. 115).

As we read through the lives of the characters, we see their different perspectives and how
these affect their lives in a white supremacist and sexist society. In relation to that, Alice Walker’s
“In Search of Our Mother’s Gardens'' stated that there are three types of black women, as stated
by Dawson in 1987, including those who have been abused, divided between opposing instincts,
lastly, the emerging black woman who reinvents herself using the legacy of her maternal ancestors
(Sedehi, et. al., p. 1331) and with the concept of sisterhood, characters like Celie, Nettie, Shug,
and others, overcame the double mistreatment of them as both being black and a woman in society
in the South. As explained by Mary Helen Washington in her research about the literary heritage
of black women in 1987, women bond with other women and their relationship with each other as
mothers, daughters, grandmothers, sisters, even as lovers, are all fundamental when it comes to
their development and well-being (Weisser and Fleischner, 1994, p. 94). Seeing them transform
into their own person proves the unified power of black women in their community eliminating
the prejudice of both white people and black men that women aren’t able and weak to live for
themselves. The Color Purple, makes us realize Gloria Joseph’s notion that these interpersonal
problems, as seen from the characters and disputes from various factors in society as mentioned
earlier are transcended to accommodate the joint effort needed to overcome the common problems
they face as black women in today’s America, knowing how such a predicament is still relevant to
this generation for them (Weisser and Fleischner, 1994, p. 94).

ROOT CAUSES

The thorough analysis and external research about The Color Purple through the Black
Feminist lens raised in-depth questions regarding the root causes of double subjugation
experienced by the novel's Black female characters. Alice Walker's portrayal and stance warrant
an investigation into the issues of race, class, gender, and intersectionality found throughout the
novel analysis proffered by the Black Feminist theory in the United States.

Race

The constant settings of South Georgia and Mississippi in the novel are greatly influenced
by the struggles of Alice Walker amid racially motivated crimes as a black woman. She grew up
in Georgia and witnessed how unfair the system was to her parents, who were both colored
sharecroppers. In a Foreign Policy interview (Zeliger, 2011, para. 25), Walker said:

I grew up in the South under segregation. So, I know what terrorism feels like — when your
father could be taken out in the middle of the night and lynched just because he didn’t look
like he was in an obeying frame of mind when a white person said something he must do.

In the 1960s, Walker later participated in the Civil Rights Movement in Mississippi, where
she shared the same fervor with people fighting for recognition as women and as equally
significant members of society and families. It now makes more sense, tracing the inspiration for
the novel to Alice Walker's experience with sisterhood and female empowerment.

Regarding the subject of race being one of the root causes of black women's double
oppression, King (1988) claimed that there are few resources on how society defines black women.
Black women's experiences are frequently assumed rather than described in detail. They are often
equated with black men or white women and are most of the time considered no different from
being black or a woman in general. According to Pierce (2011), racial supremacy gave rise to
branching discrimination drawn from racial status. Unsurprisingly, white males are placed above
white females, followed by black males and black females, who are usually classified together at
the lowest rank in the hierarchy.

There has long been inequity in America, which has led to women's oppression. Under the
pre-Civil War slave laws, American women in the nineteenth century were in many ways treated
like blacks. Slaves and women are both unable to ascend to positions of political influence or
establish themselves as members of the ruling class. While the two groups have some similar
experiences of prejudice, as Pierce (2011, p. 2) puts it, "they have not been considered social
equals." Black women's reputation and opportunities in the United States were determined by race.
"Since race serves as a significant filter of what blacks perceive and how blacks are perceived,
many black women have claimed that their racial identity is more salient than either their gender
or class identity" (King, 1988, p. 53).

Walker's placement of women of different races in the book demonstrates the emphasis on
racial interest. Miz Millie and her daughter, Eleanor Jane, are the quintessential examples of "white
privilege," while Squeak and Sofia represent racial disadvantage. Miz Millie was a woman of
extravagant requests, as evidenced by the brand-new car she demanded from her husband. One
time, while she was with Sofia, who was teaching her how to drive, Walker effectively illustrated
how race set them apart. “That’s the problem, she say. Have you ever seen a white person and a
colored sitting side by side in a car, when one of ’em wasn’t showing the other one how to drive
it or clean it” (p. 90). Her societal belief propagates the concept that people of color are subordinate
to white people and that they should never be seen as equal in public. One of the ways they achieve
dominance is through the ridiculous construct of "driving a car with colored."
 “I spent fifteen minutes with my children. And she been going on for months bout how
ungrateful I is. White folks is a miracle of affliction, say Sofia” (p. 92). Sofia was dismayed by
how entitled and pampered white people are, obtaining whatever they desire. For instance, Jack, a
black man, was refused by Miz Millie to drive her home. It's not simply a protest against being
seen with a black man; Sofia also invited Odessa to accompany Miz Millie, but she declined as
well because she didn't know them and they were black. Clearly, the prime reason for
discrimination against colored people is their race, and with that being said, even their kindness is
overlooked because of their color. Miz Millie sees them as people in whom she can't place her
trust. So, with a heavy heart, Sofia submits to her.

It raises the question of what transpires if the racial positions are reversed. When a white
woman makes a demand, it will be met, yet when a black woman makes a demand, it means
aggression. It became reality when Sofia suffered humiliation for defying Miz Millie, but unlike
Miz Millie, she cannot be believed if she says that she acted in self-defense. Even those in positions
of authority were never going to take her side for “sassing the mayor’s wife” (p. 77).

Despite being the only one in their white family who cared for Sofia, Eleanor Jane didn't
understand how to respect boundaries. She is accustomed to believing that because Sofia is their
family's mammy, she will be by her side through every stage of life.

You just don’t know, say Sofia, what that girl done put me through. You know how she use
to bother me all the time when she had problems at home? Well finally she start bothering
me when anything good happen. Soon as she snag that man she married she come running
to me (p. 227).

Eleanor Jane's incessant need for affirmation kept Sofia from being at peace. “Every time
Sofia turned round Miss Eleanor Jane was shoving Reynolds Stanley Earl in her face” (p. 229).
Sofia despises being trampled on by white people to death, but it's a "better" punishment than
spending all of eternity in jail. She sustained severe damage to her self-esteem as a black person,
to the point that she viewed herself as nothing more than a slave. “And you know how some
whitefolks is, won’t let well enough alone. If they want to bad enough, they gon harass a blessing
from you if it kill” (p. 299).

I love children, say Sofia. But all the colored women that say they love yours is lying. They
don’t love Reynolds Stanley any more than I do. But if you so badly raise as to ast ’em,
what you expect them to say? Some colored people so scared of whitefolks they claim to
love the cotton gin (p. 231).

The conversation between these two women encapsulated the racial aspect of black
people’s experience. They must surrender to white people in order to survive, no matter how harsh
that is. Eleanor Jane may have had the best of intentions when she said she wanted to raise her
child to be kind to people of color, but Sofia was aware that it would be challenging due to other
white influences and a rigid societal structure that must be dismantled, but at the risk of one's life.
No matter how Sofia feels about Eleanor Jane's child, it won't affect how he treats Sofia and her
people once he grows up and is exposed to white supremacy. Even if Eleanor Jane’s child ends up
being mean to colored people, it wouldn’t necessarily make her a terrible mother because she is
covered by her "white privileges," powerful white family ties, and the expectations of how things
should be between white and black people.

No, say Sofia. That’s not what I’m telling you. I’m telling you I won’t be able to love your
own son. You can love him just as much as you want to. But be ready to suffer the
consequences. That’s how the colored live (p. 231-232).

Squeak, on the other hand, is a minor but nonetheless noteworthy character in the novel
since she was the only black woman who openly acknowledged both her white and black ancestry.
Only her white connections didn’t work as well as Eleanor Jane's. When they discovered that
Squeak's uncle, Bubber Hodges, was the jail warden, they devised a scheme to have Squeak
persuade her uncle to free Sofia. They prepared and dressed Squeak up to "make him see the
Hodges" in her (p. 84). In order for the jail warden to believe Squeak, she must do this, which is
akin to drawing her "whiteness" off her. In other words, they held "white power" in such high
regard that they felt compelled to seek Sofia's release from prison by "white passing," knowing
that white people will only listen to their equals. When he recognized the Hodges in her, he
immediately denied being related to Squeak. Tragically, she suffered the consequences of that, as
her own uncle battered and violently raped her. “He say if he was my uncle he wouldn’t do it to
me. That be a sin. But this just little fornication. Everybody guilty of that” (p. 85). This gives us a
picture of mixed race people at that time. Although it has the benefit of being able to at least
interact with and solicit favors from white people, it is just not for Squeak, who has black roots
and is also a woman. The way Walker describes the contrasts between white women and black
women is true to what King (1988) said. Black women's fate has long been determined by their
irrevocable physical traits, and racism is one of the main factors contributing to their double
subjugation in society.

According to bell hooks (1981), black women’s identities have been conditioned to be
seemingly erased. They are rarely seen as a distinct group or an important portion of the vast group
of "women." For instance, when African American people are referenced, it is often directed at
black men, and "women" typically refers to white women (hooks, 1981, as cited in King 1998).
As challenging as it was, black women had to work their way out to love and embrace who they
really are, even though they were initially targeted for persecution due to their race. It's something
the popular definition of feminism overshadows. Feminism shouldn't just be for white affluent
women who don't feel the need to call out their racial and social privileges (hooks, 1984, as cited
in Biana, 2020).
 In this sense, Nettie represents a black woman's ultimate attainment of self-knowledge. She
is one of the fortunate black women who was able to flee and re-establish contact with her roots,
helping her to understand the strength that black culture actually possesses. Walker was able to
elaborate on the novel's perspective on the role that race contributes in the oppression of women
by using Nettie's letter. Nettie met Doris, a missionary who was adored by natives in Africa and
even spoke their language. “She says an African daisy and an English daisy are both flowers, but
totally different kinds” (p.115). This shows that although there is still room for white and black
family integration, racial disparities still remain. It’s also during her trip to Africa that Nettie
realized that “Africans are very much like white people back home, in that they think they are the
center of the universe and that everything that is done is done for them” (p.142). African tribes
that terrorized the plantations run by white men also existed. This further supports Pierce's (2011)
assertion that racial supremacy is what causes racial prejudice. Nettie claimed that Africans, like
white people who only listen to other white people, have a strong propensity to listen to those who
look like them, noting that this is to their advantage as missionaries, saying, "We are not white.
We are not Europeans. We are black like the Africans themselves. And that we and the Africans
will be working for a common goal: the uplift of black people everywhere" (p. 115).

The Color Purple was able to depict the differences between the worlds of white and black
people as well as the point at which they somehow meet through Walker’s fierce description of
how race provides advantages for white women and disadvantages for black women, resulting in
a clear division between the two groups of women. As such, race is one of the factors held by
privileged people to maintain inequality that benefits them but makes being a black woman much
harder than being a "woman" already is.

Class

One of the major reasons why domestic violence against women of color is seen in the
novel is because of the extreme levels of poverty in black communities, which can also be seen in
the story. According to Sokoloff (2004) because of racist policies such as Redlining, black families
tend to stay in extremely poverty stricken black neighborhoods instead of moving to a better one.
This is in contrast to poor white families which can often live near middle-class neighborhoods
allowing them to have the necessary resources to live a normal life.

Meanwhile, Spaights and Whitaker (1995) highlights that this stagnant lower class status
of women of color was tied to the multiple imposed roles of women of color in America. According
to their historical analysis of women of color participating in the workforce, it mostly centered on
imposed patriarchal notions of women and their racial stereotype of being a slave like their
opposite sex. Their study also points out that despite a high participation rate in the workforce
(even as far as the 1840's), they were still economically disadvantaged because they were racially
discriminated against. Causing lower pay even lower than their male counterparts.
 It was also pointed out in their study that because of imposed traditional roles of doing
agriculture work and enforced matriarchal structure of the black family has made women of color
to lack skills which they could use to have better jobs offering higher income. This can be seen in
the character of Celie where she was mentally abused by Mr.____ to relieve his anger whenever
he felt it. She was also the one who does almost all the household chores from cleaning the house
to chopping wood and plowing the fields. Because of these factors we can see that the generational
class disadvantage of women of color in America has caused them to be extremely vulnerable.
Which leads to them being more abused in contrast to their white female counterparts.

Gender

After the instability of the Great Depression and the Second World War, and the
reconstruction of the United States, the family remained the epicenter of American life but
experienced a changing socio-political landscape in terms of commerce and values. Postwar
gender role constructs stressed the importance of a one-income household. Husbands worked and
wives stayed home for the children (Postwar Gender Roles and Women in American Politics, n.d.).
Constructed expectations for what constituted a man and woman's role in the home created male-
dominant beliefs and behaviors.

Alice Walker's The Color Purple presents realistic yet subtle portrayals of these
constructed gender limitations. When Mr. _____’s sister Kate tells Harpo, "don't let Celie be the
one bring in all the water. You a big boy now" (p. 20). Harpo replies with conviction and an
emphatic rebuttal: "Women work. I'm a man" (p. 20). He believes that only women do the
housework and men do not. The division of household chores is not based on aptitude, time, and
ability but simply on gender. This gender prejudice at the time of the setting pervaded society's
perceptions of roles and domesticity in the United States.

The unsurprising response of an indignant Harpo is to "mutter somethin to Mr. _____" (p.
20), that is, to snitch on his aunt's scolding remark for him to help Celie around at home. The son's
behavior reflects a sinister view of the rights and parameters of patriarchal authority in their family.
Harpo knows that his father will sympathize with him and redress the women in the family because
the dispute is about a gender role conflict. The one in power in the family is Mr. _____ and a man
like Harpo. Everyone knows the male-dominant dynamic of power in the family because as soon
as Harpo goes to Mr. _____, Kate leaves in "tears" (p. 20). The fear and haste in her reaction
blatantly show the oppression of the women in Celie's family, that a boy's tattletale is enough to
frighten a naturally outspoken aunt.
 Celie's response to Kate's admonishment to "fight them," to fight the oppressive system of
the men in her family, is telling of the subjugation and helplessness that she undergoes: "What
good it do? I don't fight, I stay where I'm told. But I'm alive" (pp. 20-21). Celie's framing of reality
is one of survival, not growth. She does not have a voice in a misogynistic family. But women
speak for her, such as Shug, Nettie, and Kate, and it is this womanhood that Celie finds her
strength. The dynamic of female friendships is more emotional and fostered through intimacy and
communication (Bates-Duford, 2018). Alice Walker portrays this female empowerment in Celie's
realization towards the end of her letters when she finds the language of her tribe, "My girls" (p.
129).

Intersectionality

Along with the other root causes, the concept of "intersectionality" also played a huge role
in the novel. Once considered a feminist work, this illustrated how women are positioned as
women, whether they are black, working-class, lesbian, or colonial subjects (Phoenix and
Pattynama, 2006). As time passed, under the discussions of Critical Race Theory and Black
Feminism, Coaston in 2019 states that this notion has become an official term used in the paper in
1989 titled, “Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex: A Black Feminist Critique of
Antidiscrimination Doctrine, Feminist Theory, and Antiracist Politics” by Kimberle Crenshaw
which was published at the University of Chicago Legal Forum. Through this concept, she
explained how race, class, and gender intersect and overlap with each other. Likewise, a former
student of Crenshaw, Kevin Minofu pointed out that this was a lens to shed light on the processes
under the discrimination laws that courts hadn’t addressed enough also adding that
intersectionality do not have the goal to recreate such power and cultural structures; instead, it was
to be used in eliminating the existing power relations and changing the foundation of what has
been the cultural norm, politics, and legal system in the past along with Crenshaw’s statement
(Coaston, 2019):

In particular, courts seem to think that race discrimination was what happened to all black
people across gender and sex discrimination was what happened to all women, and if that
is your framework, of course, what happens to black women and other women of color is
going to be difficult to see (p.4).

Based on the events of the past involving women of color in connection with the events
highlighted in the novel, this gives us a clearer picture of how the concept came to be. According
to Crenshaw (1989), due to their intersectionality, black women were effectively isolated and left
to fend for themselves, even as a class of workers who were most prepared to resist various forms
of prejudice in society. Moreover, the Black community views these duties as either the black
woman's failure to uphold such conventions or as an indication of racism in the community, along
with the burden they placed on them to continually assume the roles that were not traditionally
regarded as feminine (Crenshaw, 1989, p. 156). Intersectionality can deeply be observed from how
the novel’s characters were perceived as black women in the South, considering their race, class,
and gender which greatly affected their lives and the roles they played in society. Celie, who from
childhood was abused, isolated from her sister, the world, and opportunities to grow as she was
confined only to obey orders from men, including her stepfather, Mr. ____, and others. Other
characters like Sofia also exhibited such conflict regarding intersectionality with how she was
sentenced to imprisonment and the level of punishment she had to take only because she tried to
defend herself and her kids from the mayor’s wife, which proved that there were consistent patterns
of judgment and mistreatment specified only for black women in the community under a
patriarchal and white supremacist system added by the negative connotation regarding
intersectionality of people during that time.

Knowing how the given context tackling both gender and racial discrimination among
black women aren’t highlighted and addressed enough in the past by the community and the court,
the concept of intersectionality helps prove one of the theories' core truths, that people have
different identities which have bearing on how they are perceived, comprehended, and handled in
society (Coaston, 2019) which were also emphasized by the novel basing from the characters’
lives, how they were conformed and seen through the eyes of people in the South. Moreover, she
explains how as both black and female, they experience kinds of prejudice that other people like
black men or white women may not. Thus, intersectionality has helped emphasize Alice Walker’s
aim to confront and eliminate the power relations and disparities of a cultural, legislative, and
political system that negatively affected black women’s lives in the novel and in society.

CONCLUSION

Alice Walker breathed life into a story and character that reflected the times of her
experiences as an African American in a society that segregated Black from White. The struggles
among The Color Purple's lead Black characters, Celie Harris, Nettie, Sofia, and even the
antagonists, Mr. ______ and Alphonso, reflect the domestic and community experiences of the
racial climate in the United States at that time. A system of racism and violence was rife in the
early 1900s in the South, especially rural Georgia, which is the novel's setting. The portrayal of
the White mayor's wife's bullying of Sofia recalls the dark history of slavery, which treated Black
people as less human.

Life as a black woman, as depicted in The Color Purple, is plagued by patriarchy, toxic
masculinity, and traditional detrimental beliefs that were constantly swept under the rug, resulting
in domestic violence and silencing black women with ambitions and potentials outside of the
domestic sphere. Despite being a part of the workforces that contributes significantly to the
American economy, black women's careers were routinely undervalued. Although black women
have made strides throughout time, the scar remains, and dialectical imagery is shoved into their
faces to remind them of their place.

On the other hand, sisterhood and female empowerment, elements beautifully captured by
the novel, was the glue that held black women together against abuse, living up to Alice Walker's
vision of womanism. In that sense, women of all colors should look after one another and celebrate
their femininity. This factor is also true in one of the tenets of Black Feminism, wherein the
standpoint of black women on their double subjugation is the most valid, as they are the ones who
experience it and thus be the ones who would understand each other the most.

The paper has managed to point out the root causes of issues faced by women of color in
the novel by citing different facts and theories to contextualize them. This observation was made
by looking into the Racial, Class, and Gender aspects found in The Color Purple. The racial aspect
of the novel's geographical setting is among the reasons for what happened to the father of Celie.
Looking at the Class status of women of color, it became clear that the portrayal of women of
color's class status in the novel was an element in their double subjugation. Particularly, their
gender affected heavy discrimination of payment as compared to their male counterparts, and race
dictated traditional labor such as agriculture jobs and domestic work, which prevented them from
having other jobs that could be profitable. Finally, the gender aspect of women of color was
highlighted as the root cause of abuse by pointing out the legislation that mandated only having a
one-income household. The structure of the black family, being patriarchal, has made the living
conditions of women of color to be poor.

Despite the distinctness within the aspects of race, class, and gender shown in the novel,
the paper also used the concept of intersectionality to emphasize how each overlap and how it
creates a perception of they identify and treat black women as women of color and as women
themselves living in a society under an oppressive white and patriarchal system. Overall, Alice
Walker's representation of the lives of the characters in The Color Purple made an impactful mark
on Black history and the Black Feminist movement, giving recognition to the experiences and the
external and internal factors tackled and providing the readers a thorough analysis how all of these
contributed in the double subjugation of women of color as observed on the novel, real-life events,
experiences, and the overall African-American community in the South during that time.

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