Repression And Rebirth In Alice Walker's The Color Purple

Words: 757
Pages: 4

Every woman has an unusual strength to find harmony . Throughout The Color Purple, Alice Walker develops characters from suppression to rebirth. Characters such as Celie found a sense of power through a journey that consisted of self-discovery. Celie was made of rape and her kids were made of incest in the beginning stages of her life. Growing up in a poor uneducated community, causes suppression towards characters like Celie. As the story progressed, Celie began to unfold her true identity through writing to God and talking to Shug. Finding herself, she gains tremendous confidence to become mentally, physically, and psychologically stronger. She realizes that she does not need certain people in her life to have a sense of rebirth. With that, the theme and experiences of suppression and rebirth play a significant role in the development of characters in the novel.
Celie started her life being suppressed by cruel men that only satisfied themselves. As a result, she believed she was made or rape. Growing up, Celie’s father, Alphonso, raped and abused her mother, sister, and her because men during the time needed satisfaction. When her mother was ill, Celie was told by Alphonso, “you gonna
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Since the beginning of time, man and woman are supposed to love each other. That changes when Shug and Celie meet. Celie becomes attracted to Shug’s amazing body when they see each other unclothed. Shug also explains that “you still a virgin” (Walker, 49) if you have not experienced an orgasm. Even though Celie has slept with several men, she had not lost her virginity. However, when she feels affection when sleeping with Shug. So Celie decides that she does not need Albert and will not be submissive towards men anymore. Mentally, physically, and psychologically, she grows out needing to be with a man. These characters change a lot when they find themselves and does not follow societal