Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Contemporary Relevance by Sabeana Uthayakumaran

In the novel The Color Purple written by Alice Walker, the strength of relationships between females had made an astonishing difference in the protagonist’s life. The protagonist Celie has been going through a rough path all her life. She had no one to express how hurt she felt because of her fathers words, “better not never tell nobody but God.” As Celie continues to keep her thoughts hidden and concealed from others because she was taught that was wrong by several ignorant men in her life, she has grown to become weak. However, Celie then meets the beautiful Shug Avery, who had remarkably changed her life for the better. Shug Avery taught Celie to be strong, and fight to those who had hurt her all her life. Celie being the harmless person she is, had finally gained the power to fight for herself and actually be content. I believe that the relationship and bond between Celie and Shug Avery had given Celie fortitude. When females have a dominant relationship, nothing defeats them. They know that are undefeated, and when worst comes to worst, they have each other. This includes relationships can be because women are family, sexually intimate, mentor and pupil, or just best friends with each other. When Celie had become close with Shug she started to feel beautiful, as she was grown up being told the opposite. If a female is insecure about them and has a strong bond with another female, they learn that they don’t need anyone else because the other individual loves them no matter what flaw. This causes both females to feel that they can fight anyone who tries to bring them down, as long as they have each other. Mr.____ referred to Shug Avery’s father as a “whore” and the lead to Celie spitting in his drink as revenge. That demonstrated Celie being less fearful of the outcome Mr.____ would have done if he had found out, which she never done before. When females join forces, nothing can overcome them. Males should be aware.
Celie’s younger sister Nettie faces different obstacles while living in a new atmosphere, Africa. She is not physically with Celie, but because of their strong sibling relationship, she pushes through the challenges. She knows that whenever a tough situation comes across her, she can remember that her sister out there believes her and will be there no matter what. This connection between them both reflect on each others personality by making them stronger knowing that they have another person by them side. Nettie constantly advised Celie to fight back to their father who abused Celie drastically. She had shown Celie that she is actually cared about, and Nettie was the only reason why Celie never gave up on life. Sofia, a close friend of Celie’s, explains that she became a fighter because of the powerful relationship she had with her sisters. This displays how Alice Walker tried to portray the idea that female bonds can make you become a stronger and confident person. In the time period this book was taken place, females were used to being overpowered by males. Therefore, the connections Celie had with other females were important for Celie to help her overcome her tragic times.

Throughout this novel, Celie learnt to conquer her problems because of her strong relationships with her sister Nettie and partner Shug. Without these women in her life, the plot would have been significantly different. The bond between females is still something that continues to help gain strength for other females today. Women in our society gain confidence from each other and feel better and fight for themselves. The power of female relationships is unquestionable. 

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