An Analysis of Round Character of Celie in Alice Walker’s The Color Purple.

AN AANALYSIS

F

UN

S OF ROU WALKER G RE ENGL FACULTY NIVERSIT UND CHAR R’S THE C

A THES

BY

GUSVIKA

EG. NO 07

LISH DEPA

OF CULT

TY OF SUM

MEDA 2011 RACTER O COLOR PUR SIS A SARI 70705035 ARTMENT TURAL ST MATERA U AN 1 OF CELIE RPLE T UDIES UTARA

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim

First of all I would like to thank and praise to the Almighty God, Allah SWT who has given me all of the blessing, talent and time, so that I can finish my thesis entitled “An Analysis of Round Character of Celie in Alice Walker’s The Color Purple”.

I would like to thank the Dean of Faculty of Cultural Study of University of Sumatra Utara, Dr., Drs. Syahron Lubis, M.A for giving all the students facilities to support their study. The gratitude is also expressed to the Head of English Department Drs., H. Muhizar Muchtar, M.S and the secretary Dr., Dra. Nurlela, M.Hum for the facilities given to me and for all their attention in all acedemic affairs.

I would like to express my special thanks to my supervisor, Dra. Swesana Mardia Lubis, M.Hum and my Co- supervisor Drs. Siamir Marulafau, M.Hum for having shared their ideas, times, and patience.

My gratitude is also experresed to my Academic Advisor, Dra. Martha Pardede, M.Hum along with to all my lecturers in English Department who taught me much and and contributed the knowledge during the academic years.

My lovely thanks are due to my beloved parents, Sukidi and Sri Atun, who have been giving me very great advices, spirit, pray, and endless love. My special

Afrialdi Nova and Zulvian Bahri, and also my very beloved cousin, Sri Astuti for their prayers and their support.

Further, I would like to thanks for my lovely friends Ade Rahmadiana, Delifah Rita Indah, Hadi Irawan, Sri Agustina, and Try Reza Essra. Thank you for your great love, pray, spirit for me. I do love you all.

Last but not least, for all my friends in class of 2007 English Department, all those who have helped me whose names can not be mentioned, but I hope you know that you are always in my heart, and my beloved sister in SSC, Nelva Ibenk.

Medan, June 2011

The Writer,

GUSVIKA SARI

AUTHOR’S DECLARATION

I, GUSVIKA SARI, declare that I am the sole author of this thesis. Except where reference is made in the text of this thesis contains no material published elsewhere or extracted in whole or in part from this thesis by which I have qualified for or awarded another degree.

No other person’s work has been used without due acknowledgement in the main text of this thesis. This thesis has not been submitted for the award of another degree in any tertiary education.

Signed :

COPYRIGHT DECLARATION

Name : Gusvika Sari

Title of paper : An Analysis of Round Character of Celie in Alice Walker’s The Color Purple

Qualification : S1/Sarjana Humaniora

Study Program : English Department

I am willing that my thesis should be available for reproduction at discretion of the Librarian of S1 English Department Faculty of Cultural Study, University of Sumatra Utara on the understanding that users are made aware of their obligation under law of the Republic of Indonesia.

Signed :

ABSTRACT

Skripsi ini berjudul “An Analysis of Round Character of Celie in Alice Walker’s The Color Purple” membahas tentang perubahan karakter tokoh utama bernama Celie. Perubahan karakter dari tokoh dalam karya sastra dapat dianalisis melalui empat cara, yaitu, pernyataan dari narator tentang si tokoh, pernyataan dari tokoh itu sendiri, pernyataan dari tokoh-tokoh lain tentang keadaan si tokoh, dan apa yang dikerjakan oleh tokoh itu sendiri.Tokoh merupakan salah satu element prosa selain plot, setting, style, dan tema yang dianalisis dalam skripsi ini. karakter atau tokoh adalah sesuatu yang menjalankan cerita di dalam suatu karya sastra. Tokoh dalam suatu karya sastra dapat digambarkan datar atau statis, tokoh pendamping, dan juga tokoh yang karakter nya dinamis. Novel The Color Purple karya Alice Walker merupakan gambaran nyata kisah wanita kulit hitam yang tangguh yang dituliskan berbentuk kumpulan surat. Dalam hal ini Celie, sebagai tokoh utama mengalami perubahan karakter dalam novel. Pada awalnya Celie adalah wanita kulit hitam yang lemah, jelek, pendiam, dan tidak pernah melawan untuk memperjuangkan hak nya sendiri. Sampai pada suatu saat Celie bertemu dengan tokoh-tokoh lain yang memberinya semangat dan inspirasi yaitu Shug Avery, Sofia, Nettie dan Albert. Perubahan tokoh Celie dapat dilihat dari surat-surat Celie yang dialamtkan kepada Tuhan, dan Nettie. Tujuan penulisan novel ini adalah untuk memahami tokoh, terkhusus tokoh dinamis .

TABLE OF CONTENT

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS...ii

AUTHOR’S DECLARATION...iv

COPYRIGHT DECLARATION...v

ABSTRACT ...vi

TABLE OF CONTENTS...vii

CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION ...1

1.1 Background of Analysis ...1

1.2 Stement of problem ...5

1.3 Objective of Analysis ...6

1.4 Significance of Analysis ...6

1.5 Scope of Analysis ...6

1.6 Review of Related Literature ...7

CHAPTER II THEORITICAL FRAMEWORK ...8

2.1 A Brief View of Character ...8.

2.1.1 The Way Characters are portrayed ...9

2.1.2 Type of Character ...10.

2.1.3 The Way Characters are Revealed ...10

2.2 Character and Literature ...11

2.3 Character and Society ...15

CHAPTER III METHOD OF ANALYSIS ...20

3.1 Data Analyzing Procedure ...20

3.2 Data Selecting Procedure ...21

3.3 Data Analyzing Procedure ...21

CHAPTER IV THE ANALYSIS OF TRANSFORMATIONAL CHARACTER OF CELIE IN ALICE WALKER’S THE COLOR PURPLE...22

4.1 Celie ...22

4.2 Celie’s Changing Character ...25

4.3 Some Factors who change Celie ...27

4.2.1 Albert ...27

4.2.2 Shug Avery ...29

4.2.3 Nettie ...34

4.2.4 Sofia ...36

CHAPTER V CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION ...38

5.1 Conclusion ...38

5.2 Suggestion ...39

BIBLIOGRAPHY ...40 APPENDIX I THE BIOGRAPHY OF ALICE WALKER

APPENDIX II SUMMARY OFALICE WALKER’S THE COLOR PURPLE

ABSTRACT

Skripsi ini berjudul “An Analysis of Round Character of Celie in Alice Walker’s The Color Purple” membahas tentang perubahan karakter tokoh utama bernama Celie. Perubahan karakter dari tokoh dalam karya sastra dapat dianalisis melalui empat cara, yaitu, pernyataan dari narator tentang si tokoh, pernyataan dari tokoh itu sendiri, pernyataan dari tokoh-tokoh lain tentang keadaan si tokoh, dan apa yang dikerjakan oleh tokoh itu sendiri.Tokoh merupakan salah satu element prosa selain plot, setting, style, dan tema yang dianalisis dalam skripsi ini. karakter atau tokoh adalah sesuatu yang menjalankan cerita di dalam suatu karya sastra. Tokoh dalam suatu karya sastra dapat digambarkan datar atau statis, tokoh pendamping, dan juga tokoh yang karakter nya dinamis. Novel The Color Purple karya Alice Walker merupakan gambaran nyata kisah wanita kulit hitam yang tangguh yang dituliskan berbentuk kumpulan surat. Dalam hal ini Celie, sebagai tokoh utama mengalami perubahan karakter dalam novel. Pada awalnya Celie adalah wanita kulit hitam yang lemah, jelek, pendiam, dan tidak pernah melawan untuk memperjuangkan hak nya sendiri. Sampai pada suatu saat Celie bertemu dengan tokoh-tokoh lain yang memberinya semangat dan inspirasi yaitu Shug Avery, Sofia, Nettie dan Albert. Perubahan tokoh Celie dapat dilihat dari surat-surat Celie yang dialamtkan kepada Tuhan, dan Nettie. Tujuan penulisan novel ini adalah untuk memahami tokoh, terkhusus tokoh dinamis .

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION

1.1Background of Analysis

Literature is a term used to describe a spoken or written material. This term is used to describe anything from creative writing to more technical or scientific work. It includes work of poetry, drama, fiction, and non-fiction. Literature is also an expression of emotion, passion, feeling of the writer towards the life, society, experience, and politic. in this case literature represents a language, people, culture, tradition, and historical.

Most of people always ask why we have to read a literature. Then now we are going to see the advantage of reading literature. There are so many advantages we get by reading literature. The first is to appreciate the contributions literature has made to history, the second is to see the tragedy, then to explore other cultures and beliefs, to appreciate why individuals are the way they are, to help us see ourselves as others do, to learn better ways to behave, and the last is to further our mastery language.

Edgar V. Roberts in Literature: An Introduction to Reading or Writing. Fourth Edition (1995:1), “literature helps us grow, both personally and intellectually. It provides an objective base for knowledge and understanding. It links us with the broader cultural, philosophic, and religious world of which we are a part. It enables us to recognize human dreams and struggles in different

sensibility and compassion for the condition of all living things-human, animal, and vegetable. It gives us the knowledge and perception to appreciate the beuty of order and arrangement, just a well-structured song or a beutifully painted canvas can. It provides the comparative basis from which we can see worthiness in the aims of all people, and it therefore helps us see beuty in the world around us. It exercises our emotions through interest, concern, tension, excitement, hope, fear, regret, laughter, and sympathy. Through our cumulative experience in reading, literature shapes our goals and values by clarifying our own identities-both positively, through acceptance of the admirable in human beings, and negatively, through rejection of the sinister. It enables us to develop a perspective on events occuring locally and globally, and thereby it gives us understanding and control. It encourages us to assist creative, tallented people who need recogition and support. It is one of the shaping influences of life. Literature makes us human.”

Holman (1980 : 209) “ Genre: A term used in literary criticism to designate the distinct types or categories into which literary works are grouped according to form or technique or, sometimes, subject matter. The term comes from French, where it means "kind" or " type." In its customary application, it is used loosely, since the varieties of literary "kinds " and the principles on which they are made are numerous. The traditional genres include such "kinds" as tragedy, comedy, epic, lyric, pastoral. today a division of literature into genres would also include novel, short story, essay and perhaps television play and motion picture scenario.” Literature can be divided into three genres, they are prose, drama, and poetry. Prose derives from the latin word ‘prosa’, means ‘straightforward’. Prose includes novel, short stories, romances, essays, and so on.

Drama derives from the Greek word ‘dran’ which means ‘to do’ or ‘to act’. Drama is performed on a stage. Poetry derives etymologically from the Greek word ‘poiesis’ which means ‘a making, forming, creating (in words), or the art of poetry, or a poem’. As quoted from Lee A. Jacobus (1996 : 3) states that literature can be grouped into three genres, namely poetry, drama, and prose.

In this thesis, the writer uses novel entitled The Color Purple as a source data. The transformation of Celie’s character is going to be analyzed in the novel. Characterization in the novel can be divided into 2 type, they are round character and flat character. Round character is a character in a work of fiction who encounters conflict and is changed by it, while flat character is a character in a work of fiction who doesn’t undergo substantial change or growth in the course of a story. Thus, Celie’s character is kind of round character. The author changes Celie’s character influenced by other characters in her living.

The color purple is written by a Black American woman Alice Walker and published in 1983, but it is written in 1982. The novel focuses the female black life during 1930 in rural. The color purple tells story of Cellie, a black young woman who writes a letter to God in which she tells about her life- her roles as daughter, wife, sister, and also tells the story of her life ranging from the trauma of sexual abuse as a child to her true happiness and independence as an adult. Throughout the book, Celie undergoes an inner transformation from a submissive, abused wife to an unabashedly confident and independent black woman and businesswoman. The first chapter of The Color Purple introduces an uneducated, fourteen years old girl who is oppressed from freely expressing her thoughts. The

your mammy" (1). This threatening statement introduces a "long pain-stricken letters" addressed to God about the sexual abuses from her stepfather. Celie is afraid to tell anyone about her rape and is almost voiceless at this point of the novel. All of her sufferings make her to be silent, and invisible. Lack of self-confidence, ugly, and poor girl are also her character before meeting other characters inspiring her.

Another example we can see from the style of writing in the color purple that use a diary style of main character. The words and stucture of sentence built does not show an educated person. For example, Cellie writes in her diary, “I ast him to take me instead of Nettie while our new mammy sick. But he just ast me that I’m talking bout.” Then another example is, “I say marry him, Nettie, and try to have one good year out your life. After that, i know she be big.” Later, we can see the transformation of Celie, she writes better than before, We can see it from the letter she writes. “Mr. __ try to act like he don’t care I’m going. You’ll be back, he say. Nothing up for nobody like you. Shug got talent, he say. She can sing...”

Andrews, (2001:414) says “ in 1982, she stepped across the line of a highly forbidden taboo with her portrayal of *Cellie in the *Color Purple. This novel examines not only “black-on-black” ooppression but also incest, bisexual love, and lesbian love. Written in epistolary form, Walkers third novel exposses the internal turmoil parenting the spiritual decay of African American woman who, like the novel’s protagonist, silently endure abusive male-dominated relationships.” In this quotation Andrews shows Celie’s character in the first time, as a result from her suffering.

The Color Purple is going to be very interesting topic to be analyzed, especially about the main character, Celie. Celie gets spirit to wake up and realize herslef as a colorful, beautiful and proud human being. Seeing her transformation is a new spirit for other woman.

1.2Statement of Problem

There is a huge transition of many characters in the beginning to the end of the novel that can be tracked by Celie’s letter. The focus of this thesis is to analyze the round character of Celie in Alice Walker’s The Color Purple. Accordingly, the questions addressed in this thesis are:

1. How does Celie change?

2. What are the factors that make Celie changes?

1.3Objective of Analysis

Derived from the problems of the analysis above, the objectives of this thesis are to analyze and to prove the round character of Celie in Alice Walker’s The Color Purple, to describe the factors that make Celie change, and also how she changes.

1.4Significance of Analysis

The analysis of this thesis is expected to be able to give significance for the readers. It is expected that by reading and analyzing this thesis, we are going to get more information about the transformation of Celie as a round character in

the novel. This thesis is expected to enable the readers to understand about prose and it is hoped to be a reference for the readers to widen knowledge about intrinsic element in Prose, especially character.

1.5. Scope of Analysis

In doing an analysis, we need to limit the fields which are going to be analyzed. It is to make sure that the analysis is not out of context. In this thesis, I focus only the transformation of Celie in Alice Walker’s The Color, how she changes and what factors that make Celie changes.

1.6. Review to Related Literature

Doing this thesis, the writer consulted and used some books which are related to the topic of this thesis. They are:

 Edgar V. Robert and Hery E. Jacob, 1995:135.

This book provides about the literary theories that there are five ways to present the characters, they are from the actions; descriptions, both personal and environmental; dramatic statements and thoughts; statements by other characters; and statements by the author speaking as storyteller or observer. From the statements. It is easier to characterize the character in the novel and to find which the main characters of all is.

 Wellek, Rene. 1948. Theory of Literature. New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company Prentice hall, new Jersey.

This book provides the literary theories, and leads the writer to the extrinsic approach that studies about the psychology, socilogy, thought, and biography, and intrinsic approach that studies about character, plot, and setting.

 Sint Lourence Saragi in her thesis ana nalysis of the main characters in Flora Rheta Schreiber’s novel “Sybil”. This thesis help me to analyze character.

 Walker, Alice. 1982. The Color Purple. New York: Pocket Book. This is the novel that is going to be analyzed by the write.

CHAPTER II

THEORITICAL FRAMEWORK

2.1 A Brief View of Character

There are five elements of prose, they are character, plot, setting, theme, and writing style. Character is participant in the story. Plot is a series of interconnected events in which every occurence has a specific purpose, showing the relationships, and chronological structure. setting refers to the time, the geographical locations, and general environment.theme is the main idea of literature. writing style is the way of pronounciation of language in prose.

In this thesis, the writer focuses on the defenition of character, as quoted from Bonazza (1982 : 3) says, “character and characterization are closely related but essentially different concepts. Character refers to one of the persons in the story __ the end result of the author’s effort to create a fictrional personality. Characterization, on the other hand, refers to the means by which the writer creates the sum of traits, thoughts, and action which, taken together, constitute a character.” It can be concluded that character and characterization can’t be seperated, like Lee says in his book Teaching Literature: A Collection of Essays on Theory and Practice that character is a person presenteds in a dramatic narrative work, and characterization is the process by which a writer makes that character seem real to the reader. The process includes showing the character’s appearance, displaying the character’s action, revealing the character’s though, letting the character speak, and getting the reaction of others.

2.1.1 The Ways Characters Are Portrayed

Round character and flat character are the ways we know the portrayal characters in a novel. Bonazza (1982 : 4) says, “literary characters have also been described as being static or developing, depending upon whether they remain the same from the beginning to the end of the story or whether they undergo some significant, internal change in the course of event. The concept of developing suggests that the character achieves a different view of life as a result of some insight gained from conflict and is no longer quite the same person as before. The concepts of static suggests the opposite.”

Wellek (19 : 219) also states, “there are static characterizations and dynamic or developmental. ‘Flat’ characterization (which commonly overlaps ‘static’) presents a single trait, seen as a dominant or socially most obvious trait. It may be carricature or may be abstractive idealization. Classical drama (e.g. Racine) applies it to major characters. ‘Round’ characterization, like ‘dynamic’, requires space and emphasis; is obviously usable for characters focal for point of view or interest; hence is ordinaily combined with ‘flat’ treatment of background figures – the ‘chorus’.”

2.1.2. Type of Character

There are three type of character, they are protagonist, antagonist, and foil character. The first is that protagonist, the character who is central to the story, it can be a good guy or the bad guy, but the important is is that

the protagonist is someone whom the readers accept, sympathize, and identify. The second is that antagonist. Antagonist is the character who is often termed as the villain of the story. The antagonist may not only be a person, it could be a situation creating an obstacle in the path of the protagonist towards his or her final goal. The last is that foil character. The character who is used as contrasting character to enhance the personality of another character, it is the figure whose personality traits are the oppoosit of the main character’s. This is a support character and usually made to shine the protagonist.

2.1.3. The Ways Characters are Revealed

To know the revelation of characters in literary work or novel, we should understand and focus on the fourth statements bellow:

 What the narrator says about the characters, it is done to get more information about the analyzed character. By finding out the statement from narrator telling the character.

 What the other characters say about the character. To find another information,we should make a quotation about other characters’ statements about the analyzed character.

 What the character says about himself or herself. It helps us to reveal about the analyzed character

 What the character actually does. seeing his or her activities helps us to understand about him or her.

2.2 Character and Literature

Character and literature are two things that can’t be seperated. It is very impossible that a literature doesn’t have a characterization. Characterization is very important. It serves functions in a story. In a literature, characters guide readers through their stories, helping them to understand plots, and ponder themes.

Quoted from Peck (1988: 105) says, “character. The people in a novel are referred to as characters. We asses them on the basis of what the author tells us about them and on the basis of what they do and say. This is important: we must avoid loose conjecture about a character and establish everything from the evidence of the text. Another point to remember is that the characters are part of a broader pattern: they are members of society, and the author’s distinctive view of how people relate to society will be reflected in the presentation of every chapter. Details are not included just for their own sake but relate to the overall pattern of the novel.”

Rene Wellek and Austin Warren have two approaches of literature. They are intrinsic and extrinsic approach. Intrinsic approach analyzes a literary work by based on the text and structural points of literary work, such as: characters, plot, setting, style, point of view, theme., while extrinsic approach analyzes the relation between the story of the work itself with psychology, religion, history, biography, etc. Hence, a characterization always present in a literature. it is in the literature itself.

While M.H. Abrams in his book The Mirror and The Lamp divided the literary research in to four approach. They are expressive approach, objective

approach, mimetic approach, pragmatic approach. Expressive approach views a work as an expression of the individuality of the author. Objective approach focuses on the intrinsic qualities of literary work. Mimetic approach judges the literary work based in terms of the “truth” of its representation of the reality of the world and human life and a character. While pragmatic approach focuses on a literary work as something designed to produce emotional or moral responses in the reader, and on how those effects are produced. As quoted from

(http://www.beholdmyswarthyface.com/2008/05/notes.on-mh-abramss-essay-orientation.html) says that the first category of mimetic theories forms the oldest and is, according to Abrams, the “most primitive” of the four categories. According to this theory, the artist is an imitator of aspects of the observable universe. In The Republic, Plato divides his universe into three realms: the realm of ideas, the realm of particulars, and the realm of reflections of particulars (i.e., art and other "shadows"). The realm of reflections of particulars is the furthest removed from the realm of ideas (i.e., "ultimate truth"), and is therefore the lowest ranking of the three realms. Consequently, its practice, namely, mimetic art, is held in low regard.

The second type of theories are pragmatic theories, which are concerned with the relation between text and audience. According to Abrams, these theories have constituted the dominant mode of analysis from Horace to the early 19th century, and much of its terminology is borrowed from ancient rhetoric.

New “expressive view” of art, the primary duty of the artist was no longer to serve as a mirror reflecting outer things, but instead to externalize the internal, and make one's “inner life” the primary subject of art. The external world, when it

does happen to sneak into the work, is expressed only as heavily filtered noumena. It is around this time in the early 19th century that the “mirror,” which had hitherto been the conventional symbol for the artist, becomes the “lamp.”

Proponents of this theory trace its origins to the central section of Aristotle’s Poetics, where tragedy is regarded as an object in itself, and where the work's internal elements (plot, character, thought, diction, melody and spectacle, in order of importance) are described as working together in perfect unison to produce in the audience a “catharsis” of pity and fear. The important point, the objective theorists point out, is that these qualities are treated by Aristotle as inherent in the work itself, and that the work is praised to the extent that these internal elements work together cohesively. Still, some might counter that Aristotle’s Poetics, with its careful attention paid to the effect produced upon the audience, in fact more closely fits the criteria of the pragmatic theories than of the objective theories.

Analyzing this thesis, the writer uses objective approach. Objective approach focussing on the intrinsic qualities of literary work itself, it’s language, form, and devices will help the writer in analyzing the transformation of Celie’s character as one of the aspect in intrinsic theory.

Grebstein in his book perspectives in contemporary criticism tells that the idea in a literary work is as important as the form of the work itself and the writing technique, besides the form and the technique is defined by the idea itself. There is no great work created by the shallow idea. It means that the style of writing in the novel The Color Purple has the relationship with the purpose of the writer to show us about the character inside.

Grebstein theory helps the writer to understand the character described by the authour clearly by seeing how the style of writing of the author through his/her work. Andrews (2001 : 414) states, “Written in epistolary form, Walkers third novel exposses the internal turmoil parenting the spiritual decay of African American woman who, like the novel’s protagonist, silently endure abusive male-dominated relationships.” In the novel, Alice Walker as an author seems to convey something to the reader about the characters inside by her style of writing.

2.3 Character and Society

To make it easier in understanding the characters in a literary work, it is better to know the background of the character itself, because character in the literary work represents society. As quoted from (1988: 105) says, “character. The people in a novel are referred to as characters. We asses them on the basis of what the author tells us about them and on the basis of what they do and say. This is important: we must avoid loose conjecture about a character and establish everything from the evidence of the text. Another point to remember is that the characters are part of a broader pattern: they are members of society, and the author’s distinctive view of how people relate to society will be reflected in the presentation of every chapter. Details are not included just for their own sake but relate to the overall pattern of the novel.” It shows that the relationship between character and society.

As the novel is written by African-American woman, The color purple represents African-American society. The majority of African-Americans descend from slaves who were either sold as prisoners of war by African states or kidnapped directly by Europeans or Americans. The existing market for slaves in Africa was tapped into by European powers in need of labor for New World Plantation. Through this background, African-Americans face the racial discrimination, alienation, and marginality. it is meant that African-Americans were not welcome. Langley (1999 : 6) says, “perhaps the most significant recent violations of human right are in the area of discrimination based on race, sex, and religion, among other categories.”

Racial discrimination or racism denotes prejudice, appression, and atrocities. It has been one of the biggest evils daced by mankind. It is belief that inherent racial differences among people is the reason for superiority of a particular ethnic group or religion. Racism acts as a justification for non-equal treatment of members of that race.

In social sciences, alienation is the feeling of estranged or seperated from one’s milieu, work, or self. The idea of alienation remains an ambiguous concept. They are powerlessness and meaninglessness. Powerlessness, the feeling when one’s destiny is not under one’s own control, but it is determined by external agents, fate, and luck. While meaninglessness, referring to the lack of comprehensibility or consistent meaning in any domain of action or to a generalized of a purposelessness.

Marginality or marginalization is the social process of being made marginal. It results in an individuals exclusion from meaningful participants in

society. Marginalised people might be socially, economically, politically, and legally ignored, ecluded or neglected, and are therefore vulnerable to livelihood change.

Besides, African-American women has to face gender problem, they are suffering. They have to deal with discrimination in two levels: being black and female. African-American woman have numerous issues to deal with on a daily basis. Many of them are single parent that do not receive support from their child’s father. It makes them getting deppressed. They are the victims of the society and black men too. The problems of black men’s violence against black woman raises sensitive issues of gender and race

As a result of all African-Americans’ suffering, the literature produced tends to focuss and explain on the freedom, equality, democracy, racism, religion, gender, and culture.

2.4 Prose

Prose is one of the genre of literature, along with poetry, and drama. Prose is the ordinary form of spoken and written language whose unit is the sentence. The language in the prose doesn not have a regular rhythmic pattern that is almost found in traditional poetry. Novel, essay, romance, and short stories are example of prose.

Novel is kind of prose chosen by the writer to be analyzed. Peck (1988: 102) states, “although there are ealier novels, the history of the English novel really begins with the publication of Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe in 1719. The late arrival of the novel on the literary scene tells us something important

about the genre: it is, above all else, a form of literature which looks at people in society. Writers have, of course, always been intersted in the world around them, but the development of the novel reflects a move away from an essentially religious view of life towards a new interest in the complexities of everybody experiience. Most novels are concerned with ordinary people and their problems in the societies in which they find themselves.”

Element of prose is divided into five elements. They are, character, plot, setting, theme, and style of writing.

Character is any person, persona, identity, or entity whose existence originates from a fictional work or performance. Character is a participants in the story. There are several types of characters, they are: protagonist, the main character of a story. Antagonist, the character who stands in opposition to the protagonist. Foil character, a minor character who has traits in a version to the main character.

Plot is a series of events in a narrative that is carefully constructed by the author for artistic purpose, a series of related incidents that build upon one another as the story develops.

Setting is the local and time of a story. It is often a real place, but it may be a fictious city or country.

Theme is what author is trying to tell the readers. Theme is a controlling idea oof literary work that is a general truth or commentary about life, people, and the world that is brought in a story. When we are trying to deside on theme, we have to consider the title of the work itself, along with the general observations about life made by the characters throughout the story.

Style of writing helps us to indicate the tone. It is the manner in which the work is writen. It is about the selection of words (diction), sentence structure (syntax), and narrative modes, all work together to present certain style.

On the other hand, Wellek and Warren (1962 : 216) states, “analytical criticism of the novel has customarily distinguished three constituents, plot, characterization, and setting: the last, o readily symbolic, becomes, in some modern theories, ‘atmosphere’ or ‘tone’. It is needless to observe that each of these elements is determinant of the others.”

CHAPTER III METHOD OF STUDY

Doing this thesis, the writer uses the library reserach by collecting the data from some books and many other resources which can be related to the subject matter being analyzed. The writer uses The Color Purple as the main source that contents the important information for the subject matter which is being analyzed.

Nawawi, (1993:30) states that, “Penelitian kepustakaan dilakukan dengan cara menghimpun data dari berbagai literature baik di perpustakaan maupun tempat-tempat lain.”

(Library research is done by collecting the data from any kinds of source in the library or any other places).

3.1 Data collecting Procedure

The first step is to collect the important things from the novel that are related to the subject matter which is analyzed as the main source. Find the quotations and read them many times to understand what they are related to the factors that make Celie change are reflected inside them. Finding the other books, and exploring the internet are also done to find data that support the analysis. To make the process of doing this thesis easier and faster, the writer also reads some

books and explores from the internet to fing data about prose and the intrinsic elements to provide information about the elements itself.

3.2 Data Selecting Procedure

The second step is to select all the most related quotations and information which will support the analysis of the thesis, and only the very significant data are used in the process of doing this thesis. From all the quotations got, the writer should select them to find the the quotations which have relation with the subject matter.

3.3 Data Analyzing Procedure

The last step of doing this thesis is that all the selected data are being analyzed to achieve what has been planned in the objective of this thesis. Analyzing the data, the writer uses the descriptive analysis, as quoted from Ratna (2004:55), The descriptive analysis method is a method which describes facts which are followed by analysis. This method is not only to describe the facts, but also to give adequate understandings and explanations towards the facts. Thus, the last procedure is the process to describe the collected data, and analyzed them.

CHAPTER IV

THE ANALYSIS OF TRANSFORMATION OF CELIE’S CHARACTER IN ALICE WALKER’S THE COLOR PURPLE

4.1 Celie

Celie is a poor young black girl growing in Georgia. In a series of letters to God and her sister, Nettie. At first, Celie tells her story of life to God, as a child she was abused and had a low-esteem, especially by her stepfather and then by her husband, Albert. She hopes that God will give her the answers she desires to identify her life

Dear God,

I’m four teen years old. I have always been a good girl. May be

you can give me a sign letting me know what is happening to me.

Last spring after little Lucious come I heard them fussing. He was pulling on her arm. She say it too soon, Fonso, I ain’t well.

Finally he leave her alone. A week go by, he pulling on her arm again.

She say Naw, I ain’t gonna. Can’t you see I’m already half dead, an all

Of these children.

She went to visit her sister doctor over Macon. Left me to

see after the others. He never had a kine word to say to me. Just say

You gonna do what your mammy wouldn’t. firt he put his thing up

gainst my hip and sort of wiggle it around. Then he grab hold my

titties. Then he push his thing inside my pussy. When that hurt, I cry.

He start to choke me, saying You better shut up and used to it.

But I don’t never git used to it. And now I feels sick every time I be the one to cook. My mama she fuss at me an look at me. She happy,

cause she good to her now. But too sick to last long. (Walker, 1982: p. 1)

This first letter of the color purple introduces an uneducated 14 years old girl oppressed from freely expressing her thoughts. Thus, She decided to be silent and invisible, that’s why she tells her problem to God, not to others, even her mother.

When she marries Mr___, she is forced to look after the house hold while Mr... lounges about smoking his pipe. “why you don’t work no more? He ast his daddy. No reason for me to, his daddy say.” (Walker 1982 : 29), actually Mr___ doesn’t want to marry Celie, he wants to marry the girl whom he sees in the chruch, Nettie, but Pa doen’t let him to take Celie, “Mr__ finally come right out an ast for Nettie hand in marriage. But he won’t let her go. He say she too young, no experience. Say Mr___ got too many children already.” (Walker, 1982 : 7), hence, he lets Mr____ takes Celie who is not virgin by offering him some cows, besides he want to take Nettie. After three months, Mr___ comes and says, “Mr___ say, that cow still coming? He say, her cow.” (Walker, 1982 : 12). From this quotation, The writer assumes that Mr___ marries Celie is not because of her goodness, but he seems very interesting to get her cows, if he takes Celie.

Celie grew tired of being tied by man, she was not loved, but she was servitude. Celie can’t fight back against her stepfather and her husband. Her

ability to endure under the pressure is a key to survival. She manages to withstand the sexual abuse of Fonso, her step father, the loss of her babies, the cold cruelity of Albert, her husband, the loss of her sister, Nettie, besides living in poverty, struggles and prejudice. But she never gives up. She writes letter to God, trusting that he will eventually bless her life.

“but I don’t know how to fight. All I know how to do is stay alive” (Walker, 1982 : 26/18), “I don’t say anything, I stay where I’m told. But I’m alive” (Walker, 1982 : 29), it seems that she can bear all the sorrows happened to her. Before Nettie leaves Celie’s husband’d home, Celie talks with her, “ it worse than that, I think if I was buried, I wouldn’t have to work, but I just say, never mine, never mine, long as I can spell G-O-D, I got somebody along” (Walker, 1982 : 26) her action of addressing God suggests Celie’s alienation, loneliness, and marginality.

4.2 Celie’s Changing Character

Identity is the individual characteristics by which a thing or a person is recognized or known. In addition, a person’s identity is influenced by her/his society; where and with whom she/he associates her/his self with. As stated in (“Self Identity”, n.d.: par. 1), “People's identity is rooted in their identifications; in what they associated themselves with. What a person associates him or herself with is ultimately who that person is, for all identity is ultimately in relationship something else.”

In the beginning of the novel, the author shows the young black girl facing the sexual abuse from her step father. Untill she marries, she gets an abusive from

her husband, Albert. She writes all the events she faces addresed to God. It seems that the author wants to show how Celie feels the loneliness, alienation, and marginality.

On the other hand, the time goes by finally Celie’s individuality starts to take shape and her sense of self becomes stronger. Now Celie writes a letter is not addressed to God. She writes all her experiences to Nettie, in addition she consciously signs the letter, either as Celie, your sister Celie, or “amen”, while she never signs all her letters when she addresses them to God. It means that she Celie starts going to be a strong growth of herself respect and feels that her own experiences is something meaningful for others.

Celie’s changing character is influenced by the society in which she lives. Other characters who are inspired her. They are Shug Avery, Nettie, and Sofia. Sofia is a strong woman who does not depen on men. She influences Celie’s thought that woman mustn’t be obedient to what men said. Nettie is a very inspiring character for Celie. Celie learns much about religion and other relating Nettie’s stories. Sending letter is Nettie’s way to expand Celie’s view about the world. Nettie becomes primary source for Celie to see the world. The last character inspiring her changing much is Shug Avery. Shug takes a big part in reshaping Celie. She is an independent woman blues singer who teaches Celie how to be herself and self confident.

Celie can strongly fight back against her husband Mr. __ by giving remark of his speaking, “you black, you pore, you ugly, you a woman.” (Walker 1982 : 213), when she decides to go to Memphis, Celie starts growing, she remarks “I’m pore, I’m black, I may be ugly and can’t cook, a voice sayy to everything

listening. But I’m here.” (Walker 1982 : 214) Celie seems to be self-confident facing Albert’s statement.

At last, Celie becomes a powerful individual. She is not depend on men, brave, self confident, economically and socially empowered woman.

4.3 Some Factors That Change Celie 4.3.1 Albert

Mr___ or Albert is Celie’s husband. He is cruel, he treats and beat Celie like animal, shows no human connection, even during sex.

“he tell me, wash this. Iron that. Look for this. Look for that. Find this, find that. He groan over holes in his sock.

I move round darning and ironing, finding hanskers. Anything happening? I ast.

What you mean? He say, like he mad. Just trying to git some of the hick farmer off myself. Any other woman be glad.

I’m is glad, I say.

What you mean? He ast.

You looks nice, I say. Any woman be proud You think so? He say.

First time he ast me. I’m so surprise, by time I say yeah, he out on the porch, tring to shave where the light better.” (Walker 1982: 25)

By seeing these quotations, we can see how Albert, her husband treats her. He also hides Netti’e letter to Celie for years. this is the first factor that make Celie angry and finally fight her husband.

“Saturday morning Shug put Nettie letter in my lap. Little fat queen of England stamps on it. Plus stamps that got peanuts, coconuts, rubber trees and say Africa at either. So I still don’t know where Nettie at.

He been keeping you letters, say Shug.

Naw, I say. Mr.___ mean sometimes, but he not that mean. She say, humpf, he that mean.

But how come he do it?I ast. He know Nettie mean everything in the world to me.” (Walker 1982 : 124)

Mr.___ treatment of Celie spurs her development. finding Nettie’s letters hiden by Mr.___ begins her first experience with raw anger with Mr.___ in front of the others at dinner.

“ I watch him so close, I begin to feel a lightening in the head. Fore I know anything I’m standing hind his chair with his razor open.” (Walker 1982 : 125)

Celie seems to fight Albert, after knowing that Albert hides Nettie’s letters when they get dinner.

“any more letters come? I ast. He say, what?

If they did, he say, I wouldn’t give ‘em to you. You two of a kind, he say. A man try to be nice to you, you fly in his face.

I curse you, I say.

What that mean? He say.

I say, until you do right by me, I say, everything you even dream about will fail. I give it to him straight, just like it come to me. And it seem to come to me from the trees

Whoever heard of such a thing, say Mr.___. I probably didn’t whup your ass enough.

Every lick you hit me you will suffer twice, I say. Then I say, you better stop talking becausea all I’m telling you ain’t comeing just from me. Look like when I open my mouth the air rush in and shape words.

Shit, he say. I should have lock you up. Just let you out to work. The jail you plan for me is the one in which you will rot, I say.” (Walker 1982 : 213)

The character who leads Celie to act become independent, self confidence, economically and socially empowered woman is Shug Avery.

4.3.2 Shug Avery

Shug Avery is well-known Bessie Smith Jazz singer. The first impression of Shug is negative. Cellie immediately sees something more in Shug. Though Shug has sexy style, sharp tounge and many experiences in makin her jaded

Shug is actually warm and compassionate at heart. When Shug falls sick, Cellie not only appreciates, but also cares and gives her attention.

“Shug Avery sit up in bed a little today. I wash and comb out her hair. She got the nottiest, shortest, kinkiest hair I ever saw, and I loves every strand of it.” (Walker 1998 : 55)

Shug Avery is the key influencing most in the transformation of Celie’s character. She is hero in the story and best friend of Celie. Celie can show her anger to Mr.____, her husband in front of the others when they get dinner because she knows that Albert hides Netti’s letter. Conciously, Celie feels that Shug is the one who makes her stronger and gets a braveness to fight. “I’m pore, I’m black, I may ugly and can’t cook, a voice say to everything listening. But I’m here.” (Walker 1982 : 214) This statement seems that Celie feels so comfort by staying behind Shug.

Shug teaches Celie how to be her own person and step upon her feet. She teaches Celine how to speak for herself and to defend herself against Mr. __. Shug is the one who helps Celie escape by taking her on her tour where Celie learns how to expertly sew pants, finally Celie creates a successful business by making pants. She can be regarded as an independence woman who is inspired by Shug.

Celie’s leaving her husband is the major of her transformation, getting a braveness to leave him.

“as soon as dinner over, Shug push back her chair and light a cigarrete. Now is come the time to tell yall, she say.

Us leaving. She say.

Yeah? Say Harpo, looking around for the coffee, and then looking over at Grady.

Us leaving, Shug say again. Mr.___ look struck, like he always look when Shug say going anywhere. He reach down and rub his stomach, look off side her head like nothing been said.

Grady say, such good peoples, that’s the truth. The salt of the earth. But__time to move on.

Squeak not saying nothing either, I’m waiting for the feathers to fly. Celie is coming with us, say Shug.

Mr.___’s head swivel back straight. Say what? He ast.

Celie is coming to Memphis with me. Over my dead body, Mr.___ say. You satisfied that what you want, Shug say, cool as clabber. Mr.____ start up from his seat, look at Shug, plop back down again. He look over at me. I thought you was finally happy, he say. What wrong now? You a lowdown dog is what’s wrong, I say. It’s time to leave you and enter into the creation. And your dead body just the welcome mat I need.

Say what? He ast. Shock. All round the table folks mouths be dropping open.” (Walker 1982 : 206-207)

Celie starts fighting Mr. ___, by saying such kind of words above. She has changed, her loneliness, alienation, silence, marginality, and lack of confidence have disappeared by Shug’s helping.

Arriving in Memphis, Shug does many things for Celie which makes Celie becomes economically and socially empowered woman. It is the time Celie starts growing to be a powerful individu.

“besides, she say. 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 you feet.” (Walker 1982 : 218) seeing this quotation, Shug Avery helps Celie to be independent.

“dear Nettie,

I’m so happy, I got love, I got work, I got money, friends and time. And you alive and be home soon. With our children.” (Walker 1982 : 222)

Here Celie feels that Shug avery is the one who loves her, besides Nettie. She never feels so special like this feeling. Moreover when Celie gets a song dedicated for her by Shug Avery in Harpo’s cafe.

“my head droop so it near bout in my glass. Then I hear my name.

Shug saying Celie. Miss Celie. And I look up where she at.

She say my name again. She say this song I’m bout to sing is call Miss Celie’s song. Cause she scretched it out of my head when I was sick.

First she hum it a little, like she do at home. Then she sing to the words. It all about some no count man doing her wrong, again. But I don’t listen to that part. I look at her and I hum along a little with the tune.

First time somebody made something and name it after me.“ (Walker 1982 : 77)

In Memphis, Shug teaches Celie to do business, to make her powerful, Shug is also the one who develop her ability to appreciate herself.

“I sit in the dining room making pants after pants. I got pants now in every color and size under the sun.” (Walker 1982 : 218)

“one day when Shug home, I say, you know, I love doing this, but I got to git out and make a living pretty soon. Look like this just holding me back. She laugh. Let’s us put a few advertisements in the paper, she say. And let’s us raise your prices a hefty notch. And let’s us just go ahead

and give you this dining room for your factory and git you some more woman in here to cut and sew, while you sit back and design. You making your living, Celie, she say. Girl you on your way.” (Walker 1982 : 220 – 221)

4.3.3 Nettie

Netie is Celie’s younger sister. Nettie is the only character who loves Celie consistently and unconditionally through out the entire of novel. She loves Celie strongly. Unlike Celie, Nettie is an educated and independent person it is because of Celie’s sacrifices. Celie steers away their father fro Nettie so that Nettie can get the better life and continue her education. Celie also marries Mr. ___ instead of Netie, thus keeping Nettie from being a married woman, and tied down to her husband’s children.

Nettie is an eager learner and always interested in sharing her newfound knowledge with her sister. Nettie tries to teach Celie when their father takes her out of school.

“the way you know who discover America, Nettie say, is think bout cucumbers. That what Columbus sound like. I learned all about Columbus in first grade, but look like he the first thing I forgot. She say Columbus come here in boats call the Neater, the Peter, and the Santomareater. Indians so nice to him he force a bunch of ‘em back home with him to wait on the queen.” (Walker 1982 : 10)

When Nettie runs away from Celie’s husband home, she lives with a preacher family. She goes to Africa, and England with her new family, because they are an African Missionary Society. Nettie learns much here, she also teaches Celie about the life outside and by sending her letter.

“saying good-bye to our chruch group was hard. But happy,too. Every one has such high hopes for what can be done in Africa. Over the pulpit there is saying: Ethiopia Shall Stretch Forth Her Hands to God. Think what it means that Ethiopia is Africa! All the Eethiopians in the bible were colored. It had never occured to me, though when you read the bible it is perfectly plain if you pay attention only to the words. It is the pictures in the bible that fool you. The pictures that illustrate the words. All of the people are white and so you just think all the people from the bible were white too. But really white white people lived somewhere else during

those time. That’s why the bible says that Jesus Christ had hair like lamb’s wool. Lamb’s wook is not straight, Celie. It isn’t curly.” (Walker 1982 : 140-141) from this letter, the writer assumes that Nettie uses her experiences to expand Celie’s view of the world relating her stories of Africa, gender politics, and religion.

As quoted from McDowell noted, The majority of Celie’s letters represent the private paradigm of the African American female tradition in the novel, and the majority of Nettie's letters can be said to represent the public paradigm. The two perspectives are subtly suggested by the different registers used by the sisters. As Nettie is more fortunate in getting a much wider chance to improve herself, she represents the educated and conscious member of both her race and sex, who sacrifices her life for the cause of black people everywhere in the world by becoming a missionary in the land of her ancestors. Her letters often assume the quality of essays, pamphlets, or public speeches when she talks about the indignations caused by her African experiences. These meditations and also the style of the letters reflect social awareness, and give a self conscious interpretation of the experiences quite opposed to Celie’s lack of ability to understand either the world around her or her own condition. Thus the two kinds of experiences overlap in the two sets of letters to mutually support the underlying message: the universal condition of oppression of Black women.

Here Nettie is the primary source of information for Celie. Giving her pride in her Africa heritage and knowledge of the world outside of the

America. Losing Nettie, the one who is very loved by Celie hurts her. When Celie never receives Netti’s letter, Celie looks Sofia for her inspiration.

4.3.4 Sofia

Sofia is Harpo’s wife. She is strong and independent woman. She encourages herself by fighting back against men’s domination. She doesn’t want to be like her mother who lives under man’s power, and never fight for herself.

“All my life I had to fight. I had to fight my dady. I had to fight my brothers. I had to fight my cousins and my uncles. A girl child ain’t safe in a family men. But I never thought I’d have to fight in my own house….to tell the truth, you remind me of my mama. She under my daddy thumb. Naw, she under my daddy foot. Anything he say, goes. She never say nothing back. She never stands up for herself.” (Walker, 1982: p. 42),

At first Celie asks Hapo to beat Sofia when she doesn’t listen to Harpo, and Mr. __ does too. But Sofia fights back. When Sofia comes and confronts Celie about what she suggests to Harpo. Celie says,

”I say it cause I’m fool, I say it cause I’m jealous of you. I say it cause you do what I can’t.

What that? She say.

All these event inspired her to fight back. Moreover when Sofia states, “you ought to bash Mr. __ head open, she say. Think bout heaven later.” (Walker 1982 : 44) Sofia reveals that she has been pity on Celie and tells her that she shoul fight back too.

CHAPTER V

CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION

5.1 Conclusion

Having done the analysis, the writer comes into the conclusion of the transformation of Celie’s character in Alice Walker’s The Color Purple.

In Celie’s changing, Celie is inspired by other characters. They are Shug Avery, Nettie, Sofia, and Albert. Albert is someone who spurs Celie’s anger by hiding Nettie’s letter, it is the first time Celie gets her braveness to fight Albert. Shug Avery is someone who inspired Celie much, she changes Celie’s character becomes more powerful, self confidence, independent. Shug also makes her to be economically and socially empowered woman. Nettie is her younger sister that she loves her much, Celie is inspired by Nettie’s independence and determination. Sofia is the one who inspired Celie about against and fighting back, be brave and strong. Sofia is the inspiration for Celie to fight back for men.

5.2 Suggestion

This thesis talks about the analysis of round character of Celie in Alice Walker’s The Color Purple. there may be some of them which are analyzed incorectly or unclearly.

It is suggested to the reader to learn many things about the intrinsic theory. Because there are many elements of fiction that can be analyzed, such as theme, plot, setting, and so on.

Further, it is suggested that sometimes our environment can bring us to the better life. It depends on the situation in which we live. Our inspiration toward other people becomes also our changing, and improving ourself.

For men, you should appreciate and protect women. Because it is your destiny. You should treat women like human being.

   

BIOGRAPHY OF ALICE WALKER

Alice Walker was born on February 9, 1944, in Eatonton, Georgia, the eighth and youngest child of Minnie Tallulah Grant Walker and Willie Lee Walker. Her parents were poor sharecroppers. Alice grew up in an environment of violent racism which, along with her family's poverty, left a permanent impression on her writing.

In the summer of 1952, Alice Walker was blinded in her right eye by a BB gun pellet while playing “cowboys and Indians” with her brother. She suffered permanent eye damage and slight facial disfigurement. When she was 14, her brother Bill had the cataract removed by a Boston doctor, but her vision in that eye never returned.

After graduating from high school in 1961 as the school's valedictorian and prom queen, Walker entered Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia, on a scholarship. At Spelman she participated in civil rights demonstrations. She was invited to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s home in 1962 at the end of her freshman year, in recognition of another invitation she had received to attend the Youth World Peace Festival in Helsinki, Finland. She attended the conference and then

traveled throughout Europe over the summer. In August 1963 Walker participated in “The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom,” where she heard King’s “I Have A Dream” speech.

After two years at Spelman, Walker received a scholarship to Sarah Lawrence College in New York, which she accepted. She became one of very few young blacks to attend the prestigious school. Walker received mentoring from poet Muriel Ruykeyser and writer Jane Cooper. Her mentors helped stimulate her interest and talent in writing, inspiring her to write poems that eventually appeared in her first volume of poetry, Once (1968).

By her senior year, Walker was suffering from extreme depression, most likely related to her having become pregnant. She considered committing suicide and at times kept a razor blade under her pillow. She also wrote several volumes of poetry in efforts to explain her feelings. With a friend’s help, she procured a safe abortion. While recovering, Walker wrote a short story aptly titled “To Hell With Dying.” Ruykeyser sent the story to publishers as well as to poet Langston Hughes. The story was published, and Walker received a handwritten note of encouragement from Hughes.

Always an activist, she participated in the civil rights movement following her graduation in 1965. She first went door-to-door in Georgia and encouraged voter registration, but she soon moved to New York City and worked in the city’s welfare department. While there she won a coveted writing fellowship to the Bread Loaf Writer's Conference.

In the summer of 1966 she returned to Mississippi, where she met a Jewish civil rights law student named Mel Leventhal. They soon married and moved back to Mississippi. They were probably the first inter-racial couple in Mississippi and, as a result, had to deal with constant streams of violence and murderous threats from the Ku Klux Klan. Alice again got pregnant (which saved Leventhal from the Vietnam draft) but sadly lost the child.

Even while pursuing civil rights, Alice found time to write. Her essay “The Civil Rights Movement: What Good Was It?” won first place in the annual essay contest of The American Scholar. Encouraged by this award, she applied for and won a writing fellowship to the prestigious MacDowell Colony in New Hampshire.

Walker subsequently accepted a teaching position at Jackson State University. While there she published Once. Her first novel, The Third Life of Grange Copeland, was published the same week that her daughter Rebecca Grant was born. The novel received great literary praise. It also received criticism from many African-American critics, who claimed that her book dealt too harshly with the black male characters. Walker disputed such claims, but her subsequent writing continued to dramatize the oppression of women.

Walker’s career took off when she moved from Tougaloo College and accepted a fellowship from the Radcliffe Institute. In 1972 she accepted a teaching position at Wellesley College, where she created one of the first women’s studies courses in the nation, a women’s literature course. In 1976 she published her

second novel, Meridian, which chronicles a young woman’s struggles during the civil rights movement.

Around the same time, she divorced Leventhal. Reflecting on the divorce in 2000, her daughter Rebecca published a frank memoir criticizing the self-absorption of both of her parents at that time.

Meridian received such acclaim that Walker accepted a Guggenheim Fellowship to concentrate full-time on her writing. She moved to San Francisco, and in California she fell in love with Robert Allen, the editor of Black Scholar. They moved to a home in Mendocino, where she wrote full-time and soon published her second book of short stories, You Can’t Keep a Good Woman Down.

In 1982 she completed The Color Purple, an epistolary novel about the life of a poor black woman named Celie. For this book, easily her most popular novel, Walker won a Pulitzer Prize in 1983 and the American Book Award. Critics again accused her of portraying black men too harshly. The Color Purple was soon made into a motion picture produced by Quincy Jones and directed by Steven Spielberg. When the film premiered in her hometown of Eatonton, Walker received a parade in her honor. Her sister Ruth even created The Color Purple Foundation to promote charitable work for education.

In 1984 Walker published her third volume of poetry, Horses Make a Landscape Look More Beautiful. In 1988, her second book of essays, Living By the Word, was published, and in 1989 she published her epic novel The Temple of My Familiar.

A later novel, The Same River Twice: Honoring the Difficult (1996), deals with her budding realization that she might be bisexual. Later, in a 2006 interview with The Guardian, Walker discussed her affair with Tracy Chapman in the mid-1990s, describing it as “delicious and lovely and wonderful...but [it was] not anybody’s business but ours.”

Walker soon became more politically active in her writings. Her nonfiction book Anything We Love Can Be Saved: A Writer’s Activism (1997) contains many essays inspired by her political activism. This includes activities in the civil rights movement, the anti-nuclear movement, the environmental movement, the women’s movement, and the movement to protect indigenous peoples.

In 1998, Walker published By the Light of My Father’s Smile, which examines the connections between sexuality and spirituality. The story is a multi-narrated account of several generations and explores the relationships of fathers and daughters. Her later work has been accused of being self-indulgent and vapid. In 2004, her novel Now Is The Time To Open Your Heart, received the following infamous review from New York Times critic Michiko Kakutani: “If this novel did not boast the name of Alice Walker, who won acclaim some two decades ago with The Color Purple, it’s hard to imagine how it could have been published...[it is] a remarkably awful compendium of inanities.” Others maintain that while she probably will be remembered most for her earlier works, Walker’s writing is still pertinent and fresh. Her work still powerfully articulates many contemporary issues involving gender and race relations in the United States.

SUMMARY OF THE COLOR PURPLE

  The Color Purple is an epistolary novel, made up of letters written by Celie to God and by Nettie to Celie. At the start of the novel, Celie is a fourteen-year-old, vulnerable, abused black girl who addresses her letters to “Dear God.” Thirty years later, at the end of the novel, she has forged her own life despite a male-dominated and racially prejudiced society. She fights her way through life and questions everything she has been taught. Her most ambitious challenge is to remake her idea of God as an old, white, bearded male—her antithesis—into a God who encompasses everything and lives within her.

In Celie’s first letter to God, we learn that she has been raped by her father, Alfonso. Alfonso told her that she must not tell anybody what happens, except God. Celie falls pregnant twice and is taken out of school. Alfonso puts the children up for adoption, and they are taken in by a reverend living in the town. After her mother dies, Celie’s father marries her off to Mr. Albert ______.

Married life is also quite painful for Celie. She must raise Albert’s children, take full control of any house chores, endure unenjoyable intimate nights

improve for Celie for a short while after her sister Nettie comes to live with her. Unfortunately, Albert (who always preferred Nettie to Celie and asked Nettie to marry him first) refuses to allow Nettie to stay in his house unless she rewards him. When Nettie leaves, he follows her and tries to rape her, but she escapes and seeks out the Reverend, who is raising Celie’s children.

She gets a job as a maid with the family. The Reverend, whose name is Samuel, and his wife Corrine are both missionaries preparing to go to Africa. After they find that one of their partner missionaries is unable to go, they offer Nettie the chance to join them in Africa. Nettie is delighted and accepts. When Nettie arrives in Africa she begins to write frequently to Celie. She is constantly worried that her letters will not reach her sister and voices her concern, telling Celie that Albert had promised that she would never hear from her again. Celie accordingly is not given a single letter from Nettie for years.

Albert’s eldest son Harpo falls in love with a fifteen-year-old girl named Sofia. She is soon pregnant, and they marry. Harpo tries to dominate Sofia the way his father dominates Celie, but she is stronger and fights back. Eventually Sofia gets fed up with Harpo and leaves him to go live with her sister Odessa.

Albert finds out that his mistress of many years, Shug Avery, is ill. He drives off and brings her home, where Celie is required to take care of her. Celie is happy to do so; she remembers the first time she saw Shug in a photograph before she got married, and she thinks Shug is even more beautiful in the flesh. Shug is ill-tempered and nasty to Celie at first, but she soon starts to like Celie.

Harpo converts his house into a juke joint when Sofia leaves, but no one comes. He decides to ask Shug, who is a well-known jazz singer, if she will sing at his place. She agrees. Albert does not want Celie to go on the first night, but Shug insists that she go. Shug draws a large crowd and dedicates one of her songs to Celie.

Shug plans to leave but, in an attempt to keep her from going, Celie tells her that Albert beats her. Shug promises not to leave until he stops. Shug also learns that Celie has never enjoyed sex. Shug tries to educate Celie about how to get pleasure from sex, but it is soon clear that Celie feels nothing for Albert because she is attracted to women. Later, Celie experiences her first sexual pleasure with Shug.

One day Sofia turns up at Harpo’s place with a new boyfriend named Buster. She sees Harpo, they start chatting, and he asks her to dance. His new girlfriend Squeak is very jealous and slaps Sofia. Sofia immediately punches Squeak back, knocking out several of her teeth. Soon after, out in town, Sofia meets the Major and his wife Miss Millie. Quite taken with the children and impressed by their cleanliness, Ms. Millie asks Sofia to work as her nanny. When Sophia refuses, the Mayor slaps her and, in response, Sofia knocks him down. She is arrested and given twelve years in jail. Squeak is sent on a mission to get Sofia out of jail and move her into the Major’s house to work as a maid. Squeak goes to visit the warden and is raped by him. The visit is not fruitless, however, and Sofia is moved into the Major’s house as a maid. Following her rape, Squeak tells Harpo to call her by her real name, Mary Agnes.

Shug returns to Celie and Albert, bringing with her a new husband named Grady. Shug warns Celie that Albert is hiding letters from her, and they soon discover that Albert has been hiding Nettie’s letters all this time. Celie is furious, but Shug keeps her calm. Together they find all of the letters and start to read them.

Nettie’s early letters explain the beginning of her missionary trip to Africa with the Reverend and his family. The Olinka tribe there worships the roofleaf the people use for their roofs—without it their homes would be destroyed in the rainy season. The natives view Nettie as a second wife of Samuel, which makes Corrine very jealous. Soon she stops Nettie from meeting with Samuel in private or from borrowing her clothes. After a few years, Corrine comes down with a fever and dies, but she learns the truth about Nettie and her adopted children beforehand: Olivia and Adam are not really Nettie’s children by Samuel. Soon after, on a trip to England, Samuel and Nettie are married.

A road is built right through the village of the Olinka by a rubber manufacturing company, and it destroys the entire village. They are forced to relocate to a more barren area with poor water. The new owners of the land charge them for water and for the new tin roofs which the Olinka are forced to use. Many of the people leave to join the mbeles, a group of natives deep in the jungle who are struggling against the white man.

Since arriving in Africa, Adam and Olivia have become very good friends with a young Olinka girl named Tashi. Tashi decides that she must undergo the

initiation in order to honor her culture. But she becomes so ashamed of the marks that she soon leaves to join the mbeles. Adam goes after her and brings her home, but she refuses to marry him because she is afraid she will not be accepted in the United States. Initially scathing about Tashi’s decision to become scarred, Adam now gets his face marked as well so that they look alike and so that she will not feel ashamed. Tashi and Adam are married, and the whole family then makes plans to return home.

After finding her sister’s letters, Celie decides to leave home with Shug. She tells Albert she is leaving. When he tries to stop her, she stabs his hand with a fork. Before she leaves, she curses him for the way he has treated her and tells him he will be cursed until he changes his ways. In response he refuses to send her any of Nettie’s letters as they keep arriving.

Celie goes to Memphis with Shug, where she starts making a lot of pants. Eventually she gets so good at designing them that she receives regular orders. Shug helps Celie turn the work into a business. Soon after, Celie learns that Alfonso, known to her as Pa, is not her real father after all, just the man who married her mother after her real father (who was a successful businessman) had been killed. After Alfonso dies, Celie receives a phone call telling her that her family home now belongs to Nettie and herself.

Celie fixes up her new house while Shug elopes with her new love interest, a nineteen-year-old flute player named Germaine. Celie is heartbroken, but she meets up with Albert occasionally when she visits Sofia’s daughter Henrietta, and

after Celie left he let everything go and almost died of malnourishment. Harpo finally forced him to send Nettie’s letters to Celie, and from that point he began to change his life around.

Shug returns and decides to retire, for her flute player has gone to college. Celie is now financially comfortable. She has her new house and her father’s dry goods store (which she also inherited) as well as her business.

Nettie finally returns home with Samuel and with Celie’s grown children. Celie and Nettie fall into each other’s arms and lie on the ground hugging. Celie writes that she has never felt so young before in her life.

A significant feature of Alice Walker’s writing is her openness to exposing personal experiences. Many connections can be made between Walker’s own life and her characters, and her emotional intimacy with her creations breathes life into her work for each new reader.

SUMMARY OF THE COLOR PURPLE

  The Color Purple is an epistolary novel, made up of letters written by Celie to God and by Nettie to Celie. At the start of the novel, Celie is a fourteen-year-old, vulnerable, abused black girl who addresses her letters to “Dear God.” Thirty years later, at the end of the novel, she has forged her own life despite a male-dominated and racially prejudiced society. She fights her way through life and questions everything she has been taught. Her most ambitious challenge is to remake her idea of God as an old, white, bearded male—her antithesis—into a God who encompasses everything and lives within her.

In Celie’s first letter to God, we learn that she has been raped by her father, Alfonso. Alfonso told her that she must not tell anybody what happens, except God. Celie falls pregnant twice and is taken out of school. Alfonso puts the children up for adoption, and they are taken in by a reverend living in the town. After her mother dies, Celie’s father marries her off to Mr. Albert ______.

Married life is also quite painful for Celie. She must raise Albert’s children, take full control of any house chores, endure unenjoyable intimate nights with her husband, and undergo regular, unnecessary beatings from him. Things

improve for Celie for a short while after her sister Nettie comes to live with her. Unfortunately, Albert (who always preferred Nettie to Celie and asked Nettie to marry him first) refuses to allow Nettie to stay in his house unless she rewards him. When Nettie leaves, he follows her and tries to rape her, but she escapes and seeks out the Reverend, who is raising Celie’s children.

She gets a job as a maid with the family. The Reverend, whose name is Samuel, and his wife Corrine are both missionaries preparing to go to Africa. After they find that one of their partner missionaries is unable to go, they offer Nettie the chance to join them in Africa. Nettie is delighted and accepts. When Nettie arrives in Africa she begins to write frequently to Celie. She is constantly worried that her letters will not reach her sister and voices her concern, telling Celie that Albert had promised that she would never hear from her again. Celie accordingly is not given a single letter from Nettie for years.

Albert’s eldest son Harpo falls in love with a fifteen-year-old girl named Sofia. She is soon pregnant, and they marry. Harpo tries to dominate Sofia the way his father dominates Celie, but she is stronger and fights back. Eventually Sofia gets fed up with Harpo and leaves him to go live with her sister Odessa.

Albert finds out that his mistress of many years, Shug Avery, is ill. He drives off and brings her home, where Celie is required to take care of her. Celie is happy to do so; she remembers the first time she saw Shug in a photograph before she got married, and she thinks Shug is even more beautiful in the flesh. Shug is ill-tempered and nasty to Celie at first, but she soon starts to like Celie.

Harpo converts his house into a juke joint when Sofia leaves, but no one comes. He decides to ask Shug, who is a well-known jazz singer, if she will sing at his place. She agrees. Albert does not want Celie to go on the first night, but Shug insists that she go. Shug draws a large crowd and dedicates one of her songs to Celie.

Shug plans to leave but, in an attempt to keep her from going, Celie tells her that Albert beats her. Shug promises not to leave until he stops. Shug also learns that Celie has never enjoyed sex. Shug tries to educate Celie about how to get pleasure from sex, but it is soon clear that Celie feels nothing for Albert because she is attracted to women. Later, Celie experiences her first sexual pleasure with Shug.

One day Sofia turns up at Harpo’s place with a new boyfriend named Buster. She sees Harpo, they start chatting, and he asks her to dance. His new girlfriend Squeak is very jealous and slaps Sofia. Sofia immediately punches Squeak back, knocking out several of her teeth. Soon after, out in town, Sofia meets the Major and his wife Miss Millie. Quite taken with the children and impressed by their cleanliness, Ms. Millie asks Sofia to work as her nanny. When Sophia refuses, the Mayor slaps her and, in response, Sofia knocks him down. She is arrested and given twelve years in jail. Squeak is sent on a mission to get Sofia out of jail and move her into the Major’s house to work as a maid. Squeak goes to visit the warden and is raped by him. The visit is not fruitless, however, and Sofia is moved into the Major’s house as a maid. Following her rape, Squeak tells Harpo to call her by her real name, Mary Agnes.

Shug returns to Celie and Albert, bringing with her a new husband named Grady. Shug warns Celie that Albert is hiding letters from her, and they soon discover that Albert has been hiding Nettie’s letters all this time. Celie is furious, but Shug keeps her calm. Together they find all of the letters and start to read them.

Nettie’s early letters explain the beginning of her missionary trip to Africa with the Reverend and his family. The Olinka tribe there worships the roofleaf the people use for their roofs—without it their homes would be destroyed in the rainy season. The natives view Nettie as a second wife of Samuel, which makes Corrine very jealous. Soon she stops Nettie from meeting with Samuel in private or from borrowing her clothes. After a few years, Corrine comes down with a fever and dies, but she learns the truth about Nettie and her adopted children beforehand: Olivia and Adam are not really Nettie’s children by Samuel. Soon after, on a trip to England, Samuel and Nettie are married.

A road is built right through the village of the Olinka by a rubber manufacturing company, and it destroys the entire village. They are forced to relocate to a more barren area with poor water. The new owners of the land charge them for water and for the new tin roofs which the Olinka are forced to use. Many of the people leave to join the mbeles, a group of natives deep in the jungle who are struggling against the white man.

Since arriving in Africa, Adam and Olivia have become very good friends with a young Olinka girl named Tashi. Tashi decides that she must undergo the ritual Olinka scarring ceremony on her face as well as the female circumcision

initiation in order to honor her culture. But she becomes so ashamed of the marks that she soon leaves to join the mbeles. Adam goes after her and brings her home, but she refuses to marry him because she is afraid she will not be accepted in the United States. Initially scathing about Tashi’s decision to become scarred, Adam now gets his face marked as well so that they look alike and so that she will not feel ashamed. Tashi and Adam are married, and the whole family then makes plans to return home.

After finding her sister’s letters, Celie decides to leave home with Shug. She tells Albert she is leaving. When he tries to stop her, she stabs his hand with a fork. Before she leaves, she curses him for the way he has treated her and tells him he will be cursed until he changes his ways. In response he refuses to send her any of Nettie’s letters as they keep arriving.

Celie goes to Memphis with Shug, where she starts making a lot of pants. Eventually she gets so good at designing them that she receives regular orders. Shug helps Celie turn the work into a business. Soon after, Celie learns that Alfonso, known to her as Pa, is not her real father after all, just the man who married her mother after her real father (who was a successful businessman) had been killed. After Alfonso dies, Celie receives a phone call telling her that her family home now belongs to Nettie and herself.

Celie fixes up her new house while Shug elopes with her new love interest, a nineteen-year-old flute player named Germaine. Celie is heartbroken, but she meets up with Albert occasionally when she visits Sofia’s daughter Henrietta, and they become good friends—he has changed a lot since the old days. Apparently,

after Celie left he let everything go and almost died of malnourishment. Harpo finally forced him to send Nettie’s letters to Celie, and from that point he began to change his life around.

Shug returns and decides to retire, for her flute player has gone to college. Celie is now financially comfortable. She has her new house and her father’s dry goods store (which she also inherited) as well as her business.

Nettie finally returns home with Samuel and with Celie’s grown children. Celie and Nettie fall into each other’s arms and lie on the ground hugging. Celie writes that she has never felt so young before in her life.

A significant feature of Alice Walker’s writing is her openness to exposing personal experiences. Many connections can be made between Walker’s own life and her characters, and her emotional intimacy with her creations breathes life into her work for each new reader.