Woman Subordination as Portrayed in The Color Purple and The Keepers of the House

2. Woman Subordination as Portrayed in The Color Purple and The Keepers of the House

Both Alice Walker and Shirley Ann Grau focus on the issue of woman subordination, though differently presented on both novels. In The Color Purple woman subordination is presented through Celie and her blind obedience to her husband; that she does everything her husband tells her to do, and never in the position to talkback to him. The practice of woman subordination can not only be seen from Celie, but it seems that almost all woman characters in the novel suffer from this subordination too.

On the other hand, The Keepers of the House presents the issue of woman subordination from white woman point of view. The role of Abigail as ―lady‖ and her passivity on doing jobs other than being a mother and her disability of working as the request of her husband shows that she has less power in her own life. At least, that is the ―role‖ most of Southern women were expected to do, as said by Abigail when reflecting on her condition; in the following:

… He was always so quiet and reserved, never talked about himself or his business with me. As for me, I was used to that manner of his, and I didn‘t

mind it at all —after all, there are lots of southern men who treat their ladies that way. (Grau, 1964, p. 190)

When Abigail drops out of her college, William is able to make the university authorities accept Abigail again. Abigail is surprised when she finds out that her grandfather is quite successful in business, because she learns that he knows many important persons in the business. She does not expect this kind of image from her grandfather. It is common for a woman in Southern states to be blissful about their man ‘s business, like Abigail who does not know about her grandfather‘s excessive wealth until she is divorced from her husband. As stated by Abigail, it is a common thing not to talk about business to woman, as most of them are expected to take care of their house and support their husband. Women might only work if their husband allows them to do so, and their job options mostly range in the extension of their motherly role, such as educator, servant, maid, or secretary.

In the early 20 th century, although there were big numbers of women who went to college, most of them remained unemployed after they were graduated, and focused on their married life. Even it was quite common for woman to quit college simply to get married. This is also the case with Ellen, Abigail ‘s cousin, who has ―been to the state university for three years and had just quit to get married…‖ (Grau,

1964, p. 178). Since their main job as a woman is to be a mother and a wife, education is not in the important list they should do. At that time, most white woman did not think of what career they would have, as their focus was finding a decent man to settle down. That is why Ellen chooses to stop her study and opts to get married.

of the Mayor ‘s wife and her daughter, Eleanor Jane. After getting married, Eleanor Jane —a white woman whom Sofia works for—feels that her husband does not give her attention. Eleanor Jane told to Sofia how rarely her husband goes home and prefers working and playing with other white man in his spare time. As described in;

I feel like you the only person love me, say Miss Eleanor Jane. Mama only love Junior, she say. Cause that ‘s who daddy really love.

Well, say Sofia. You got your own husband to love you now. Look like he don‘t love nothing but that cotton gin, she say. Ten

o ‘clock at night and he still down there working. When he not working, he playing poker with the boys. My brother see a lot more of Stanley Earl than

I do. Maybe you ought to leave him, say Sofia. You got kin in Atlanta, go stay with some of them. Git a job. Miss Eleanor Jane toss her hair back, act like she don‘t even hear this, it such a wild notion. (Walker, 1982, p. 264)

The condition happened to the whites in the early 20 th century was that most Southern white woman were dependent to their husbands. They were taught to be dependent to the other men in the family, and when it came to their mind that they should work, it was such a crazy idea and did not make sense at all. As a response, Sofia easily says that Eleanor Jane can leave anytime, leaving her disrespecting husband; just like what Sofia did to Harpo when she feels she does not well-respected.

In the early 20 th century where the black society was focusing their power on dealing with racism, blacks had no place to deal with sexism. Thus, black women issue was never taken into account as the agenda in the Civil Right Movement. They were easily put in the position of matriarchs, as the result of the increasing number of

developed by white society about black women ‘s independency and for their action of being economy provider. As stated by Bell Hooks about black matriarchy, ―…. Yet they labeled black woman matriarchs —a title that in no way accurately described the social status of black women in America …‖ (1981, p. 72), matriarchy was a condition where women hold the social and political power; black woman had never ever have this kind of power during that era. Although the black woman was the breadwinner or the one who provided the main earning for the family the predicate black matriarchy would never exist in a black family.

The Color Purple gives the proof that black matriarchy does not exist in the early 20 th century because in any patriarchal family, black males always have a way to ―discipline‖ their wives. In this novel, the fact that black men have the highest power in a patriarchal family is clearly seen. This is mostly seen through Mr.___ ‘s treatment toward Celie, and Harpo ‘s toward Sofia. Celie said to Harpo that:

Harpo ast his daddy why he beat me. Mr. _____ say, Cause she my wife. Plus, she stubborn. All women good for —he don‘t finish. He just tuck his chin over the paper like he do. Remind me of Pa.

Harpo ast me, How come you stubborn? He don‘t ast How come you his wife? Nobody ast that. (Walker, 1982, p. 30)

When Harpo asks Celie the reason why she is beaten, unconsciously she grasps the idea that it is usual for woman to be ―disciplined‖ by their men through beatings. Although Harpo does not yet exhibit this attitude, he is encouraged by Mr.___ to do so, in order to make Sofia respects him.

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. (Walker, 1982, p. 42)

Black husbands do not need to have reason to beat their wives; it is a usual thing to do. Although it is said to discipline their wives, the reason is ‗because she is my wife‘ and most people do not question this. It seems like it is a natural thing to do. Upon marrying a black man, a black woman automatically is owned by her husband, hence the husband can do anything to his wife, and order the wife to do anything for him. As portrayed in The Color Purple, black woman is the property of her husband, this is shown through Harpo ‘s dream about Mr. ____ and his previous wife. The feeling of possessiveness is actually the reflection of what they think about black women.

―…. He grab hold of her shoulder, say, You can‘t quit me now. You mine. She say, No I ain ‘t. My place is with my children. He say, Whore, you ain‘t got no place….‖

(Walker, 1982, p. 36). The main point of the beating is to show who hold the highest power in the family. When Mr. ____ ‘s sister gives Harpo an order to help Celie with household work, he instantly telltales his father about this. It is clearly inappropriate in black family for a woman to give order to a man. Harpo refuses Mr.____ ‘s sister‘s order to help Celie doing house work:

Harpo, she say. Harpo the oldest boy. Harpo, don‘t let Celie be the one bring in all the water. You a big boy now. Time for you to help out some.

Women work, he say.

Women work. I ‘m a man. You ‘re a trifling nigger, she say. You git that bucket and bring it back

full. He cut his eye at me. Stumble out. I hear him mutter somethin to Mr.___ sitting on the porch. Mr. ____ call his sister. She stay out on the porch talking a little while, then she come back in, shaking. (Walker, 1982, p. 29)

There are two points in the situation quoted above. First, Harpo creates a ―division of work ‖ in the house; that household chores should be done by woman while man never do that. Due to the white patriarchal values that the blacks imitated during the slavery era, the blacks believed that woman and man had different sex roles. Bell Hooks points out that ―black slave men regarded tasks like cooking, sewing, nursing, and even minor farm labor as woman ‘s work‖ (1981, p. 44). They believed that woman should do all the domestic works. Taking care of the house was woman ‘s job, and black man did not want to do these feminine works. This thought was adapted and practiced in the black community even after the slavery era. The second point is that no woman should give command to man. In most black society they are taught the hierarchal power in a family= Father – son – wife/daughter. Wife/mother and daughter will always have the lowest position in a black patriarchal family. They will never be in the position of giving commands or whatsoever to the men.

Black men ‘s tendency to use brute force to discipline their woman was due to the fact that more and more black women were able to stand on their feet and earn more money than their husbands through menial jobs black men did not want to take. By using brute force to show their woman who was in charge, they might be able to

masculine power remained unthreatened. In most of black patriarchal family, the division of work was not really paid attention to. As fathers had the highest position in family, they had the rights to do or not to do their jobs, but woman would have the responsibility to do household works and field works. Due to the stereotyped image of black woman who were able to do manly and womanly jobs since the slavery era, in the 20 th century patriarchal family black woman still had to do both jobs. In The Color Purple, the fact that Mr.___ often slacks off from working in the field suggests this fact. When Shug comes to the town, Mr. ___ slacks off from working in the field, instead he goes to the nightclub every night. Celie and Harpo obviously can not say anything against Mr. ____ ‘s actions. As described in the following scene:

Mr. _____ be gone all night Saturday, all night Sunday and most all day Monday. Shug Avery in town for the weekend. He stagger in, throw himself on the bed. He tired. He sad. He weak. He cry. Then he sleep the rest of the day and all night.

He wake up while I ‘m in the field. I been chopping cotton three hours by time he come. Us don‘t say nothing to each other . … Mr. ____ pick up a hoe and start to chop. He chop bout three chops then

he don‘t chop again. He drop the hoe in the furrow, turn right back on his heel, walk back to the house, go git him a cool drink of water, git his pipe, sit on the porch and stare. I follow cause I think he sick. Then he say, You better git on back to the field. Don‘t wait for me.

…. Dear God, Harpo no better at fighting his daddy back than me. Every day his

daddy git up, sit on the porch, look out at nothing. Sometime look at the trees out front the house. Look at a butterfly if it light on the rail. Drink a little water in the day. A little wine in the evening. But mostly never move.

His daddy say, You gonna do it. … Why you don‘t work no more? He ast his daddy. No reason for me to. His daddy say. You here, ain ‘t you? He say this

nasty. Harpos feeling be hurt. (TCP, 1982: 34-35)

From the quotation above, it can be seen that in black family, it is okay for father to slack off and not doing his field work, but it will never be okay for a woman or children to slack off. They have no right to protest and they still have to do the things his father asked them to do.

In most white patriarchal family in Southern America, however, the condition is slightly different. Woman is only responsible for the house work, such as tending garden, cooking, cleaning the house, and taking care of their children. And it is the men who are responsible for doing the entire farm or field or business work. Thus, William Howland does in the harvest moon of his cotton field:

Then William had no more time, for the cotton was ready. He put a sack on his shoulder and did a few rows himself, because he liked to keep his hand in. It wasn‘t a hard work, picking, all the small children did it. And in

a way it was easier for them: a man his size had to stoop considerably. … (Grau, 1964, p. 39)

He pays some workers on picking his cotton, but he sometimes does the picking himself. He never asks his daughter or sister on helping him in the field. Most probably due to the fact that most white Southern woman does not do field works. The women who stay with William Howland are the lady type, they do not do the kitchen works themselves —they supervise servants on doing these jobs, and obviously they will never go to the cotton field to pick cotton.

subordination portrayed in The Keepers of the House never goes hand in hand with the practice of oppression. At least William Howland never beats Margaret, nor any other white husbands. This emphasizes the concept of white woman in the pedestal hold by the white males. Women are subordinated in The Keepers of the House, but they are treated positively. Margaret as a black woman in segregated society never gets bad treatment from William Howland, instead he treats her as how white man treats white woman and loves her whole-heartedly. It was only one night when Abigail accidently steps into the room where Margaret and William sit there. Abigail who never sees them do physical contact around the house is terrified, though she does not know what she is terrified for.

…. He was reading one of his papers, and she was sewing. I recognized the material —my dress. The whole room looked like a set, or a picture.

Margaret stopped sewing, her hands fell into her lap. Her head lifted and she stared across the room into the fire. He must have felt her move because he folded his paper and laid it aside. She did not turn. Her masculine head on its thin neck held perfectly still. The wood of his chair creaked as he got up, the boards of the floor sighed under his weight as he walked over to her and bent down. Then because he was still too tall, because she was sitting in the low rocker with the swan-head legs, he knelt down and put his arms around her. She turned her head then, dropping it to his shoulder, pressing it into his neck. …

That was the only gesture I ever saw pass between them. (Grau, 1964, p. 177)

As implied in the passage above, although the intimacy of William Howland and Margaret is not described explicitly, William shows his affection to Margaret in his own way and discreetly. He does not show it in the public, most probably because

William ‘s tendency of not having wife or affair or mistress soon after his first wife passed away shows that William thinks that Margaret is a perfect wife and life partner for him, despite of her black skin.