CHAPTER II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
Review of Related Literature covers three main parts. They are review of related studies, review of related theories and theoretical framework. In review of
related studies, I review other related studies previously done by other researchers or writers on the same topic or author. In this undergraduate thesis, I review some
studies which discuss study from the same author. In this part, I review two main theories related with the topic about
feminism portrayed in the main character, Celie, in Alice Walkers The Color Purple. They are theory of character and characterization and some theories of
feminism, such as liberal, radical, marxist and socialist feminism. In theoretical framework, I explain the contribution of the theories and reviews in analyzing the
problems of the study.
A. Review of Related Studies
In this study, I present some researchers who discussed and subjected to the same work on the Alice Walker’s The Color Purple and other discussions
related to the whole study. In Sugihartos undergraduate thesis, which talks about the influence of the
society and surrounding on Celies view toward life, Sugiharto showed how this society had made or had formatted the way of thinking of the main character to
become so special. The way Celie’s thinking gives great effects to Celie’s 7
decision to lead her life on. Gender criticism also becomes the main topic in Widiastutis undergraduate thesis. The thesis talks about how people, especially
black women at that time, became the lower class of the social class system in the United States. Black women did not just experience the discrimination but also
sexual abuse. Black women have to experience two discriminations under the white people and under the black male. The thesis concerns how Celie struggled
with all the discrimination she experienced during the time. Widiatmokos undergraduate thesis talks about the concept of nirvana
revealed in the main character, Celie, in the Alice Walkers The Color Purple. He wants to show Celies life and the revelation in the concept of nirvana. Celie
accepts all the offerings that she had. Celie’s efforts in seeking what was the cause of her suffering are concept that Buddha has taught in some other continents that
has different culture with America in that year. In this thesis, I am going to reveal that Celie, the main character of the
novel, has shown evidences of feminist action. This study has never been conducted before by other writers. This study talks about Celies struggle in life to
survive and to have equal rights as a human being.
B. Review of Related Theories
This study uses some theories to support the study. Theories which are used are theory of literature and theory of feminism. Theory of literature is
divided into two parts. They are theory of critical approaches and theory of
character and characterization. While for the theory of feminism includes radical, liberal, marxist and socialist feminism.
1. Theory of Critical Approach
In this study I use feminist literary criticism to support the theory of critical approaches. Feminist literary critics or feminist approaches attempt to
explain how men and women imbalance, due to gender, are reflected in literature texts. In its diversity, feminism is concerned with the position of women in a
secondary position, where women do not gain equal position with men. According to Goodman in Literature and Gender, feminist literary criticism is an
academic approach to the study of literature which applies feminist thought to the analysis of literary texts and the contexts of their production and reception. It has
developed in recent years into a fascinating and highly specialized field with a language, set of theories and a vocabulary all its own Goodman xi.
Feminist critics examine how languages as a focus for studying women writers can reveal the idea of feminism in a literary text to be analyzed into the
writing and allow the readers to illustrate the importance of feminist concerns in the contemporary work such as in the novel The Color Purple. Feminists examine
the experiences of women from all races, classes and culture. Despite their diversity, feminist literary criticism convinced that the goal from feminism study
are to expose patriarchal premises which result in prejudices, to promote discovery and reevaluation of literature by women
This study uses feminist approach or feminist literary criticism to reveal the idea of feminism exemplified in the main character, Celie, in The Color
Purple. The novel tells about the struggle of a young African American woman who lived under the pressure of her father, husband and her black society. Her
desire to struggle for a brighter future shows that she can achieve equal rights with men to feel happy, and create the world that she wants. The feminist approach or
feminist literary criticism then is used to analyze this novel.
2. Theory of Character and Characterization a. Theory
of Character
Character and characterization have a very important position and function in literary works. Baldick defines characters as the person in dramatic or narrative
work. They also refer to a kind of prose sketch briefly describing some recognizable type of person Baldick 33.
Abrams in his A Glossary of literary Terms defined characters as the persons presented in a dramatic or narrative work, who are interpreted by the
reader as being endowed with moral and dispositional qualities that are expressed in what they say, the dialogue and what they do the action Abrams 20.
Basically, based on the importance, the character can be divided into two categories. They are main or major character and minor character. A major
character usually appears in the story. He she becomes the focus of the story. The events that appear in the story always involve him her directly or indirectly. On
the other hand, minor character is often said as the supporting character. The roles
are less important than the main character because they are not fully developed characters and their roles in a story are just to support the development of the
major character Abrams 20. Henkle agrees with Abrams’ definition, that major characters are the most important and complex character in a novel. “It is the
major character who deserve our fullest attention because they perform a key structure function, upon them we built expectation and desires, which in
modification, shift or establish our values” Henkle 87. The minor characters are the characters who act as a foil to the major
character. They interact or clash with the major character in order to bring out into the open crucial elements Henkle 94. Here the characters appear briefly as hints,
since they are the minor figures who are there in the story to show us what is going on Koesnosoebroto 68. According to Baldick in The Concise Oxford
Dictionary of Literary Terms, foil is a character whose qualities or actions serve to emphasize those of the protagonist or some character by providing a strong
contrast with them. Another source says that in literature, foil is characters that is presented as a contrast to a second character so as to point or shows to advantage
some aspect of the second character Webster 423. Therefore it can be said that one of the most important aspects of the major
novel is the interaction of characters. Contrasts between characters are important, and such contrast makes both figures more real, but the characters also act on one
another and develop as a result of these interactions, which is often most of what a mainstream novel is about Boulton 81. According to Forster in The Aspect of
the Novel, characters can be divided into two categories based on the internal
complexity, namely flat character and round character. Sometimes, flat characters can be called types or “two dimensional”. They are captured by the author’s view
on one side. The author usually does not develop them as fully as the major character. They are static and not grow or change in the story. The advantages of
flat character are easily recognized and remembered by the readers afterward. Round character often appears as the center of the story and looks like real human
beings. With his or her complex aspects in temperament and motivation, sometimes he or she surprises the readers with unexpected behavior. The author
develops round characters fully, and the characters grow and change during the story Foster 46-54.
b. Theories of Characterization
Characterization refers to the presentation of persons in narrative or dramatic work by means of character’s action, speech, or physical appearances
Baldick 30. A character can be differentiated from others because they have their own personality and physical attributes.
The way to study the characters is through understanding the characterization which provides the creation of major character and the minor
ones, so that the result is a clear explanation. Characterization is one of the literary elements representing persons. Holman and Harmon define characterization as the
creation of imaginary persons. They are created imaginatively, but they have to be seen real, so that they exist for the readers as lifelike Holman 81. The author can
introduce the characters in detail, so that the readers might obtain a complete
description of a certain character and the readers can figure out characteristics or personality traits of certain characters.
According to Allport, as quoted by Larver and Scheier in Perspective on Personality, the characteristics of a character are related with his or her behavior,
thoughts, and feelings Allport 5. They will influence the way of thinking, feeling and behavior from a person. Therefore, to understand deeper about character, it is
important to know well about his or her characteristics. According to Holman and Harmon, characterization is the description of
the characteristics. The characterization is the act, the process or the result, of characterizing. In fiction the drama, the novel, the short story, and the narrative
poem, the author reveals the characters of imagery persons and the creation of these imagery persons so that they exist for the reader as lifelike is called
characterization Holman 81. The author describes the character through the characterizations so that the
reader can imagine what kind of person the character is. Barnet says that characterization is defined, as in fiction, by what the characters do, by what they
say, by what others say about them, and by setting in which they move Barnet 746.
According to Perrine in Literature: Structure, Sound and Sense, characterization must observe three principles. First, the characters must be
consistent in their behavior. They must not behave one way on one occasion and a different way on another unless there is a clearly sufficient reason for the change.
Second the character must be clearly motivated in whatever they do, especially
when there is any change in their behavior. We must be able to understand the reasons for what they do, if not immediately, at least by the end of the story.
Third, the characters must be plausible of life like Perrine 69. Murphy in Understanding Unseen also conveyed some details of
characterizing the character. The character’s personality can be seen through personal description that is from the description of his physical appearances and
attributes, which may refer to the clothing or the way he dresses. The author can also give direct knowledge of what a character is thinking about. Besides
describing the character directly, the author can describe the character through the eyes and opinions of the characters. It can be through the conversations and the
things they say about him. The characters’ past life can also help us to figure out his motives of his present action, and the author can gives us a clue of his
character by letting us know how he reacts to various situations and events Murphy 161-173. Those are some ways which the author makes his reader
aware of the characteristics of the characters that he writes about in his book However, I only choose six ways to understand the character of Celie so the writer
can get a clue to find the characterization of Celie. They are: 1.
Character as seen by another: the author describes the character through the eyes and opinion of another.
2. Speech: the author can give the readers an insight into the character of one of
the persons in book through what the person says 3.
Past of life: by letting the reader can learn something about a person’s past life the author can give a clue to events that have helped to shape a person’s
character. 4.
Reactions: the author can give a clue to a person’s character by letting the
readers know how that person reacts to various situations and events. 5.
Direct comment: the author can describe or comment on a person’s character directly.
6. Thoughts: the author gives the readers direct knowledge of what a person is
thinking about.
3. Theory of Feminism
Women, from time to time, carry great duties and burdens serving the men Harley 45. Women have to take care of their children and have to serve
their husband as their responsibilities. Montagu says that “in almost every society there is a belief that men are superior and women are inferior, women also think
that belief is right, because it believes as what really happens” Montagu 23. The men from one generation to the next generation exploit women.
Gender discrimination is a great burden for women, because they have to face the idea of gender discrimination and have to fight against the men in order to change
the idea of gender discrimination and men’s attitude toward women, which is conditioned from time to time. Women are not only physically oppressed but also
mentally oppressed Harley 57. Montagu states that in society there was conditioned norm, which states
what women can do and cannot do. Women lack of opportunities to develop their skills. They are not given the chances to develop their intelligence and skills and
they have different equality of opportunities to men Montagu 38. Women are treated unfairly. It is the fact that from the past the gender
discrimination was seen clearly. Montagu explains further that women themselves
feel that they are weak and inferior. The feeling of weakness makes them much weaker than what they think.
Feminism appears from the womens suffering from injustice, because of their sex and their consciousness of female oppression. Consciousness arises since
feminism means knowledge of existing things in a new light. Many feminists described the different historical, psychological, sexual and racial experiences of
women and how feminism can be a source of power and knowledge. Women are conditioned as weak creatures. People believe this condition
from time to time. People believe that women are unable to do hard work better than men. They have double positions in families as mothers and wives. The
unfair division of work to women continues from generation to the next until they realize their mistakes in receiving the unfair treatment from men. The realization
of the equality of rights and opportunities then becomes a belief called feminism. The theory of feminism does not only support the feminist ideas but also
the theory of superior feeling. Actually, women are not inferior, as men and people say. Women are more realistic, effectively control their feelings and they
can use power for good purposes. Women have good abilities in expressing their feelings. This makes them more realist than men. They are better in handling the
bad conditions they face in life, like starvation, exposure, fatigue, shock and illness Montagu 143. From Montagu’s statement, we can conclude that women
are more realistic. They can control their feelings effectively and use their power for good purposes.
The basic goal of feminism theory is to understand womens oppression in terms of race, gender, class and sexual preference and also how to change it. It is
true that physically women are different from men. Some people believe they are also psychologically different. It can be seen that men are more rational and
aggressive than women. Therefore, women are more capable to have domestic job. A job describes womens character such as secretary, nurse and administrator.
Meanwhile men are more capable to do a job, which is describing male characteristic. In addition, there are many different perspectives between the
feminists. As the result, there are four types of feminism presents. They are liberal feminism, radical feminism, marxist feminism and socialist feminism.
a. Liberal Feminism
The liberal emphasis on the individual stresses the importance of the individual autonomy which is protected by guaranteed rights, economic justice
and equality of opportunity. Liberal feminists are using the basic liberalism philosophy that every human being is created with the same rights and every
woman must have the same opportunity in developing their future. Basically there are no differences between men and women. Therefore, liberal feminism is trying
to put the women and men equal, corporate, independent and free to decide their own future. According to Ilyas, “changing the individual attitudes especially the
womens attitude toward men destroys the patriarchy and they must realize on it and fight for it “Ilyas 47.
As a matter of fact the claim can make men realize and make the new
community where there is a corporation between men and women based on the equality. These kinds of feminism considering inequality are the reaction of the
oppressive structures, which result in sexism and patriarchy. The fact that women are left behind are the cause of the foolish and
irrational thought because of the traditionalism. Therefore, modernization and industrialization are the best ways to increase womens status.
b. Radical Feminism
This type of feminism is growing faster in the United States since 1960s- 1970s. They consider that the main aspect of the sexual working class is the
patriarchy where women’s positions are always under the men’s in every aspect of life. Ilyas says that
The source of womens is on the biologic structure. Along of the history of women where there is no contraception yet, it is found that women are the
victims of the biologic function, such as menstruation, menopause, giving birth and taking care their children, etc. Ilyas 50.
Such conditions have made women always dependent on men. This reproduction difference creates the sexual working class. This kind of feminism is
inclined as a male hates and asks women to be independent without the presence of men in their life.
In radical feminist terms, gender oppression is the most fundamental form of oppression. Radical lesbian feminists assert that being a lesbian means to
release from male domination. They only worked in the sexual reality and less for other.
c. Marxist Feminism
This kind of feminism is the reaction of the liberal feminism. They think that women’s decline is not the cause of the direct individual action but it is from
the economic, social and political structure in relation with capitalism. A family is a production group where whole family including women does
all humans needs in survival. But after the development of industrial capitalism, a family is no longer being the production group llyas 48.
Nowadays, women are no longer the part of production and the sexual working classes appear. Men can get the public job, which is more productive and
economical while women can only have the domestic job, which is unproductive and uneconomical. The Marxist feminism refused the basic gender differentiation,
where a husband is described as the bourgeois class and women are the oppressed class.
d. Socialist
Feminism
The socialist feminist argues that living in the capitalist community is not the main reason of womens under development. Socialist feminists criticize that
there is a connection between womens participation in production and womens status. It is true that womens participation is important in economics but it does
not mean to increase the womens status. Ilyas stated that there is a correlation between the women’s participation level and womens status but it makes the
women as slaves only Ilyas 51.
This feminism movement is focused on the womens consciousness about these disadvantages positions. The socialist feminisms purpose is to structure the
society in order to get the equality in gender. On the other hand, socialist feminism highlights the relationship between paid work and domestic labor in
which it reveals the impact of the sexual division of labor, by pointing out that women in the home do more work.
C. Theoretical Framework
The focus of the study is on the analysis of feminism portrayed in the main character, Celie, in Alice Walkers The Color Purple. Theories related to the study
must be used to accomplish the analysis. Some theories of intrinsic elements are used to support the analysis of the main character. The theories of character by
Abrams, which provide definitions of the term character, extend descriptions on the understanding of what
character in fiction is. Abrams also differentiated the character into major and minor based on their importance.
Foster’s theory is helpful to determine the complexity of the nature of the character, which refers to flat and round character. By using Fosters theory, I can
recognize what kind of character Celie is. By the application of the theory, it can be concluded whether Celie is a flat or a round character.
To analyze the main character, the writer needs knowledge on how to reveal the character. Therefore, some theories of characterization are needed in the
analysis to characterize the main character, which lead the analysis to the traits of his circumstances towards the main character. The theory of characterization
proposed by Baldick, Holman and Harmon, and Barnet give various descriptions or explanation about what characterization is. The method of characterization is
given by Perrine through his direct and indirect methods. Perrine also gives three principles in characterization in making the process of characterization more
understandable. I also use the theory of characterization by Murphy to gain the methods of
characterization. Murphy proposes several ways in which he gives details of how the character of fiction is portrayed and how the author reveals the story.
To show what type of feminism portrayed in the main character, Celie, I
use the theory feminism to analyze the two questions I proposed. The theories on feminism in liberal feminism, radical feminism, marxist feminism and socialist
feminism are used as an addition to support the analysis, that is to show what kind of feminism is revealed in the story which is represented by Celie.
CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY
This chapter discusses the methodology in conducting this study. This chapter consists of three parts. The first part discusses about the subject matter
that contains a brief description of the novel. The second part presents the critical approaches used in this study. The third part tells about the research procedure,
which discusses the steps done by the writer in conducting the study to answer two questions stated in the problem formulation.
A. Subject of the Study
This study deals with the novel which is written by an Afro-American woman, Alice Walker. The title is The Color Purple. Alice Walker won the
Pulitzer Price for this novel. This novel consists of 244 pages. It was published in 1982 by Harcourt Brace Javanovich, New York. This novel consists of 91 letters.
These letters were written by the main character, Celie, and also her sister Nettie. In this novel Celie writes 70 letters which are written to God and also addressed to
her sister, Nettie. Whereas Nettie, her sister, writes 21 letters all of them addressed to her older sister, Celie. From the letter which Celie wrote to God, she tells about
her feeling and also her daily activity, while the letters to Native consists of her interactions with her circumstances includes Sophia, Shug Avery, Mr.___,
Harpo,etc and Celie’s opinion about them. Nettie writes letters about her experience in New York and also her journey as a missionary in Africa when she
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