Celie`s Rebellion against society through lesbian feminism as seen in Alice Walker`s The Color Purple.

ABSTRACT

Mursanto, A. R. (2016). Celie’s Rebellion Against Society through Lesbian Feminism as Seen in Alice Walker’s the Color Purple. English Education Study Program, Department of Language and Arts Education, Faculty of Teachers Training and Education, Yogyakarta: Sanata Dharma University.

This research discusses Celie, the main character of The Color Purple and how she

rebels against society’s expectations through lesbian-feminism. The purpose of this study is identify how society’s expectations can affect the members of society physically and mentally, and Celie is an example of a member of a society that experiences such treatments.

There are three questions for this study. The questions are: “How is Celie described in the novel?”, “How is lesbian feminism portrayed in Celie’s character?”, and “How is Celie’s rebellion against society through lesbian feminism portrayed?”

The theories applied are theory of character and characterization, feminist theory, patriarchy, and rebellion. This study uses library research as a way of research. The primary source is the novel The Color Purple, while the secondary sources are various books and journals taken from the library and the internet.

There are three results found in this study. The first is the fact that Celie’s characteristics are pessimistic, submissive, indifferent, and caring. The second result is the fact that Celie portrays the act of lesbian-feminism through her relationship with Avery Shug. The third result is divided into two parts. The first part is about society

during Celie’s era and the fact that it is a patriarchal society. The second part is about Celie’s rebellion through her relationship with Avery Shug and other women. Based

on the findings in this research, it can be concluded that Celie does rebel against

society’s expectations through lesbian-feminism. Celie rebels against society’s expectations during her time by creating a lesbian continuum relationship with Avery

Shug and rebels against society’s expectations through various means and implicit actions. Besides all the things mentioned above, this novel can be used to enhance

students’ real-life experience without having to experience it themselves and it is beneficial to use the novel The Color Purple in the Prose subject.

ABSTRAK

Mursanto, A. R. (2016). Celie’s Rebellion Against Society through Lesbian Feminism as Seen in Alice Walker’s the Color Purple. Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris, JPBS, FKIP, Yogyakarta: Universitas Sanata Dharma.

Penelitian ini menganalisa karakter utama dalam buku The Color Purple yang bernama Celie. dan bagaimana dia berontak terhadap tatanan sosial melalui feminisme lesbian. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengidentifikasi bagaimana tatanan sosial dapat memberi pengaruh kepada individu dari masyarakat tersebut baik secara fisik maupun secara mental, dimana Celie dipakai sebagai contoh dari anggota masyarakat.

Terdapat tiga pertanyaan dalam penelitian ini. Pertanyaannya adalah: “Bagaimana Celie digambarkan dalam novel ini?”, “Bagaimana feminisme lesbian digambarkan dalam karakter Celie?”, dan “Bagaimana pemberontakan Celie dalam masyarakat melalui feminisme lesbian digambarkan?”

Teori yang diterapkan adalah teori tentang karakter dan pengkarakterisasian, feminisme, patriarki dan pemberontakan. Studi ini memakai riset perpustakaan. Sumber utama adalah novel berjudul The Color Purple.

Terdapat tiga hasil temuan dalam penelitian ini. Hasil temuan yang pertama adalah fakta bahwa karakter Celie adalah pesimistik, submisif, acuh tak acuh, dan perduli. Hasil temuan yang kedua adalah fakta bahwa tingkah laku Celie adalah potret dari tindakan feminisme lesbian melalui hubungannya dengan Avery Shug. Hasil temuan yang ketiga dibagi menjadi dua bagian. Yang pertama adalah tentang masyarakat pada masa Celie yang merupakan masyarakat patriakal. Bagian kedua adalah pemberontakan Celie yang dilakukannya melalui hubunnya dengan Avery Shug dan wanita-wanita lain. Berdasarkan hasil analisis data yang didapatkan dalam penelitian ini, dapat disimpulkan bahwa Celie telah melakukan pemberontakan terhadap tatanan masyarakat melalui feminisme lesbian. Celie melakukan pemberontakan terhadap tatanan masyarakat pada masanya melalui hubungannya dengan Avery Shug dan memberontak terhadap nilai sosial melalui berbagai arti secara tindakan implisit. Selain itu, novel ini dapat digunakan untuk mendorong pengalaman hidup riil dari para murid tanpa harus mengalaminya sendiri. Novel The Color Purple juga dapat digunakan sebagai bahan dalam mata pelajaran Prose.

CELIE’S RE

BELLION AGAINST SOCIETY

THROUGH LESBIAN FEMINISM

AS SEEN IN ALICE WALKER’S

THE COLOR PURPLE

A SARJANA PENDIDIKAN THESIS

Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree

in English Language Education

By

Anastasia Ratnaningsih Mursanto Student Number: 121214177

ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM

DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION

FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION

SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY

YOGYAKARTA

CELIE’S RE

BELLION AGAINST SOCIETY

THROUGH LESBIAN FEMINISM

AS SEEN IN ALICE WALKER’S

THE COLOR PURPLE

A SARJANA PENDIDIKAN THESIS

Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree

in English Language Education

By

Anastasia Ratnaningsih Mursanto Student Number: 121214177

ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM

DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION

FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION

SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY

YOGYAKARTA

CELIE'S REBELLION AGAINST SOCIETY THROUGH LESBIAN FEMINISM

AS SEEN IN ALICE WALKER'S THE COLOR PURPLE

By

Anastasia Ratnaningsih Mursanto Student Number: 121214177

Approved by

Advisor

Drs. Bambang Hendarto Yuliwarsono, M.Hum. ii

CELIE'S REBELLION AGAINST SOCIETY

THROUGH LESBIAN FEMINISM

AS SEEN IN ALICE WALKER'S THE COLOR PURPLE By

ANASTASIA RATNANINGSIH MURSANTO Student Number: 121214177

Defended before the Board of Examiners On 3August 2016

,and Declared Acceptable

Board of Examiners

Chairperson : Yohana Veniranda, S.Pd., M.Hum., M.A., Ph.D. Secretary : Christina Lhaksmita Anandari, S.Pd., Ed.M. Member : Drs. Bambang Hendarto Yuliwarsono, M.Hum. Member : Concilianus Laos Mbato, S.Pd, M.Ed, Ed.D Member : Christina Lhaksmita Anandari, S.Pd., Ed.M.

Yogyakarta, 3 August 2016

Faculty of Teachers Training and Education Sanata Dharma University

Dean

STATEMENT OF WORK'S ORIGINALITY

I honestly declare that this thesis, which I have written, does not contain the work or parts of the work of other people, except those cited in the quotations and the references, as a scientific paper should.

Yogyakarta, 3 August 2016

The writer

Anastasia Ratnaningsih Mursanto 121214177

LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN

PUBLlKASI KARYA ILMIAH UNTUK KEPENTINGAN AKADEMIS Yang bertanda tangan di bawah ini, saya mahasiswa Universitas Sanata Dharma:

Nama

Nomor Mahasiswa

: Anastasia Ratnaningsih Mursanto : 121214177

Demi pengembangan i1mu pengetahuan, saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma karya ilmiah saya yang berjudul:

CELIE'S REBELLION AGAINST SOCIETY

THROUGH LESBIAN FEMINISM

AS SEEN IN ALICE WALKER'S THE COLOR PURPLE

beserta perangkat yang diperlukan (bila ada). Dengan demikian, saya memberikan kepada Universitas Sanata Dharma hak untuk menyimpan, mengalihkan dalam bentuk lain, mengelolanya dalam bentuk pangkalan data, mendistribusikan secara terbatas, dan mempublikasikan di internet atau media lain untuk kepentingan akademis tanpa perlu minta ijin dari saya maupun memberikan royalti kepada saya selama tetap mencantumkan nama saya sebagai penulis.

Demikian pertanyataan ini yang saya buat dengan sebenarnya. Dibuat di Yogyakarta

Pada tanggal: 3 Agustus 2016

ABSTRACT

Mursanto, A. R. (2016). Celie’s Rebellion Against Society through Lesbian Feminism as Seen in Alice Walker’s the Color Purple. English Education Study Program, Department of Language and Arts Education, Faculty of Teachers Training and Education, Yogyakarta: Sanata Dharma University.

This research discusses Celie, the main character of The Color Purple and how

she rebels against society‘s expectations through lesbian-feminism. The purpose of this study is identify how society‘s expectations can affect the members of society physically and mentally, and Celie is an example of a member of a society that experiences such treatments.

There are three questions for this study. The questions are: ―How is Celie

described in the novel?‖, ―How is lesbian feminism portrayed in Celie‘s character?‖, and ―How is Celie‘s rebellion against society through lesbian

feminism portrayed?‖

The theories applied are theory of character and characterization, feminist theory, patriarchy, and rebellion. This study uses library research as a way of research. The primary source is the novel The Color Purple, while the secondary sources are various books and journals taken from the library and the internet.

There are three results found in this study. The first is the fact that Celie‘s characteristics are pessimistic, submissive, indifferent, and caring. The second result is the fact that Celie portrays the act of lesbian-feminism through her relationship with Avery Shug. The third result is divided into two parts. The first

part is about society during Celie‘s era and the fact that it is a patriarchal society.

The second part is about Celie‘s rebellion through her relationship with Avery Shug and other women. Based on the findings in this research, it can be concluded that Celie does rebel against society‘s expectations through lesbian-feminism.

Celie rebels against society‘s expectations during her time by creating a lesbian continuum relationship with Avery Shug and rebels against society‘s expectations through various means and implicit actions. Besides all the things mentioned above, this novel can be used to enhance students‘ real-life experience without having to experience it themselves and it is beneficial to use the novel The Color Purple in the Prose subject.

ABSTRAK

Mursanto, A. R. (2016). Celie’s Rebellion Against Society through Lesbian Feminism as Seen in Alice Walker’s the Color Purple. Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris, JPBS, FKIP, Yogyakarta: Universitas Sanata Dharma.

Penelitian ini menganalisa karakter utama dalam buku The Color Purple yang bernama Celie. dan bagaimana dia berontak terhadap tatanan sosial melalui feminisme lesbian. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengidentifikasi bagaimana tatanan sosial dapat memberi pengaruh kepada individu dari masyarakat tersebut baik secara fisik maupun secara mental, dimana Celie dipakai sebagai contoh dari anggota masyarakat.

Terdapat tiga pertanyaan dalam penelitian ini. Pertanyaannya adalah:

“Bagaimana Celie digambarkan dalam novel ini?”, “Bagaimana feminisme lesbian digambarkan dalam karakter Celie?”, dan “Bagaimana pemberontakan

Celie dalam masyarakat melalui feminisme lesbian digambarkan?”

Teori yang diterapkan adalah teori tentang karakter dan pengkarakterisasian, feminisme, patriarki dan pemberontakan. Studi ini memakai riset perpustakaan. Sumber utama adalah novel berjudul The Color Purple.

Terdapat tiga hasil temuan dalam penelitian ini. Hasil temuan yang pertama adalah fakta bahwa karakter Celie adalah pesimistik, submisif, acuh tak acuh, dan perduli. Hasil temuan yang kedua adalah fakta bahwa tingkah laku Celie adalah potret dari tindakan feminisme lesbian melalui hubungannya dengan Avery Shug. Hasil temuan yang ketiga dibagi menjadi dua bagian. Yang pertama adalah tentang masyarakat pada masa Celie yang merupakan masyarakat patriakal. Bagian kedua adalah pemberontakan Celie yang dilakukannya melalui hubunnya dengan Avery Shug dan wanita-wanita lain. Berdasarkan hasil analisis data yang didapatkan dalam penelitian ini, dapat disimpulkan bahwa Celie telah melakukan pemberontakan terhadap tatanan masyarakat melalui feminisme lesbian. Celie melakukan pemberontakan terhadap tatanan masyarakat pada masanya melalui hubungannya dengan Avery Shug dan memberontak terhadap nilai sosial melalui berbagai arti secara tindakan implisit. Selain itu, novel ini dapat digunakan untuk mendorong pengalaman hidup riil dari para murid tanpa harus mengalaminya sendiri. Novel The Color Purple juga dapat digunakan sebagai bahan dalam mata pelajaran Prose.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to thank the omnipotent YAHWEH for giving me His strength, patience, and blessings. My deepest gratitude for Him for staying with me until the end and still giving me His Time for me.

There are many people whom I would like to dedicate my thesis. First, I dedicate my thesis to my irreplaceable parents, Drs. Heribertus Djoko Mursanto and Tatiana Sinung Pemuttyasih. Without their support, I am not who I am right now. I thank them for being there for me. I would also like to dedicate my thesis to my sisters Martina Sinung Marganingsih B.Eng. and Aghata Nugrahaningsih S. E.

The last person I would like to give my greatest appreciation to my advisor, Drs. Bambang Hendarto Yuliwarsono M. Hum. Despite the arguments and the discussion, he stayed with me, assisted, and guided me until the end. No words can describe how grateful I am for his guidance and perseverance.

During my hard times, many people helped me to preserve my positive attitude until the end. The first one is my friend from English Letters Cicilia Dwi Saputri. Nothing can express my thankfulness for being there for me from the beginning until the end. There might be differences between the two of us, and time will drift us apart. Despite our differences, I will always consider her as my closest friend during my university days. I also thank my other English Letters friend, Theresia Aggarani, for being there when I need her.

Pongiyems or Cila, Tessa, Anis, Maria, and Eka. I thank them for always answering my questions and providing help when I am in trouble. I am also greatly indebted to Mah Bro Cessa and Doni for being there for me when I was almost at the end of my rope. I also thank Vania, Erlyn, and Dewi for being there for me. The tiniest part of their time means the whole world for me.

I thank ELESP USD for giving me an amazing and incomparable knowledge. I also thank natas, especially my batch Eva, Iswan, Vinsen, Ira, and Rosa Vania, for giving me agonizing yet precious experience. Last but not least, I thank those who have accepted me as who I am and have allowed me to become parts of their lives. May Jesus bless them and give them happiness.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

TITLE PAGE ... i

APPROVAL PAGES ... ii

STATEMENT OF WORK‘S ORIGINALITY ... iv

PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI ... . v

ABSTRACT ... . vi

ABSTRAK ... vii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ... viii

TABLE OF CONTENTS ... x

LIST OF APPENDICES ... xii

CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION ... 1

A. Background of the Study ... 1

B. Problem Formulation ... 4

C. Objectives of the Study ... 4

D. Benefits of the Study ... 5

E. Definition of Terms... ... 6

CHAPTER II. REVIEW OF RELATED THEORIES ... 8

A. Review of Related Studies ... 8

B. Review of Related Theories ... 9

1. Theory of Character & Characterization ... 9

2. Patriarchy ... 11

3. Feminism ... 14

4. Rebellion... 18

Page

CHAPTER III. METHODOLOGY ... 22

A. Object of the Study... ... 22

B. Approach of the Study... ... 23

C. Method of the Study ... 24

CHAPTER IV. ANALYSIS ... 26

A. Description of Celie‘s Character ... 26

B. Portrayal of Lesbian-Feminism in Celie‘s Character ... 33

C. Portrayal of Celie‘s Rebellion against Society through Lesbian-Feminism ... 36

CHAPTER V. CONCLUSIONS, IMPLICATIONS, AND SUGGESTIONS 46

A. Conclusions... ... 46

B. Implications... ... 47

C. Suggestions ... 48

REFERENCES... ... 50

LIST OF APPENDICES

Appendices Page

Appendix I Biography of Alice Walker ... 52 Appendix II Summary of The Color Purple ... 56

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

This chapter consists of five parts. They are background of the study, objectives of the study, problem formulation, benefits of the study, and definition of terms. The background of the study explores the story of the book and the reasons why the novel is worth studying. In problem formulation, the research questions are presented. Objectives of the study describes a list of benefits of study, both for the researcher herself and other researchers. In the definition of terms, the important terms that are needed knowing in the study are defined.

A. Background of the Study

A person does not build his personality and actions by himself. There are other things that can affect his development, mainly society and the set of demands expected by the members of the society. What is defined by society

affects the person‘s mindset and how his reaction toward society‘s demand. One

of the scholars even claimed that society is something that an individual cannot escape from since he was small – ―Today's child has become the unwilling, unintended victim of overwhelming stress – the stress borne of rapid, bewildering

social change and constantly rising expectations‖ (Elkind 2001, p. 62).

Meanwhile, the reactions to such expectations are varied. Some of the reactions are passive, while some are rebellious toward society. Those who respond by rebelling against society want a change, and the change starts from the individual

himself (Osho 2003, p. 10). To understand more about such reaction, novel entitled The Color Purple by Alice Walker is an example of stories about one‘s

rebellious reaction toward society‘s expectations. The book was published first in

1982 and has been reprinted many times until today. It was made into a movie directed by Steven Spielberg and a musical performance in Broadway.

The novel tells a story of a woman named Celie. Celie‘s life is far from happiness, as she is raped by her father and has children. When her children are born, they are secretly sold by her father as adopted children. Things do not stop there, as her father is starting to eye her little sister, Nettie. However, Nettie is soon arranged to be married to Mr. ____ (name intentionally not given). Feeling sorry for Nettie, Celie volunteers herself to Mr. ____ and soon marries him. However, later after moving into her new home with Mr. _____ and her stepson Hippo, Celie hears that Nettie runs away from home.

Celie‘s life with Mr. ____ and Hippo does not go smoothly either. Celie is constantly looked down upon and abused by her husband in the house. However, everything changes when Avery Shug, Mr. ___‘s mistress, moves in into the

family. Admiring Avery Shug‘s individualistic lifestyle, Celie slowly enters an intimate relationship with Avery Shug. Along with her relationship, Celie also

starts to copy Avery Shug‘s lifestyle, changing herself from a traditional obedient housewife to an independent woman.

However, Avery Shug leaves Celie for another man. This causes Celie to suffer in a slump and depression. However, she finds support from her family and is able to stand up again. At the end, she makes a truce with Mr. ____ (later

known as Albert), spends her time doing her clothing business, makes up with Avery Shug and meets Nettie along with her children.

There are some aspects of the novel that can bring about one‘s curiosity. The

first one is Celie‘s character; how she has managed to adapt herself despite of the unfortunate events surrounding her and how her character develops as the story progresses. The second is the lesbian relationship between Celie and Avery Shug and how it contributes greatly to Celie‘s character development. The last one is

the ―rebellion‖ Celie goes through, that is the pivotal moment where Celie changes her character into a better one.

The Color Purple is a novel filled with wonders. The color of purple in its title represents royalty that can also mean dignity and self-esteem. It indicates how the main character, having lost her own value, slowly finds her value and dignity as a human being. The purple also indicates how the main character slowly appreciates the little things she overlooks before, as it is foreshadowed in the book (p. 197).

The setting takes place in America during the 1930s at the rural Georgia. Being a part of the Southern part of United States which supported slavery during the Civil War, the after-effects of slavery lingered in Georgia. In such place where the main character regains her sense of human being, she starts appreciating herself. Through her relationship with another woman she rebels against society‘s expectations. Celie is able to stand up as an independent woman who is able to

Because of the main character‘s inspiring life journey, the researcher chose this book and its main character as her subjects of research. The researcher admires the main character and how she is able to go through the agonizing events

without losing sight of who she is. The main character‘s unique way to rebel against society‘s expectations inspire the researcher to be unique like the main

character. By exploring the relationship that is not touched by many people due to its sensitive element, the researcher expects others to understand and to be more open-minded regarding sensitive beliefs and cultures that are not familiar to us.

B. Problem Formulation

Based on the aspects discussed above, three questions are formulated. They are:

1. How is Celie described in the novel?

2. How is lesbian feminism portrayed in Celie‘s character?

3. How is Celie‘s rebellion against society through lesbian feminism portrayed?

C. Objectives of the Study

The first objective is to describe the main character‘s personality and traits. The aim of such research is to properly understand the main character as a whole in order to contrast her behavior from the beginning and the middle of the novel. Moreover, understanding the main character is necessary for discussing the other two objectives since the three objectives are related to each other.

The second objective is to see how lesbian feminism is portrayed within

Celie‘s opinions and behavior. This objective is the most pivotal objective due to

the fact that this objective can decide whether Celie‘s opinions and behavior can

be seen as an act of lesbian feminism. Without result of this objective, the third objective has no need for delving.

The last objective is to see how Celie‘s act of lesbian feminism can be

considered as a rebellion against society‘s expectation during Celie‘s time. In

order to achieve this objective, there are a couple of things that need defining.

D. Benefits of the Study

There are many benefits that can be gained from this study, especially for the researcher. By conducting this study, the researcher can further understand the concept of characterization and how to define a character based on certain factors. The researcher will understand better not only about characterization but also of lesbian-feminism. The researcher has a little understanding regarding lesbian feminism despite of her interest in feminism. By researching one the branches of feminism, the researcher will gain more knowledge of feminism and therefore making her one step closer to the concept of feminism. Another concept the re-searcher will also understand better is the concept of rebellion.

Such benefits will be gained not only by the researcher but also by the readers. By reading this study, the readers will learn about the existence of lesbian-feminism, something that many are not aware of unless they are studying literature. By using lesbian-feminism as one of the concepts in this study, it is

hoped that the awareness and interest of lesbian-feminism from the readers are sparked. The concept of rebellion will also be exposed to the readers. With the explanation of rebellion in this study, the readers will gain a better understanding about rebellion. When lesbian feminism and rebellion are understood better by the readers, it is hoped that the readers will be interested about the two topics and delve further the concepts that are related to lesbian feminism and rebellion.

E. Definition of Terms

There are three important terms that will be used often in this study. The

three major terms are society‘s expectation, lesbian, and rebellion.

1. Society’s Expectation

According to McLeod (2013), there are two types of society‘s expectation; society roles and society norms. Social roles are the roles that are assigned to each member of society. Once a member of society is given that role, he is expected to behave in accordance to the expectation given to that role.

Meanwhile, social norms are the standards of behavior that are supposed to be obeyed by the members of society. The purpose of social norms is to create order and to predict people‘s behavior (McLeod 2013). This research will focus on society‘s expectations during Celie‘s time and how Celie responds to it.

2. Lesbian-Feminism

Lesbian-feminism is one of the feminist movements who channel their energies toward each other, to other women (Rich 1980, p. 650). Lesbian feminists believe that heterosexuality is partially responsible for the inequality

between the two sexes in this world, as what Rich (1980) explains for heterosexuality as the cause of inequality:

―Woman-identification is a source of energy, a potential springhead of female power, violently curtailed and wasted under the institution of heterosexuality. The denial of reality and visibility to women's passion for women, women's choice of women as allies, life companions, and community; the forcing of such relationships into dissimulation and their disintegration under intense pressure have meant an incalculable loss to the power of all women to change the social relations of the sexes, to liberate ourselves and each other.‖ (p. 657)

As it can be seen, lesbian feminism is a way for women to share each other‘s pain and joy so that they can create a better life for themselves.

3. Rebellion

There are differences between revolution and rebellion. Despite of

people‘s misunderstanding, rebellion is something different from revolution.

Revolution is an organized effort by an organized group to change something through force and violence. However, rebellion is the opposite of that. According to Osho (2013, p. 11), rebellion is an individual effort. A rebellion has an aim, but it focuses on the individual who is doing the rebellion because: ―Rebellion is not oriented against the society, but is oriented towards a new man, a new humanity.‖ (Osho, 2013, p. 8). This research uses rebellion to see how Celie goes against

CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED THEORIES

This chapter has three parts. They are review of related studies, review of related theories, and theoretical framework. In review of related studies, some studies of The Color Purple are mentioned briefly. Review of related theories provides theories that are relevant for the study. Theoretical framework briefly discusses how the theories are used in this research and in what aspects the theories are used.

A. Review of Related Studies

There are three researches that had been conducted by English Education students on the novel The Color Purple, specifically the main character Celie. The

first research is Setyorini‘s“Feminism Portrayed in the Main Character, Celie, in

Alice Walker’s The Color Purple”. It focuses on Celie‘s character development

and how the development fits into the definition of feminism.

The second research is Setyoningrum‘s “An Analysis of Celie’s

Personality Development in Alice Walker’s The Color Purple”. The research

focuses on Celie‘s character development as a whole and how her character

changes as the story progresses.

The last is Setyabudi‘s “Womanism in Alice Walker’s Novel The Color

Purple”. In this paper, the researcher focuses on an aspect called womanism.

responsibilities to knowledge. Womanism is commonly practiced in black culture, which fits Celie since she is an Afro-American. For this reason, the research delves further on the aspect of womanism and how it affects Celie‘s life.

This research is different from the three mentioned above. Although this research focuses on Celie‘s character, it sees the development of Celie‘s character through the aspect of lesbian feminism. Moreover, this research also focuses on

Celie‘s rebellious act, which is one of the pivotal moments in the novel.

B. Review of Related Theories

1. Theory of Character & Characterization

a. Theory of Character

Characters and characterizations are two things that are important in a literature work, as a novel revolves around the character. According to Abrams, characters are the people who are written and represented in the literary work. A

character‘s qualities are interpreted by the readers through their actions, words, and expressions (Abrams 1998, p. 20).

There are two kinds of characters; major characters and minor characters. Most of the time, major characters are the characters who are mostly involved in major events that lead to the progress of the story, while minor characters are

characters that appear briefly to sharpen the major characters‘ developments

(Abrams 1998, p. 20).

As it can be seen, major characters are important aspects of a literary work that should be delved further. It is in accordance to Henkle‘s opinion of main

character, that is a main character should be delved further because its

presentation and development can actually shift a person‘s moral values (Henkle

1977, p. 87).

b. Theory of Characterization

By definition, characterization is how a character is presented in a literary work through their action, speech, appearance, and others (Baldick, 1996 p. 30). Because every character is presented in their unique ways, it is definite that every character is different. Therefore, it is important to understand the characteristics of a character in order to have a deeper understanding about the character.

According to Murphy in Understanding Unseen (1972), there are 9 ways to understand a character through characterizations (p. 161 – 173). Six of the ways are presented here. They are character as seen by another, speech, past life, conversation of others, reactions, and thoughts:

1) Character as seen by another: the character is described through the perspective of another character. The description can be either physical or mental description (p. 162 – 163).

2) Speech: the character‘s personality is known through his speech and what the character says (p. 164)

3) Past life: Past life can be used to characterize a character because past life can be used to shape the character‘s personality. The past can be either from the character himself or other characters (p. 166)

4) Conversation of others: A character‘s personality can also be known

through other people‘s words. The conversation about the character from other

characters can be used to characterize the person (p. 167)

5) Reactions: A character‘s reaction through various events and things that happened in the story can be used to give more understanding regarding the character (p. 168).

6) Thoughts: a character can be explored through the inner thought of the character himself (p. 171 – 172).

2. Patriarchy

Most people know the term patriarchy as a family system where the father is the head of the family, the highest ruling person within the family. However, patriarchy is more than a system within the family. It is a situation where men dominate women in many aspects, with family being one of those aspects (Milett 2000, p. 33).

According to some scholars, patriarchy has more than one form. Along

with Millett‘s definition of patriarchy, Firestone (1972) claims a biological base as

the reason of men‘s dominion over women. According to Pilcher and Wheleham, Marxist feminists, patriarchy happens within society in the form of labor. Marxist feminists believe that patriarchy happens due to the labor manipulation within the house, where women are not paid when they work in the house (Pilcher & Wheleham, 2004, p. 50). There are many different views and perspectives on patriarchy, but they have one thing in common –men‘s dominion over women.

Due to the many different forms of perspectives on patriarchy, there needs to be a set of standard to define and recognize patriarchy within the society. For this reason, Walby (1991) defines six aspects of society where patriarchy can be observed, to prove whether patriarchy exists within that society or not. The six aspects are paid employment, household production, culture, sexuality, violence, and state.

a. Paid Employment

In this section, Walby explores how patriarchy can be seen in the workplace. She believes that more and more women are entering the workforce, something that could hardly be seen before. However, despite of that, inequality between men and women still happen. She believes that inequality between the two genders appear in other forms such as payment, specific access, and others. She claims that ―women are gaining access to the public sphere of paid

employment, but subordinated to men within it‖ (p. 59).

b. Household Production

Household production focuses more on women‘s decision on getting

married and doing domestic works. Walby believes that gender gap between men and women is starting to diminish. More men are doing domestic labor, and women are no longer bound to their husbands until death. Divorce rates are increasing, and more women spend their time outside their house. Unfortunately, the recent shift in gender gives a little benefit for women because society‘s evolution is slow. Walby has said, ―in a patriarchally-structured labour market,

women, if they have children, are rarely able to earn sufficiently to keep

themselves above poverty line‖ (p. 89). c. Culture

Walby compares the culture of the world in the past before and now. Before, male-centered world was an unwritten rule for women. Women are supposed to focus on their families and husbands instead of themselves (pp. 104-107). Now, the world is different. More women enter the workforce, and men no longer deny the space for women. However, there are some aspects of women where women are still degraded, with pornography being one of those aspects (p. 107).

d. Sexuality

Sexuality is another aspect where patriarchy can be seen. Walby claims

that patriarchy has less control over women‘s sexuality due to the facts that society gives more favors on women‘s freedom now. Some of the freedom allowed in society now are things such as divorce, no discrimination toward women who have children out of wedlock, birth control, freedom of choosing sexual partners, and so on. However, the pressure of domination is still there. It can be seen in the reflection of women domination in pornographies, and some societies still pressure women into marriage (p. 127).

e. Violence

Male violence exists in many forms. Some of the forms are rape, sexual abuse, domestic violence, and sexual harassment (p. 128). The first-wave feminists successfully gain major changes. Due to first-wave feminists, beating

wives is no longer legal (p. 147). Meanwhile, second-wave feminism has helped in the intervention of abuse through counseling and support organizations (p. 147). Now, violence can be taken into a legal matter. However, despite of legal intervention, the fact that there is no total elimination of abuse by men should be taken seriously (p. 149).

f. State

According to Walby, there have been significant changes for women for the

past 150 years in the United States. Only in 1928 women had the right to vote. Before, women barely had a role in the government. Beating women was legal, and women who were found doing adultery were either put to death or excluded from society just like a story of a novel entitled Scarlet Letter. Nowadays, women are allowed to bring an abuse case into court. Everybody has the right to vote, and

―adultery‖ is no longer seen as a state crime (p. 188 – 201). 3. Feminism

Feminism offers an option that is out of patriarchal society. It can be seen from Karen Offen‘s description of feminism (1998):

―In so doing, feminism raises issues that concern personal autonomy or

freedom-with constant reference to basic issues of societal organization, which center, in Western societies, on the long-standing debate over the family and its relationship to the state, and on the historically inequitable distribution of political, social, and economic power between the sexes that underlies this debate. Feminism opposes women's subordination to men in the family and society, along with men's claims to define what is best for women without consulting them; it thereby offers a frontal challenge to

As it can be seen from Offen‘s description, feminism is one of the ways for women

to be advocated in this world. Feminism attempts to create a society where women are no longer treated differently by men. There are many forms of feminism in this world. Below is a list of different types of feminism which is explained by Maggie Humm in A Reader’s Guide to Contemporary Feminist Literary Criticism (1994):

a. Liberal Feminism

Liberal feminism focuses less on gender and more to the rights of women. Liberal feminists seek for equality for women within the society, such as equality within workplace concerning wage and equal rights for gaining education. Overall, liberal feminism seeks for equal rights for women sexually and within gender.

b. Radical Feminism

Unlike liberal feminism, radical feminism focuses on fighting against women oppression. Liberal feminists believe that women are oppressed due to their existence as women. Thus, biology and sex are the primary factors of women oppression.

c. Marxist/Social Feminism

Social feminism focuses on broader aspects of lives, which are literature

and class. Marxist feminists believe that literature can represent women‘s

economically. Social feminists complete Marxist feminism by giving more details concerning women‘s lives and give more values into them.

d. French Feminism

French feminism focuses on literature and the aspect that dominates literature – language. French feminists and patriarchy does exist within literature, and it can be seen in the language of literature. For this reason, many who believe in this aspect of feminism attempts to discourse the language within literature, finding evidence of patriarchy within in.

e. Psychoanalytic Feminism

Inspired by Freud‘s theory, psychoanalytic feminism is mainly about re-lationship within family and hidden desires. Rere-lationship between a mother, a father, and their children is deeply investigated in this Freud-related feminism. Moreover, psychoanalysis feminists have the tendency to seek out the hidden parts of a person/character, such as his implicit desires, his subconscious needs, and others. They seek out for things that are not explicitly stated, therefore trying

to read the lines between a person or a character‘s behavior.

f. Post structuralism/deconstruction/postmodernist Feminism

Poststructural feminism sees literature and language as subjects that cannot be separated from the condition or situation when it was created. Meanwhile deconstruction believes that terms or subjects that are being studied must be isolated from the rest and delved further in order to understand its concept as a whole, starting from its origin to the reason of its existence. A good example of deconstruction is the belief that society connects the concept of women (gender)

into the common stereotype of women wanting children (a culture). By connecting two different ideas, society tries to define gender, and deconstruction feminists are against such ideas. Unlike its ―siblings‖ postmodernism is a whole new study of feminism.

Postmodernism tries to study those aspects together without having to unify them into a unified idea. Postmodern feminists believe that diversity is important, so that ideas can be related with each other without having to individually separate them.

g. Black Feminism

Black feminism sprang up around 1974, when black feminists or their literature works were not mentioned often during that time. This movement started due to the fact that black authors and works were rarely or even hardly mentioned at all. This movement counterattacks the misunderstood concept of black people by attacking the negative concept of black people and literature works created during that time. Alice Walker, the author of The Color Purple, is an example of black feminist.

h. Lesbian Feminism

Lesbian feminism started when more women were dissatisfied with the result of feminist wave. Lesbian feminism believes that the best way to express dissatisfaction towards patriarchal society is by channeling their energies toward other women, that is starting the relationship between the two women. However, as time passed by, many women encounter such relationship among each other without having sexual intimacy among them. Female-to-female relationship with

the absence of sexual relation has become something common, leaving those with such experience have no place to fit in – they are neither lesbians nor heterosexuals. For such reason, Rich (1980, p. 648) creates the term ―lesbian

continuum.‖ The term ―lesbian continuum‖ is used for women who are close to each other without the need of having sexual relation between them. This way, Women who have such experience can fit in with other lesbian feminists. Jill Johnston (1973) also expresses a similar opinion:

―The word lesbian has expanded so much through political definition that is should no longer refer exclusively to a woman simply in a sexual relation to another woman. The word in fact had pornographic implications as though lesbian was a woman who did nothing but enjoy sex, and implication employed as a tool of discrimination. The word is now a generic term signifying activism and resistance and the envisioned goal of a woman

committed state‖ (p. 278)

In conclusion, lesbian-feminism becomes the haven for some who are dissatisfied with results given during first-wave feminism and second-wave feminism. They channel their feminist ideas to other women, sexually or not. It becomes a form of feminism which focuses on women, by women, and for women.

4. Rebellion

Not many people believe that rebellion and revolution are two similar concepts with similar ideas. Although there are similarities between rebellion and revolution, with the concept of achieving a certain goal as one of their similarities, the approach to reach the certain goal is done differently. Revolution tends to become a riot, while rebellion is an individual movement that can be peaceful if possible. Osho (2013), a religion leader in India, explains the concept:

―Revolution is individual, nonviolent, peaceful. It is out of love. Rebellion is not against something, but not for something. Revolution is so much engaged in being against, it forgets for what all this fuss is being made. It is anger. But anger cannot create a better society. Rebellion is not oriented

against the society, but is oriented toward a new man, a new humanity.‖ (pp. 7 – 8)

If rebellion is not revolution, then what is rebellion? According to Camus (1992, p. 13), a philosopher from France, rebellion is a concept when someone has decided to change something in his life. A rebel, the person who is doing the rebellion, is standing at that point of his life where he decided to change everything. Camus uses the example of a slave saying ―no‖. Camus claims that a slave, saying no, is an act of rebellion. The slave does that because he realizes that everything [the oppression] has reached its limit and needs stopping. For that

reason, the slave says ―no‖, starting his rebellion against the authority above him.

There are conditions and requirements for rebellion to happen. A scholar named Bartlett, in her book entitled Rebellious Feminism (2004), briefly explains

Camus‘ conditions for rebellion to occur in four steps. Those four steps are rejection of oppression and affirmation of human dignity, solidarity, friendship and primacy of concrete relationship, and valuing of imminence:

a. Rejection of Oppression and Affirmation of Human Dignity

According to Bartlett, rejection of oppression happens when one has experienced the oppression (p. 5). His rebellion starts when he decided to stop the oppression, regaining his dignity and humanity as a human being with the right to

refuse. For Bartlett, ―rebellion is that moment when the slave refuses enslavement,

limit has been crossed that causes them to recognize their fundamental worth‖ (p. 5).

b. Solidarity

Despite the fact that rebellion is an act done by a single person, there is an element of solidarity which involves another person and exists within rebellion.

Bartlett uses one of Camus‘ novels, The Plague, as a way to explain solidarity. In her explanation, Bartlett explains that Rambert (one of the characters in The Plague) does an act of rebellion (p. 79 – 80). He does so by doing things differently with the other citizens of Oran due to his lack of unified feeling among the citizens. However, as time passes by, Rambert finds himself having the same goal with the other citizens – staying in the city despite of the plague. By doing something different from the society but having the same goal, Rambert does an act of rebellion. Different ways, but same goal – that is what solidarity within rebellion is

about (p. 80).

c. Friendship and Primacy of Concrete Relationship

Despite of the importance of solidarity for rebellion, there is another aspect that is much more important that solidarity. That aspect is no other than friendship. What Bartlett talks about is not just a mere friendship, but a deep relationship that surpasses even the feeling of solidarity (p. 112). Bartlett emphasizes that Camus believed in friendship more than solidarity. The importance of friendship is due to fear of the result of solidarity if it does not come from a ground basis:

―Solidarity and compassion may too easily become regarded as an empathy for the ‗bleeding crowd,‘ and for humanity in the abstract. Camus feared such abstract love that would sacrifice one‘s friends living in the present in

the name of a far-distant era of universal friendship.‖ (p. 111 – 112) d. Valuing of Immanence

Camus stresses the importance of nature within the act of rebellion. He shows his belief in nature in Lyrical, where he ―lived on almost nothing, but also

in a kind of rapture… It was not poverty that got in my way; in Africa, the sun and the sea costs nothing… The lovely warmth that reigned over my childhood freed me from resentment‖ (p. 7). He believes that a rebel must go back to his root which involves nature in order to achieve peace and goal the rebel needed. Without nature, rebellion is not a rebellion; it is just an act of destruction and no-thingness.

C. Theoretical Framework

There are four theories applied in this research. They are theory of character and characterization, patriarchy, feminism, and rebellion. All of the theories are applied by reading the book and highlighting the important events, actions, and thoughts of the necessary characters in the book.

Theory of character and characterization is used to define Celie as a character in this novel in order to understand Celie‘s character better. This is done by reading the book and sees the characteristics of theory of characterization within Celie‘s and other characters‘ responses, thoughts, and actions in the book.

Feminist theory, to be specific lesbian-feminism, is used to define the relationship between Celie and Avery Shug. This is to see how lesbian-feminism

is portrayed in Celie‘s character and how deep the relationship between Celie and Avery Shug is.

After examining lesbian feminism within Celie‘s character, the researcher goes further by answering Celie‘s rebellion against society through lesbian

feminism. First, the researcher defines society through patriarchy theory. After that, the researcher uses theory of rebellion to see the characteristics of rebellion

CHAPTER III

METHODOLOGY

This chapter consists of three parts; they are object of the study, approach of the study, and method of the study. Object of the study presents a physical description of the novel. Approach of the study describes the approach used to analyze the problems presented in this paper. The third part, method of study, is the procedure of conducting the research and the steps done in order to analyze the problems.

A. Object of the Study

The object of the research is a novel entitled The Color Purple. The novel was published in 1982 by Harcourt Brace Javanovich and has been reprinted many times since then. This 244-page novel is a little bit unique, as the format of the novel is in the form of letters. Each chapter is a letter written by the main character Celie to her sister Nettie and God. There are also some letters written by Netie found in the novel. There are totally 91 letters. Most of the letters to Nettie are about Celie‘s daily activities and the unfolding events in her life, while

Nettie‘s letters to Celie are about Nettie‘s adventure as a missionary in Africa.

Taking place in the southern part of America, the novel tells the story of a woman named Celie and her endurance to go through her daily activities. Celie goes through various events, from being married to Mr. ____ who discriminates

Celie‘s perspective on women. Between those events, major events which affect Celie also happen, such as meeting her stepson‘s wife Sophie and finding the

hidden letters written by her sister Nettie. As the events unfold, Celie‘s character

slowly changes from a meek obedient black wife to an independent woman. The Color Purple has received numerous adaptations. In 1985, it was adapted into a movie with Stephen Spielberg as its director. The actors were Whoopi Goldberg, Daniel Glover, and Oprah Winfrey. Although not winning any awards, the movie was nominated in Academy Awards for 11 categories. In 20015, the novel was adapted into a musical performance in Broadway. It was produced by Scott Sanders, Quincy Jones, Harvey Weinstein, and Oprah Winfrey. The musical performance was nominated for various categories in Outer Critics Circle Award and Tony Awards, winning Best Leading Actress for Tony Awards. In 2008, a radio adaption of the novel was aired in BBC Radio 4, consisting of 10 episodes with the duration of 15 minutes for each episode. The radio adaption received Silver Drama Award by Sony Radio Academy Awards in 2009.

B. Approach of the Study

For the problems presented in this paper, there are two kinds of approaches used to analyze the problems. The approaches are sociological approach and feminist approach. This research uses sociological approach in order to analyze

society‘s expectation demanded by society for Celie and see whether the

expectation influences Celie as a character. By using sociological approach, this research sees society and its expectations as factors for Celie‘s behavior and

opinion at the beginning of the novel. Using sociological approach also helped to

understand how society‘s expectation set the standard for Celie and the reason for

Celie lowering herself below others. A clearer explanation can be seen from DiYanni, a scholar, and his statement. DiYanni (1571) states that: ―Sociological critics emphasize the ways power relations are played out by varying social forces

and institutions.‖

The second approach, which is the feminist approach, is an approach which focuses on society and how it is related to the gender assignment in society. Feminist approach is described as―…the ways in which literature (and other cultural productions) reinforce or undermine the economic, political, social, and

psychological oppression of women‖ (Tyson). By using feminist approach, this

research will see how society in Celie‘s life can be considered as a patriarchal society and how Celie is marginalized due to the fact that she is a woman and a housewife.

C. Method of the Study

In order to complete the analysis, I used the library research as the method to gather the necessary data for the analysis. After collecting the data, the data was analyzed according to the theories and approaches explained in chapter 2 and previous section. The primary data for this analysis was the novel The Color Purple written by Celie Walker, while the minor data to support the analysis were from other sources such as books, journals, internet, online articles, and others. Some of the books used were: A Glossary of Literature Terms; Criticism and

Literary Theory 1890 to the Present (Longman Literature In English Series); Rebellious Feminism: Camus’s Ethic of Rebellion and Feminist Thought; The Rebel: An Essay of Man in Revolt; The Hurried Child: Growing Up too Fast too Soon; The Dialect of Sex; Reading the Novel: An Introduction to the Techniques of Interpreting Fiction; Sexual Politics; Understanding Unseen; Living on You Own Terms: What is Real Rebellion; Fifty Key Concepts in Gender Studies; and Theorizing Patriarchy. Two journals were used. They are: ―Compulsory

Heterosexuality and Lesbian Existence‖ and ―Defining Feminism: A Comparative

Historical Approach.‖ An online article related to psychology entitled ―Social

Norms‖ was also used in this research.

In analyzing Walker‘s The Color Purple, firstly the researcher read the novel many times to gain deeper understanding about the story of the novel. While reading, the researcher took notes of the important things in the novel that can be used for the analysis. Second, after gathering the necessary data for the analysis, then the researcher analyzed the main character Celie based on the approach and the theories with the gathered data as the support for the analysis.

After analyzing the problems, the researcher proposed suggestions for future researchers. Lastly, appendices were provided, containing summary of the novel, picture of Alice Walker, and biography of the author.

CHAPTER IV

ANALYSIS

There are three sections in this chapter. The first is the description of

Celie‘s character. The second is the portrayal of lesbian-feminism in Celie‘s character, and the third section is about Celie‘s rebellion against society through Lesbian-Feminism.

A. Description of Celie’s Character

This section focuses on the first research question which focuses on

Celie‘s character. Celie can be categorized as a major character of the novel. From the beginning until the end, Celie is thoroughly mentioned and goes through

almost all of the events in the book. This is in accordance of Abrams‘ definition of

a main character which stated that major characters are mostly present in most of the events in the novel. For this reason, it can be assumed Celie is a major character of The Color Purple.

Due to the fact that Celie is a major character of the book, it is important to

define her. Being a major character, Celie‘s overwhelming presence in the book

plays a pivotal role for both the story and the readers. This is in accordance with

Henkle‘s opinion in his book Reading the Novel. In the book, Henkle claims that major characters need to be given a special attention (1977, p. 87). After all, main characters are the ones who can change the readers‘ perspective as they progress through the story. For this reason, it is important to explore Celie‘s character.

In order to explore Celie‘s character, an analysis of her character is done.

The analysis is done by using Murphy‘s theory of characterization. According to Murphy (1972, pp. 161 – 173), there are nine ways of characterization. To analyze Celie, six of the ways are employed.

1. Submissive

In the beginning of the novel throughout her life before meeting Avery Shug, Celie is depicted as a submissive person who is willing to obey the authority that is considered above her in society. Despite of the excessive abuses done to Celie, she goes through the abuses without much protesting. This can be seen right at the beginning of the novel, where Celie obeys her father‘s command to ―do what your

mammy wouldn‘t‖ (p. 1). The sexual abuses done by Celie‘s father goes on until Celie bears two children from her father.

Another evidence of Celie‘s submissive side is her obedience toward her husband, Mr. ____, and his family. This can be seen in page 12 after her wedding.

She wants to cut Mr. ___‘s children‘s hair, but Mr. ___ forbids her to do so. In the end, all Celie does is untangling the children‘s hair (p. 12).

As it can be seen, Celie never tries to lift a finger against Mr. ___‘s children, which is similar to Mr. ____‘s action for his children. Celie narrates Mr. ___‘s domestic abuses to her (p. 23). She claims that Mr. ____ beats her like how he beats his children – except that Mr. ____ rarely beats his children. However, Celie gives Mr. ____ a passive reaction when Mr. ____ beats her up, claiming that she

―make myself wood. I say to myself, Celie, you a tree. That‘s how come I know trees fear man.‖ (p. 23) No matter what the abuse is, Celie goes through with it

and does nothing. The only thing she does is praying to God and pour her stories in the letters.

Thus, considering Celie‘s past life, reaction, and thought, it can be concluded that Celie is a submissive person. She never talks back and obeys the commands given to her without voicing her own opinions. If she is abused, she keeps silent and bears it all by herself.

2. Pessimistic

Besides submissive, Celie has a pessimistic side of her. She never sees anything in a bright light She sees everything as a suffering for her. Even during her sexual intercourse with Mr. ___, she regards it as something debauched and can only appreciate it when she visualizes herself as Avery Shug (p. 12). Another

indication of Celie‘s pessimistic nature is during her conversation with Nettie

about Mr. ___ and his children:

―Mr. ___ children all bright but they mean. They say Celie, I want dis. Celie,

I want dat. Our Mama let us have it. He don‘t say nothing They try to get his tention, he hide hind a puff of smoke.

Don‘t let them run over you, Nettie say. You got to let them know who got

the upper hand. They got it, I say.

But she keep on, You got to fight. You got to fight.

But I don‘t know how to fight. All I know how to do is stay alive.‖ (pp. 17 – 18)

Despite giving the push to fight back from others, Celie refuses to do so. This is seen during the visitation of Mr. ___‘s sister, Carrie, where she keeps talking back against Mr. ____ and his child Harpo. In the end, the Carrie is given a harsh warning by Mr. ___, resulting in Carrie‗s crying and never coming back.

say nothing. I think about Nettie, dead. She fight, she run away. What good it do?

I don‘t fight. I stay where I‘mtold. But I‘m alive‖ (p. 22).

Based on Celie‘s thoughts, silent speech, reactions, and conversation of others, it can be seen that Celie is a pessimistic person. When she has intercourse with Mr. ____, she sees sexual intercourse as a disgusting act. When Celie is given a push to fight back by Nettie and Carrie, Celie refuses to do so. Instead, she tells Nettie that she only knows how to be alive and not fighting back.

3. Caring

Despite of harsh treatments given to Celie, not a little amount of love for her sister escapes from her. She cares for her sister Nettie deeply to the point where she tells Nettie to marry Mr. ____ so that Nettie can escape from their father and gets a better life (p. 5). Celie‘s love for her sister can also be seen where Mr. ____ has not decided to accept Celie as a bride:

―It took him the whole spring, from march to June, to make up his mind to

take me. All I thought about was Nettie. How she could come to me if I marry him and he be so love struck with her I could figure out a way for us to run away.‖ (p. 9)

Although they ends up living separately due to Celie‘s marriage, the distance between the sisters does not stop Celie for loving Nettie. In fact, Celie welcomes Nettie whole-heartedly when Nettie runs away from home (p. 17 – 18). The two are bonded as time goes by. Unfortunately, the two have to be separated

again due to Mr. ___‘s lustful glance. After that, Nettie disappears until Celie finds out that Mr. ___ has been hiding Nettie‘s letters.

Based on her past events and Celie‘s reactions, it can be concluded that Celie

is a caring person. When she cares for someone, she is willing to do whatever it is

necessary to protect that person. It can be seen from Celie‘s action when Mr. ____

lusts after her and when Nettie escapes from home. No matter what the situation is, Celie will always care for her sister.

4. Indifferent

If Celie loves her sister, what she feels toward Mr. ___ and his children is the opposite. In fact, Celie‘s feelings to Mr. ____ incline toward hatred. This can be seen when Celie snaps on the dinner table, claiming that Mr. ____ and his children make her life feel like hell (p. 202). However, the major reason for despising Mr. ___ is the fact that Mr. ___ is a man. This can be seen during a conversation between Mr. ____ (who is later revealed as Albert) and Celie at the end of the novel:

―He say, Celie, tell me thetruth. You don‘t like me cause I‘m a man?

I blow my nose. Take off they pants, I say, and men look like frogs to

me. No matter how you kiss ‗em, as far as I‘m concerned, frogs is what

they say.

I see, he say.‖ (p. 258)

Although Celie‘s hatred toward men is not explicitly explained, readers can

implicitly find the reason during one of her conversations with Avery Shug. In their conversation, Celie claims that she feels scared when she is raped at the age of fourteen. Moreover, the one-sided sexual intercourse makes the fourteen-year-old Celie suddenly see male‘s genital in an unpleasant way, triggering her fear of men and sexual intercourse (p. 113)

Despite Celie‘s fear of men, her indifference toward Mr. ____‘s children is due to the treatment they give to her. Everything starts during Celie‘s wedding,

where one of Mr. ___‘s kids ―cracked her head‖ open until it bleeds (p. 12).

Another sign of Celie‘s indifference toward the children can also be seen in one of her letters, where she claims that ―Mr. ___ children all bright but they mean.‖ (p.

17). Finally, Celie‘s true feelings regarding of Mr. ____‘s children can be seen in page 30. In that page, readers can see other‘s opinion on Celie‘s good treatment to

the children. However, Celie refutes society‘s praises, claiming that she feels nothing to them despite of the good treatment she gives them:

―Everybody say how good I is to Mr. ____ children. I be good to them, but I don‘t feel nothing to them. Patting Harpo back not even like patting a dog. It more like patting another piece of wood. Not a living tree, but a table, a

chifferobe.‖ (p. 30)

From Celie‘s past life, reactions, and thoughts, Celie can be seen as an indifferent person. She is caring to those she cares about, but she can also be indifferent to those she has no love for.

5. Brave

Although Celie possesses many negative traits, Celie also possesses positive traits with brave personality as one of those positive traits. Celie‘s bravery can be seen when she announces her departure from the house during dinner (pp. 201 – 203). During the announcement, Celie is able to find the courage to complain to Mr. ____, showing her brave personality against her husband when

society expects her not to do so (p. 202). Celie‘s brave personality can also be seen when she visits her stepfather with Avery Shug (pp. 179 – 181). Before,

Celie never tries to go to her stepfather‘s house. However, after knowing about her former ―father‖, Celie finally has the courage to visit her stepfather and confirms her relationship with her stepfather. Celie‘s action of affirming the truth shows her brave personality, as she is willing to know the truth about her family despite of the lack of knowledge she has about it. Celie is willing to step outside her comfort zone and confirms the truth about her family, displaying her brave personality.

6. Unyielding

Celie is not only brave, but she is also unyielding. When Celie decides to do something, she sticks to it until the end. This can be seen during her announcement during dinner and she sticks with the decision of leaving the house despite of Mr. ___ protesting against her departure:

―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 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.‖ (pp.

201 – 202).

Celie‘s unyielding personality can also be seen when she takes care of Avery Shug when Avery Shug arrives for the first time. Avery Shug gives Celie the cold shoulder when she meets Celie for the first time (p. 49), but Celie sticks to Avery Shug and takes care of Avery Shug until Avery Shug recovers. Another part of the novel that shows Celie‘s unyielding personality is when Celie keeps on loving Avery Shug although Avery Shut leaves Celie for another man:

―But then I think, Shug got a right to live too. She got a right to look over the world in whatever company she choose. Just cause I love her don‘t take away none of her rights.‖ (p. 273)

Despite of the painful experience Avery Shug gives to her, Celie chooses to continue loving Avery Shug, showing her unyielding personality no matter how it is.

As it can be seen, Celie‘s character has many forms at the beginning of the novel. Her characteristics are submissive, pessimistic, indifferent, but also caring. Celie is also brave and unyielding. Such characteristics of Celie already exists at the beginning at the novel and continue to be like that before the appearance of Avery Shug who affects her life. The answer to the first research question is important as it is mentioned in Section C which focuses on Celie‘s rebellion

against society‘s expectations.

B. Portrayal of Lesbian-Feminism in Celie’s Character

This section aims to answer the second research question which seeks to

find the portrayal of lesbian feminism in Celie‘s character. Based on the analysis,

it can be seen that Celie does the act of lesbian feminism in her character through her relationship with Avery Shug.

The intimate relationship between Celie and Avery Shug can be seen in when Celie is getting along with Avery Shug. Shug is the person who is able to

arouse Celie‘s long-lost physical desire. This can be seen during one of Celie‘s sexual intercourse with Mr. ___, where she needs to visualize herself as Avery

Shug in order to ―enjoy‖ the intercourse with Mr. ___ (p. 12). Moreover, the

moves into the house. She is the one who introduces Celie to women‘s genitals and the so-called women‘s ―good spots.‖ This can be seen during one of their

playful interactions, where Avery tells Celie there is a ―little button‖ in women‘s

genitals that will make women feel good (p. 76). She is the one who also introduces Celie with breast-playing (p. 77). There are other things that Avery teaches Celie, but whatever it is, it results in Celie‘s gain of sexual arousal. An example of such moment is when Celie claims that sometimes she would look at

Avery‘s bosom and has her nipple and ―little button‖ to perk up when she does

that (p. 82). Overall, Avery Shug is able to achieve that no man has ever been able to do, that is making Celie sexually aroused.

Avery Shug‘s immense influence within Celie‘s life does not stop there.

Avery Shug is everything for Celie, even before the two meets. This can be seen

when Celie‘s father drops Avery Shug‘s photo, and Celie picks it up. When she

sees Avery‘s picture, she claims that Avery is the most beautiful woman she has ever seen, and it becomes the first pleasant thing Celie has ever seen in her life (p. 6). Celie thinks that Avery Shug‘s portrait is so pleasant to the point where she dreams of Avery Shug laughing after looking at her portrait (p. 6).

As the two interacts more and more, they become closer to each other not only sexually but also emotionally. Soon, Avery Shug becomes the emotional

foundation for Celie‘s life. Everything she feels, Celie pours them in the form of letters. An example of Celie‘s emotional moment with Avery is when Celie prevents Avery from leaving, saying that Mr. ____ abuses her when Avery is not there (p. 76). This indicates the secure feeling Celie experiences when Avery

Shug is around. Avery Shug is also the one who supports Celie to become economically independent by sewing pants (p. 217). There are other remarkable moments Celie goes through with Avery Shug. However, the most remarkable one is when Celie tells the story of her being raped to Avery Shug. For the first time, after a while, Celie cries:

―I start to cry too. I cry and cry and cry. Seem like it all come bac to me, laying there in Shug arms. How it hurt and how much I was surprise‖ (p.

114)

The moment above is the pivotal moment for Celie, as Celie is finally able to find someone she can seek for comfort. All this time, she has been alone. Nobody is there for her. Nettie is there, but she disappears for a long time. There is nobody Celie can seek comfort from. However, Avery Shug, the mistress of

Celie‘s husband, is able to fill the void Celie has lost all this time. Celie‘s time stops, but Avery Shug makes the clock tick again:

―My life stops when I left home, I think. But then I think again. It stop with

Mr. ___ maybe, but start up again with Shug.‖ (p. 82)

Avery Shug becomes everything for Celie, both physically and emotionally. Celie is able to change due to Avery Shug. Celie is a pessimistic person, but Avery Shug is able to make Celie see something different in her life (p. 82). Although Celie is submissive, Avery Shug is the one who gives her the final push to go against Mr. ____ (p. 198 – 199). Avery Shug is able to make Celie change, showing the fact that she means a lot for Celie. The two create a deep inseparable bond and a deep lesbian continuum relationship between the two that cannot be understood by others.

Although the relationship between Celie and Avery Shug might look like a normal friendship for some, their relationship can be categorized as an act of lesbian feminism. Lesbian feminism can happen not only in an intimate sexual relationship between two women, but it can also exist in a deep bond between two women. According to Lorde (―The Uses of the Erotic‖, n.d., para. 25), being a lesbian is possible when two women share a bond, whether it is emotional or physical. The bond results in an empowering moment where the two women refuse the powerless state they are in (Lorde, n.d., para. 25). Such statement is also supported by Rich (1980, p. 648 – 649) by stating that lesbian continuum helps women to relate themselves with each other, such as a deep friendship or the sharing of a house without having any sexual intercourse or letting go of their heterosexuality.

From the explanation above, it can be concluded that Celie‘s character does an act of lesbian feminism. Such act starts with the appearance of Avery Shug. Although the two of them share a sexual relationship at the same time,

Celie‘s relationship with Avery Shug leans toward emotional bond more. They

share each other‘s deepest secrets and rely on each other for comfort, indicating a strong evidence if lesbian continuum relationship between the two. Through the bond created between them, they continue to support each other until the end.

C. Portrayal of Celie’s Rebellion against Society through Lesbian-Feminism

This section focuses on how Celie rebels against society‘s expectations

order to see how Celie rebels against society, it is necessary to understand what

kind of expectations society wants from Celie. To understand society‘s expectations during Celie‘s time, an analysis of society during Celie‘s time is needed. The analysis of society during Celie‘s time is done using Walby‘s description of patriarchy.

1. Society’s Expectation

Walby‘s description of patriarchy in her book Theorizing Patriarchy (1991) describes six aspects of society where signs of patriarchy can be found – paid employment, household production, culture, sexuality, violence, and state.

This section will describe only two aspects in Celie‘s society – culture and violence – due to the fact that only those two aspects are explicitly mentioned in the novel.

a. Culture

Society expects Celie to be dependent of her husband and to dedicate her time for her family only. If looked thoroughly, readers of The Color Purple can see the signs of Celie dedicating her entire time to Mr. ____ and his children. Throughout the novel, Celie spends most of her time in the house, taking care of

the children‘s needs (p. 12). Celie is also the one who helps Harpo at solving his problem with his wife instead of Mr. ___ (p. 36 – 37). When Avery Shug arrives home, Celie becomes Avery Shug‘s caretaker. In fact, most of the events Celie goes through happens in her house, showing the fact that Celie barely steps out from the house unless there are urgent needs.

grew up poor. Her mother worked as a maid to help support the family's eight children. When Walker was 8 years old, she suffered a serious injury: She was shot in the right eye with a BB pellet while playing with two of her brothers. Whitish scar tissue formed in her damaged eye, and she became self-conscious of this visible mark.

After the incident, Walker largely withdrew from the world around her. "For a long time, I thought I was very ugly and disfigured," she told John O'Brien in an interview that was published in Alice Walker: Critical Perspectives, Past and Present. "This made me shy and timid, and I often reacted to insults and slights that were not intended." She found solace in reading and writing poetry.

Living in the racially divided South, Walker attended segregated schools. She graduated from her high school as the valedictorian of her class. With the help of a scholarship, she was able to go to Spelman College in Atlanta. She later switched to Sarah Lawrence College in New York City. While at Sarah Lawrence, Walker visited Africa as part of a study-abroad program. She graduated in 1965— the same year that she published her first short story.

Early Works

After college, Walker worked as a social worker, teacher and lecturer. She became active in the Civil Rights Movement, fighting for equality for all African Americans. Her experiences informed her first collection of poetry, Once, which was published in 1968. Better known now as a novelist, Walker showed her talents for storytelling in her debut work, Third Life of Grange Copeland (1970).

Walker continued to explore writing in all of its forms. In 1973, she published a set of short stories, In Love and Trouble; the poetry collection Revolutionary Petunias; and her first children's book, Langston Hughes: American Poet. She also emerged as a prominent voice in the black feminist movement.

The Color Purple

Walker's career as a writer took flight with the publication of her third novel, The Color Purple, in 1982. Set in the early 1900s, the novel explores the female African-American experience through the life and struggles of its narrator, Celie. Celie suffers terrible abuse at the hands of her father, and later, from her husband. The compelling work won Walker both the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Award for Fiction in 1983.

Three years later, Walker's story made it to the big screen: Steven Spielberg directed The Color Purple, which starred Whoopi Goldberg as Celie, as well as Oprah Winfrey and Danny Glover. Like the novel, the movie was a critical success, receiving 11 Academy Award nominations. Walker explored her own feelings about the film in her 1996 work, The Same River Twice: Honoring the Difficult. In 2005, The Color Purple became a Broadway musical.

Walker incorporated characters and their relations from The Color Purple into two of her other novels: The Temple of My Familiar (1989) and Possessing the Secret of Joy (1992), which earned great critical praise and caused some controversy for its exploration of the practice of female genital mutilation.

Recent Works

Walker has proved time and time again to be a versatile writer. In 2004, she published Now Is the Time to Open Your Heart. Two years later, in 2006, she published a collection of essays, We Are the Ones We Have Been Waiting For: Light in a Time of Darkness, and the well-received picture book There Is a Flower at the Tip of My Nose Smelling Me.

Continuing her work as a political activist, Walker also wrote about her experiences with the group Women for Women International in 2010's Overcoming Speechlessness: A Poet Encounters the Horror in Rwanda, Eastern Congo and Palestine/Israel. She published another poetry collection, Hard Times Require Furious Dancing, that same year.

After more than four decades as a writer, Alice Walker shows no signs of slowing down. In 2012, she released The Chicken Chronicles; in this latest memoir, she ruminates on caring for her flock of chickens. Following the release of The Chicken Chronicles, she began working on The Cushion in the Road, a collection of mediations on a variety of subjects slated to be published in 2013.

Personal Life

Walker married activist Melvyn Leventhal in 1967. The couple had one daughter, Rebecca Walker, before divorcing in 1976.

APPENDIX II

SUMMARY OF THE COLOR PURPLE

The Color Purple is a novel in the form of compiled letters written by the main character, Celie, to express her emotions while telling the events of the novel. In the first few letters, Celie talks about her unhappy childhood. Her father rapes her, which results in her two children, and her mother who passed away hates her. The only person Celie cares about is her sister, Nettie. However, their father starts to lust over Nettie, and Celie tries her best to protect her sister.

Later on, a man goes by the name Mr. ___ comes to their house and asks Nettie‘s hand in marriage. However, Celie finds herself being wed to Mr. ____ later on. In Mr. ____‘s house, Celie goes through constant abuse by her husband and her stepchildren. The only solace she has is the picture of Avery Shug, whom Celie falls in love with. Later on, Celie accepts the task of nursing Avery Shug, who is Mr. ___‘s mistress, and the two starts to develop their bond.

Before nursing Avery Shug, Celie‘s stepson Harpo marries a strong woman named Sophie. Due to her jealousy, Celie tells Harpo to hit Sophie. When Sophie confronts Celie about it, Celie pours all her frustration to Sophie. This leads to a strong bond between the two women. Later on, Sophie separates from Harpo, and Harpo dates another girl named Squeak.

One day, Sophie injures the mayor‘s wife, which leads to Sophie‘s imprisonment. Squeak tries to help by asking for help from her uncle who is a

prison warden, but Squeak ends up being raped by her uncle. However, this leads to Squeak‘s change in personality. Squeak becomes independent and refuses to be called Squeak. Instead, she wants to be called by her real name, which is Mary Agner. Sophie is able to release herself from prison, but the price of her release is her freedom, as she becomes a colored main in a white family.

One day, Avery Shug finds a letter from Nettie to Celie hidden by Mr. ____. After some scheme, Avery Shug and Celie are able to steal the letters from Mr. ____. In the letters, Nettie tells Celie that she works for a missionary couple who is assigned in Africa. Later on, Nettie tells Celie that she marries the widow of the missionary couple after the missionary wife passed away. Nettie also reveals that the children of the missionary couple are Celie‘s children and that their father is not their real father. Celie confronts her father and confirms the truth of Nettie‘s words.

Angry and Mr. ___ for hiding Nettie‘s letters, with the support of Avery Shug, Celie confronts Mr. ____ during dinner and announces her departure from the household. Celie‘s confrontation is supported by Sophie and Mary Agnes, and the women unite during dinner to support each other‘s statement.

Celie moves to Memphies with Avery Shug, and Celie becomes a pantsmaker. However, Avery Shug takes off with her new lover, leaving Celie heartbroken. Slowly, Celie recovers from her broken heart and make amends with Mr. ____, who is revealed as Albert. When Celie left the household, Alber becomes a disaster, and Harpo is the one who helps his father to become better. Soon, Celie and Albert have a better relationship and start to respect each other.

When Celie‘s father passes away, the two sisters inherit their old house. Soon, Avery Shug comes back to Celie. As Albert, Celie, and Avery Shug sit at the porch of their house, Nettie arrives with her husband, Celie‘s children, and their daughter-in-law. The sisters are brought back together, and the family is finally complete.

Adapted from: https://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/c/the-color-purple/book-summary