WOMAN’S OPPRESSION IN THE COLOR PURPLE ALICE WALKER.

WOMAN’S OPPRESSION IN NOVEL THE COLOR PURPLE
BY ALICE WALKER
A THESIS
Submitted as partial fulfillment of the Requirements for the Sarjana Degree of
English Department Faculty of Arts and Humanities State Islamic University of
Sunan Ampel Surabaya.

By :
1. Liya Maritta Dewi ( A 83212167 )

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
FACULTY OF ARTS AND HUMANITIES
STATE ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY OF SUNAN AMPEL
SURABAYA 2016

ABSTRACT
Maritta Dewi, Liya. “Woman’s Oppression in The Color Purple Alice Walker”,
English Department, Faculty of Arts and Humanities UIN Sunan Ampel
Surabaya.
Advisor : Sufi Ikrima Sa’adah, M.Hum

Key Terms : Feminist Criticism, Black Feminims, Woman’s Oppression, Gender
Stereotypes, Sexism.

In this study, the writer focuses on novel The Color Purple by Alice
Walker. There are some oppression that must be faced by the main character of
this novel. But in this study, the writer limits on the oppression happens in the
family and the struggles of main character.
This study uses the qualitative descriptive method to draw a description
about woman’s oppression in the novel. The writer uses Feminist Literary
Criticism. Feminist criticism is a criticism that focuses on the struggles of woman
to transform from the oppression to gain equality and have a good life.
This study includes some oppression based on sexism includes physical,
mental and sexual abuses and gender stereotypes . The main character is Cellie.
she is also the narrator in this novel because she writes by herself about anything
that she faced, specially the abuse from men in her life. This novel is epistolary
because it consist of letters written by the main character.

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ABSTRAK
Maritta Dewi, Liya. “ Woman’s Oppression in novel The Color Purple by Alice
Walker”, Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Adab Humaniora UIN Sunan Ampel Surabaya.
Penasehat : Sufi Ikrima Sa’adah, M. Hum

Kata kunci : Feminist Criticism, Black Feminism, Woman’s Oppression, Gender
Stereotypes dan Sexism.

Pada analisis ini, penulis fokus terhadap novel The Color Purple karya
Alice Walker. Ada beberapa penindasan yang harus di hadapi oleh pemeran utama
dalam novel ini. Analisis ini di batasi tentang penindasan dan perjuangan yang
alami pemeran utama di dalam keluarganya
Analisis ini menggunakan metode kualitatif untuk mendiskripsikan
tentang penindasan yang di alami pemeran utama di dalam novel. Penulis
menggunakan Feminist Literary Criticism. Feminist Literary Criticism merupakan
kritik sastra yang fokus terhadap perjuangan wanita untuk melakukan perubahan
dari penindasan yang di alami untuk memperoleh kehidupan yang seimbang
dengan kaum lelaki.
Analisis ini mencakup penindasan berdasarkan Sexism mencakup

kekerasan fisik, sexual, tekanan mental dan Gender Stereotypes . Cellie
merupakan pemeran utama di dalam novel The Color Purple. Cellie juga sebagai
narrator dan menulis segala sesuatu yang terjadi terhadap dirinya, khususnya
penindasan yang di hadapi Cellie yang di akibatkan oleh beberapa pria dalam
kehidupanya. Novel ini merupakan epistolary karena isi di dalam novel tersebut
berbentuk surat yang di tulis Cellie yang di tujukan untuk Tuhan.

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Table OF The Content
Inside Cover………………………………..………........………………….....i

Declaration……………….…...…………………..…….........………….........ii
Examiner Approval Sheet……….…………………..………..........................iii
Advisor Approval Sheet………………..……………………………………..iv
Motto ……………………………………………………………………........v

Dedication Page………………………………………………………….........vi

Acknowledgment …………………………………………………….…........vii

Table of The Content………………………………………………................ix
Abstract …………………………………………………………….....……...xi
Abstrak ………………………………………………………………....……xii
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study……………………………………..…...1
1.2 Statement of Problem………………………………………..….....7
1.3 Objective of the Study…………………………………………......7.
1.4 Scope and Limitation…………………………………………...….8

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1.5 Significance of the Study………………………………………...….8
1.6 Method of the Study………………………………………………...9

CHAPTER II LITERARY REVIEW
2.1Feminist Literary Criticism…………………………….……..….10

2.1.2 Black Feminist………………………………………….14
A. Woman’s Oppression……………………………….15
B. Sexism……………………………………………...17
C. Gender Stereotypes…………………………….……18
2.2 Previous Study………………………………………...………….20
CHAPTER III ANALYSIS
3.1 The Oppression towards Cellie in The Color Purple in her family
3.1.1 Oppression from her step father………………………….22
3.1.2 Oppression from her husband……………………………31
3.1.3 Oppression from her step son…………………………....32
3.2 Cellie’s struggle to gain her right and voice……………………….35
3.2.1 Cellie’s friendship with Nettie and Sofia…………………35
3.2.2 Cellie’s friendship with Shug…………………………….39
CHAPTER IV CONCLUSION………………………………………………51
WORK CITED………………………………………………………..………53
APPENDIX…………………………………………………………………….62

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MARITTA DEWI |1

CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background Of the Study
Literature has been widely known by many people and experts. The word
‘literature’ derived from the word ‘littera’ in Latin which means letter. It refers to the
written or printed words. However, now, the term ‘literature’ is more focused and
restricted to merely imaginative works, which comes up from the imaginative mind of
the story writers. According to Klarer, literature referred to as the entirety of written
expression, with the restriction that not every written document can be categorized as
literature in the more exact sense of the word . The definitions, therefore, usually
include additional adjectives such as aesthetic or artistic to distinguish literary works
from texts such as newspapers, scientific textbooks, magazines, legal documents,
brochures, and so on. Literature then, can be said as a creative writing by an author
with aesthetic values which makes literature regarded as an art. Literature as a writing
form differentiates its form from other art products, and its aesthetic or artistic values
make it different from other writings ( 1 ).
Edgar and Henry Jacob are written that Literature has three general genres,

they are drama, poetry, and prose. Prose is devided become two things, those are
fiction and nonfiction. Fiction, originally mean anything made up or shaped, is prose
stories based on the author’s creation and imagination. It includes myths, parables,

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MARITTA DEWI |2

novels, romances, and short stories. In the other hand, nonfiction is a works which
describe or interpret facts, present judgments, and opinions. It consists of news
reports, essays, magazines, newspapers , broadcast media, films, letters, historical and
biographical works and many other forms of communication ( 2 ).
Novel (from the Italian novella, Spanish novela, French nouvelle for "new",
"news", or "short story of something new") today is a long narrative in literary prose.
Novel is the further development of romance. A novel is defined as a fictitious prose
narrative of considerable length and complexity, portraying characters and usually
presenting a sequential organization of action and scenes. According to Richard
Tailor, novel is normally a prose work of quite some length and complexity which
attempts to reflect and express something of the equality or value of human
experience or conduct ( 46 ).

One of the interesting topics in novel is about the sexism because the main
character gets many abuses like mental, physical and sexual that happens from a
mens in her family. Collin writes The vast majority of African-American women
were brought to the United States as slaves in a situation of oppression. Oppression
described any unjust situation where, systematically and over a long period of time,
one group denies another group access to the resources of society. Race, class,
gender, sexuality, nation, age, and ethnicity among others constitute major forms of
oppression in the United States (21).

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MARITTA DEWI |3

Because at the time many black women gets oppression during they becomes
as slave inferior white people and black mens.they also have no right to deliver their
voices. Some of black women participated in struggle for racial equality and women’s
rights movement. Among them are Ana Cooper, Mary Church Terrel, Soujourner
Truth, Amanda Berry Smith and others. As black feminists they broke through the
long years of silence and began to articulate and record their experiences. Walker
says “ the term of black feminist comes because it is rooted in black culture whereas

the word feminist isperceived as coming out of the white woman's culture.Walker
prefers "womanist" to "feminist" on the grounds that itsounds stronger and more
inclusive. In continuing her defence of the word she writes that it is "a word that said
more than that they choose women over men. More than that they choose to live
separate from men. Infact, to be consistent with black cultural values, it would have
to be a word that affirmed connectedness to the entire community and the world,
rather than separation,reqardless of who worked and slept with whom" (4).
Soujourner Truth was the most outspoken black women activists, she says “
there is great stir about colored men getting their rights, but not a word about the
colored woman and if colored men getting their rights, and not colored woman theirs,
you see the colored men will be masters over the women and it will be just as bad as
it was before” ( 7 ).

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MARITTA DEWI |4

Taken together, the web of economy, politic, and ideology function as a
highly effective system of social control designed to keep African-American women
in an assigned, subordinate place. Denying African-American women the credentials

to become literate certainly excluded most African American women from positions
as scholars, teachers, authors, poets, and critics. (Collins 123).
One of the great writers who writes about African – American is Alice
Walker. Alice Walker is one of the most important, successful and culturally
influential women writers. She became the first African-American woman to receive
the Pulitzer Prize in Fiction for the novel The Color Purple(1982). She is a poet,
novelist, short story writer, essayist, chronicler and film maker. She is also relied
upon as a spoken woman for black women, and her sharp critical sense makes her a
talented critic.
The topics of Walker’s writings are always connected to her own experience
as a colored women living in white patriarch society. The subjects of her writings
include her heritage, her sufferings as victim of racism in her homeland Georgia, the
violence practiced by men against their wives and struggle of women to overcome
their submission and change their engendered roles in order to live a more dignified
and fulfill life( 8 ).
Walker says in an interview to John O’Brian in 1973 that “she is committed to
exploring the oppressions, the in sanities and the triumphs of black women. Walker
explains the violence, tragedies, abuse and pain in the lives of the majority of her own

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MARITTA DEWI |5

character due to her personal experiences as a child growing up in segregated
Georgia, where almost every week a man kills his wife and sometimes the children.
These events have left a deep mark in Walker’s mind and soul. Thus, through her
writings the author is able to vent her dissatisfaction and to protest against all kinds of
violence practiced against black women around the world”.
The Color Purple talks about the condition of a young black woman that
becomes a victim of rapes and beats of her step father. The main characteristic
protagonist, Cellie, writes letters to God, Cellie’s sister Nettie, writes to Cellie, and
Cellie writes to Nettie. The letters reveal the injustices that women suffer from men in
the United States of America and in Africa. Through the use of the epistolary form,
Walker is able to express the effect of oppression on the spirits of the major
characters as well as the growing inner strength and final victory of Cellie.
Cellie, a fourteen years old African-American girl is sexually abused by her
presumed father. Cellie manages to save her younger sister Nettie from being abused
like herself. Cellie's experience is so horrifying that she cannot tell it to anyone,
including her sick mother. She can only write her sad experiences in letters to God
because she feels ashamed to tell people about her misfortunes. Cellie conceives two
children – out of her stepfather's constant rape – a girl and a boy, both presumed to be
stolen and killed by her stepfather. Cellie's presumed father, (who would later turn to
be her stepfather), Alphonso, takes advantage of her because of her mother's physical
and mental illness. Her illness is the result of the murder of her first husband, Cellie's
father. Cellie's mother dies and Alphonso soon remarries but his marriage does not

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MARITTA DEWI |6

end Cellie's sexual abuse. Alphonso marries Cellie off to a cruel widower with four
children, who initially wants to marry Cellie’s younger sister Nettie but Alphonso
offers Cellie instead. Cellie calls her husband" Mr.-" which reflects her silenced
condition and his brutality.
Bambara argues that as a "womanist" writer, Walker, along with sexual
issues, incorporates racial, cultural, national, economic, and political considerations
into her philosophy. Protesting against sexism and the patriarchal power structure,
Walker is unapologetically a propagandist. Her writing demands that the readers,
whether the male oppressors or the female oppressed, be aware of the ideological
issues in order that it may change their attitudes about patriarchy ( 108 ).
. The writer chooses this topic to be the object for this research because the
writer interested with the content of The Color Purple. This novel talks about the
condition of young black women that face discrimination in form of sexism and rape.
And as same as a woman, the writer feels sad about what happened to her as black
woman who get unfair treatment and doesn’t have rights to express her voice and is
just silence about oppression that happened to her. Therefore the writer uses feminist
literary criticism in the concept of black feminist to analyse the topic in the novel
“The Color Purple”.

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MARITTA DEWI |7

1.2 Statement Problems :
From the explanation above the writer formulates the statement of the
problems as follow

1. What kinds of oppression does Cellie face in novel The Color Purple by Alice
Walker ?
2. How does Cellie struggle from the oppression to gain her right and voice in
the novel The Color Purple by Alice Walker?

1.3 Objective of Study :
Based on statement of problem above, this study is it ended to :
1. To explains about the problems that happen to Cellie in novel The Color
Purple by Alice Walker.
2. To describes the struggle of Cellie to gain and express her voice as black
woman.

1.4 Scope and Limitation :
In this study, the writer limits and focuses on the analysis the obstacle
which happened to Celli and her struggle in novel The Color Purple by
Alice Walker And the scope of this study is about black feminism to help
the analysis of the oppression and violence which happened to young
black woman in novel The Color Purple.

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MARITTA DEWI |8

1.5 Significance of Study
This study is specifically conducted with specific purpose as well as
general. Specifically, this study aims increase and broaden the knowledge
of English letters students dealing with black feminism and how to apply
the theory in a literary work.
generally, this study hopes to give many advantages to the general
reader about oppression of sexuality and rights that happen to African
young women . By understanding this issue, the reader are expected to
avoid any conduct that lead to discrimination towards women.

1.6 Method of the Study
Methods are needed to analyze the novel. In this study, the writer
applies black feminism theory to analyze the struggle of main character according
to the novel. The writer uses the novel The Color Purple by Alice Walker as the
object of the study. For the first step the writer looks for the data from library and
online books about the literature especially about the object above.

A. steps to collects the data :
1. The writer is reading novel The Color Purple by Alice Walker
and understanding the content of it.

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MARITTA DEWI |9

2. The writer is collecting the data to dealing with the problems
previously stated.
3. Determine the appropriate theory to complete it.
4. The last is conducting the analysis
B. Steps to Analyze the data :
1. Analysis the data dealing with the problem the main character
face related in novel The Color Purple..
2. Analyzing the data dealing with main character struggle to gain
her rights and voices.

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MARITTA DEWI |9

CHAPTER II
LITERARY REVIEW
A. Theoretical Framework
In this chapter, some theories related to the research focus will be presented.
The theories include feminist Literary Criticism presented to be used as a tool to
conduct this research. Thus, there is some information in the form of points in this
chapter.
2.1.1

Feminism Literary Criticism

Feminism enters the world of Literature can be seen from many
feministtheories put by many literary experts. As the writer Mary Wollstonecraft
argued about the importance of equality between women and men inthe society. She
also says that women should be aware that women areconsidered as an inferior to
men in the society‘s perspective, she argued thatfemales are in all the most important
aspects the same as male, possessing the same soul, the same mental capacities, and
the same human rights". Thisstatement creates a new thought, primarily the
importance of equality in allsocial institution for women ( 1 ). Mellor writes that the
social sector that is presented by Wollstonecraft is an equality in education and
ownership of household resources, including children ( 3 ).

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M A R I T T A D E W I | 10

In general, feminism can be interpreted as a social movement to gain gender
equality in social, economic and political sectors. The definition is supported by
Baumgardner and Richard that
“feminism as a movement, meaning a group of working to accomplish
the specific goals. Those goals are social and political changesimplying that one must be engaged with the government and laws, as
well as with social practices and belief. And the implicit in these goals
is access to sufficient information to enable women to make the
responsible choices.
It can be interpreted that feminism has two goals; creating a social
group for”( 56 ).
feminism as a movement, meaning a group of working to accomplish the
specific goals. Those goals are social and political changes-implying that one must be
engaged with the government and laws, as well as with social practices and belief.
And the implicit in these goals is access to sufficient information to enable women to
make the responsible choices‖ (56). Moreover, Porter defines feminism as a
perspective that seeks to eliminate the subordination, oppression, inequalities safe and
secure from harm‖. From the definition, feminism is not only dealing with a
movement and a perspective, but feminism is also women‘s spirit to oppose and
transform social construction to gain equality radically (27). In more complex
definition Hooks writes :
Feminism is a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression.
it clearly states that the movement is not about being anti male, but it is clear that the
problem is sexism. To end sexism, we change our minds and hearts, until we let go
sexist thought and action and replace it with feminist though and action.

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M A R I T T A D E W I | 11

Echol explains that feminist movement have campaigned and continue to
campaign for woman’s right, including the right to vote, to hold public office, to fair
equal pay, to own property ,to education, to enter contacts, to have equal rights
within marriage and to have maternity leave. Feminist also worked to promote bodily
autonomy and integrity and to protect woman and girls from rape and domestic
violence. (30)
Feminism in general examines the roles of women in society and advocates
for women’s rights and opportunities. Over the past four decades, this movement has
had a significant effect on many fields, including literary criticism. The main practice
of feminist criticism has been to study how literary texts present or ignore women,
reinforcing biases or challenging them. The goal is to promote equality by ensuring
the fair representation. As Judith Fetterley puts it in her book The Resisting Reader,
“Feminist criticism is a political act whose aim is not simply to interpret the world
but to change it, by changing the consciousness of those who read and their relation
to what they read” (115 ).
Feminism enters the world of Literature can be seen from many feminist
theories put by many literary experts.Mary Wollstonecraft she writes about the
importance of equality between women and men inthe society. She also says that
women should be aware that women areconsidered as an inferior to men in the
society‘s perspective. Mellor (2002:par.1) Wollstonecraft argued thatfemales are in
all the most important aspects the same as male, possessing thesame soul, the same

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M A R I T T A D E W I | 12

mental capacities, and the same human rights". Thisstatement creates a new thought,
primarily the importance of equality in all
social institution for women. Furthermore, Mellor (2002:par.3) writes thatthe social
sector that is presented by Wollstonecraft is an equality ineducation and ownership of
household resources, including children. Then, Virginia Wolf becomes an important
figure on the new thinkingabout feminist literary criticism. According to Seldenand
Widdowson, the contribution of Wolf in the development offeminism by the two
works is "gender identity is socially constructed and can
be challenged and transformed . (207)
By the development of the feminism theory that is linked with literature,the
core of the development indicates women's movement has long occurred.The
developments could also mean that women demand to the change and thenew
thinking in other to transform their destiny. Despite their struggles isrestricted in the
social system which is not in favor for women, the women‘sthought not to accept the
stereotype is still grown. It happens because theybelieve the thought would not be
restricted by anything.
In simple meaning, feminism literary criticism has the objective to explore
thesocial value of women that present in literary works. It also uses to createliterary
works which contain thewomen‘s thoughts as a form of struggleagainst male
domination. Moreover, feminist literary criticism will awakenwomen to be active for
creating of literary works.

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M A R I T T A D E W I | 13

2.1.2

Black Feminism

According to Collin, Black feminism is a thought which argues that sexism,
class oppression, gender identity and racism are inextricably bound together. Black
feminism became popular in the 1960, in response to the sexism of the civil rights
movement and racism of the feminist movement. From the 1970 to 1980, black
feminist formed various groups which addressed the role of black woman (20).
The black feminist movement was formed to address the ways sexism,
racism, and classism influence the lives of black women whose needs were ignored
by the black men of the Black Liberation Movement and white women in the
Women's Movement. The movement has spawned several important organizations
which are committed to the struggle against all forms of oppression. They have
created a unique model for cross-class organization in which the needs of the poor are
not usurped by the needs of the middle-class and the wealthy.
Using the term Black Feminism, position African American woman
examine how the particular constellation of issues affecting black woman in United
States are part of issues women’s emancipation struggles globally. In a Black
Thought and Beyond, James writes, in the context of feminism as a global political
movement for women’s rights and emancipation, the patterns of feminist knowledge
and politics that African American women encounter in the United States represent
but a narrow segment refracted through the racial politics of white supremacy in the
United States. Because the media potrays feminism as a for whites only movement,
and because many white women have accepted this view of American apartheid that

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M A R I T T A D E W I | 14

leads to segregated institutions of all types. Including organizations, feminism is
often view by both black and whites as cultural property of white woman (5).
In 19th century America was conscious of the fact and true freedom of
human rights and equality. The participants from black woman like Alice Walker,
Soujourer Truth, Ana Cooper, Amanda Berry Smith broke silence and began to
articulate and record their experiences in World Congress of Representative Woman
1893, black activists gaining freedom as gaining the right as full citizen in American
culture (6).

2.1.3

Women’s Oppression

Women’s oppression happens as the cause of different treatment based on
gender that applied by the society. The inequality and gender discrimination affect
both women and men. It means that gender discrimination does not occur because of
difference in sex, but it is different treatment because of their gender. This different
treatment creates adistinction on the roles and social position between women and
men. Becauseof the discrimination, women suffer a lot of social restrictions on
private lifeand social life ( 46 ).
The oppression thus become some at the greater towards African woman. One
might say that the African woman has sixmountains on her back: one is oppression
from outside (colonialism andneo-colonialism), the second is from traditional

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M A R I T T A D E W I | 15

structures, feudal, slavebased, communal, etc.; the third is her backwardness (neocolonialism);the fourth is man; the fifth is her color, her race; and the sixth is
herself.We shall attempt to discuss these in their cultural significance ( 110 ).
According the novel The Color purple there are some oppression that include above,
those are the oppression because of man ( sexism ), and gender stereotypes. In several
times 'the family' is essential to the solution of some of the analytic and practical
problems encountered so far. In one sense it is ironic that this should be the case,
since it is precisely in terms of 'the family' that women have always apparently been
located.
Michele Barret writes 'says if

popular ideology and in a vast amount of

historical and intellectual work, is posed as self evidently the same whether they
speak of it in feudal, slave or capitalist societies, in the West, in the Soviet Union, in
Cuba. Even to conceptualize 'the family' is to concede the existence of an institution
that, in whatever historical context it is found, is essentially and naturally there. The
difficulties in context of 'family history' itself are spelled out very clearly (105).
Sulamith description family' embodies the central feature of contemporary
ideology of the family unit and women are defined in terms of their anatomy and
assumed to be 'naturally' dependent upon men. however, the family does not exist
other than as an ideological construct, since the structure of the household, , and the
ideology of 'the family' itself, have all varied enormously in different types society
(111).

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M A R I T T A D E W I | 16

A. Sexism

Sexism is both discrimination based on gender and the attitudes, stereotypes,
and the cultural elements that promote this discrimination. The preeminence of this
means of classification is evidence by the fact that people find it very difficult to
interact with someone when they are unsure of that person’s sex. Whereas social
relation are not necessarily hindered due to ignorance of another’s age or racial
background.

Unger and Sandra argues that sexism and delineate how it may occur at
individuals social, institutional and cultural levels. Individual sexism entails negative
cognitive biases against woman in the form of in group or out group categorization,
biases in evaluation attributions, and stereotypes (7). This particular feature of gender
stereotypes may contribute to women’s chronic disadvantage in the workplace by
restricting the work roles that are appropriate for women. Social sexism refers to
interaction between individuals that involve negative behaviours directed at targets as
a result of their gender.

In a article of sexism, Bell Hooks argued that woman in lower class and poor
groups. Particularly, whose are non white, would not have defined women’s
liberation as woman gaining social equality with men since they are continually
reminded in their everyday lives that all women don’t share a common social status.
According to novel Ain’t I a Woman Bell hook says that in American history,

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M A R I T T A D E W I | 17

when in every area of the country might have joined together to demand the social
equality for woman and impact of sexism in their social status, they was silent not to
against white woman liberation but they are silence because the oppressed. They are
not join because they couldn’t see womanhood as important aspect of their identity
(5).

B . Gender Stereotypes

A gender stereotypeis a generalised view or preconception about attributes, or
characteristics that are or ought to be possessed by women and men or the roles that
are or should be performed by men and women. Gender stereotypes can be both
positive and negative for example,“women are nurturing” or “women are weak”. A
stereotype is harmful when it limits women’s or men’s capacity to develop their
personal abilities, pursue their professional careers and make choices about their lives
and life plans. Both hostile/negative or seemingly benign stereotypes can be harmful.
It is for example based on the stereotype that women are more nurturing that child
rearing responsibilities often fall exclusively on them ( 7 ).
Gender stereotypes consist of belief about the psychological traits and
characteristic of, as well as, as the activities appropriate to men or women. Gender
roles are defines by behaviours, but gender stereotypes are beliefs and attitudes about
masculinity and feminity. The concepts of gender stereotypes tend to be related.
When people associate a pattern of behavior women and men, they may overlooked

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M A R I T T A D E W I | 18

individual variations and exceptions and come to believe that the behavior is
inevitably associated with one gender but not their. Therefore, gender roles furnish
the material for gender stereotypes. Therefore, the history, structure and function of
stereotypes are important topics in understanding the impact of gender on people’s
life. In the book entitled Gender stereotypes: Masculiniy and Feminity, Lewin says”
“Before 19th century, most people lived and worked on farms where
men and women worked together. The industrial revolution changed
the lives majority of people in Europe and North America by moving
men outside the home to earn money and leaving women at home to
manage household and children” (161).
This separation was unprecedented in history, forcing men and women to
adapt to different environments and roles. The women and men have their separate
areas influence. For women, the areas influence are home and children and mens
areas includes work at the outside.
Joseph writes, “The 19th century idealization of women also had implication
for men, who are seen as the opposite of woman in under of ways. Women were
passive, dependent, pure, refined and delicate. Men were active, independent, coarse
and strong (162).

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M A R I T T A D E W I | 19

2.1.4 Previous of Studies
The writer found some researcher who analysed this novel but with different
topic and theory.
The first researcher is Lya Zulfa Hanum from Diponegoro University, in her
thesis she analyses about Aspect Lesbian in main character Cellie in novel The
Color Purple and uses new criticism for analyse character and intrinsic, extrinsic
elements. In her thesis, she analysed about the relationship between Cellie and
Shug as lesbian aspect, but in my thesis l am analysed that the relationship
between Cellie and Shug are closed friends.
The second researcher is Maria Berg Jorgensen from Tromso University. In
her thesis she analyses about Women, Letter and The Empire ( the role of
epistolary narrative ) in The color Purple and uses post colonialism theory.
Maria is analysed the role of Cellie in novel as the main character and narrator in
that story of novel and l am analysed in the side of oppression and her struggles.
The third researcher is Goda Baltrusaityte from Amsterdam University. In his
thesis he analyses about Breaking The Boundaries of Masculine in novel The Color
Purple and uses methodological theory.
Goda is analysed the character of Shug that has masculine side as strong
woman and can saving by herself. It’s different with my thesis, because l am focus on
main character, Cellie.

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M A R I T T A D E W I | 20

CHAPTER III
ANALYSIS
As discussed in chapter two, feminist literary criticism focuses on theanalysis
of women‘s roles in the social life found in the literary works. Thisanalysis can be
conducted through the depiction of women, women‘s thoughts,and social
perspectives related to women in the literary works. In observing thephenomenon,
this research focuses on black women‘s oppression and their efforts to get their right
and voices.

A. The Oppression towards Cellie in The Color Purple
From the explanation above the writer focuses on the oppressions that Cellie
faced in her family, it is oppression she gets from her step father, her husband and her
step son just because she is a woman.
The Color Purple talks about the condition of a young black woman that
becomes a victim of rapes and beats of her step father. Cellie, a fourteen years old
African-American girl is sexually abused by her presumed father. Cellie manages to
save her younger sister Nettie from being abused like herself. Cellie's experience is so
horrifying that she cannot tell it to anyone, including her sick mother. She can only
write her sad experiences in letters to God because she feels ashamed to tell people
about her misfortunes. Cellie conceives two children out of her stepfather's constant

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M A R I T T A D E W I | 21

rape, a girl and a boy, both presumed to be stolen and killed by her stepfather. Cellie's
presumed father, (who would later turn to be her stepfather), Alphonso, takes
advantage of her because of her mother's physical and mental illness. Her illness is
the result of the murder of her first husband, Cellie's father. Cellie's mother dies and
Alphonso soon remarries but his marriage does not end Clelie's sexual abuse.
Alphonso marries Cellie off to a cruel widower with four children, who initially
wants to marry Cellie’s younger sister Nettie but Alphonso offers Cellie instead.
Cellie calls her husband" Mr.-" which reflects her silenced condition and his brutality.
1. Oppression towards Cellie in her family
A. Oppression from her step father.


Mental :

Cellie is a poor young black woman that get many oppressions in family . In
family she get oppression from her step father. This condition

includes sexist

oppression. Sexism is the oppression of gender. As a young children, Cellie can only
be silent about what happen to her because she has not brave enough to turn against
her step father. “You better not never tell nobody but God. It’d kill your mammy”(8).
Since her mother get sick, Cellie has to take over all the work in her home.
Her step father abused her and raped her. He treats Cellie not to tell other people
because it will make her mother die. Cellie didn’t have someone that will hear the
abuse from her step father because he has threaten her. The only one who will hear

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M A R I T T A D E W I | 22

Cellie’s oppression is God. Cellie begins writing her letter to God during many
abuses she get.
During Cellie’s mother sickness, Alphonso, presumed to be her ‘Pa’, rapes
Cellie saying that she has to fulfill his sexual needs. Cellie rejects it because her
father’s want is senseless. But Alphonso kept abusing her and didn’t care with what
Cellie is talking about. He rapes cellie brutally and this condition bring bad effect for
cellie’s psychology. Cellie becomes afraid and hate all man because she thinks that
all man is the same, that they like to abuse woman.“You gonna do what your mammy
wouldn’t.(11).
Cellie’s mother is sick for a long time. During her sickness, she can not fulfill
her husband’s sexual desire. In the other hand, her husband is a typical rude man that
often abuse her and her children, specially Cellie. He often abuse Cellie during her
mother sickness. That condition makes Cellie depressed of her mental.

When Cellie does not know what she will do, she just expresses all about her
oppression to God. She believes if God will change her condition to be better. she is
waiting for sign from God about what will happen in her life because she never feels
happy . She is the victim of sexist oppression from her step father. As a young black
woman, she can only be silent about anything that happens to her.
“ I am fourteen years old. I am I have always been a good girl. Maybe
you can give me asign letting me know what ishappening to me “ (8).

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M A R I T T A D E W I | 23

She asks for a sign to God in order to let her know what will happen to her.
Her step father always gives oppression and Cellie doesn’t know about what else to
do because she has no voices to express her oppression. In her age that still young she
getsmany oppressions, from her step father not only physical but also biological.

After Cellie’s mother died, she deliver the baby by herself because her step
father forbid other people to come to their house. Even when she becomes a mother,
her step father still tortures her by letting it her to deliver the baby by herself.

“She ast me bout the first one whose it is ? I say God’s. I don’t know
no other man or what else to say. When I start to hurtand then my
stomach start moving and thenthe little baby come out my pussy
chewing on it fist you could have knockme over with a feather”.
Don’t know body come see us”. ( 9 ).
When Cellie’s pregnant become big enough, she begin to feel hurt. Because
this is the first experience she is pregnant and she feel her baby will come out. No one
helps Cellie to deliver her baby, and she delivers it by her self. No one come to see
Cellie because her father forbid the neighbor to see her.

Cellie oppression does not stop at it. She lost her two children when she is
sleeping. Cellie’s know if these all her step father’s act. Alphonso sold Cellie’s
children to other people without telling Cellie. Alphonso took cellie’s children
without thinking what Cellie will feel being separated from her children. Although

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M A R I T T A D E W I | 24

Alphonso makes Cellie far away from her children, Cellie has no voices to oppose
Alphonso. However she always hopes that some day she will meet her children.

“He took it. He took it while I was sleeping. Kilt it out there in the
woods. Kill this one too, if he can”.“He act like he can’t stand me no
more. Say I’m evil an always up to no good. He took my other little
baby, a boy this time.But I don’t think he kilt it. I think he sold it to a
man an his wife over Monticello” ( 9-10 ).
Alphonso took Cellie’s children. For the first, he took the baby when Cellie is
sleeping and he told Cellie that he kill her baby. And in the other time, he took the
second baby of Cellie. Like in the first situation, he tell Cellie that he kill her baby in
wood. But Cellie did not believe that, she is sure that he sold her two children. After
Cellie deliver two children, she can’t be pregnant again because she is barrent.

Cellie’s mother died when she is not strong enough to know the condition
that happens to her family, especially to her daughter, Cellie. At the first time she is
not suspicious about her husband. But when she knows that her daughter’s stomach is
getting bigger in every months, she is shocked. Her mother think that Cellie has
sexual relation with her father during mother’s sickness. Her mother is cussing and
scream to Cellie. When her mother died, Cellie’s eldest brother is crying and say to
his mother not to let him alone. Until her mother died, Cellie never tell her mother
that Cellie is actually the victim of her father’s sexuall abuse.
“My mama dead. She die screaming and cussing. She scream at me.
She cuss at me. I’m big. I can’t move fast enough. Bytime I git back
from the well, the water be warm. By time I git the tray ready the food

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M A R I T T A D E W I | 25

be cold. By time I git all the children ready for school it be dinner
time. He don’t say nothing. He set there by the bed holding her hand
an crying, talking boutdon’t leave me, don’t go “ ( 9 ).
What happens to Cellie inside her family life portrays the oppression she gets
because of her gender. With her stomach getting bigger in every months, she must
keep doing her family’s household, especially, to take care her mother and her sister
and brother. She has to boil the water, cook and preparing for eldest brother to go to
the school. Unfortunately her mother died when she knows that her husband raped
her daughter, Cellie until she is pregnant. After her step father know that Cellie
pregnant, he tells Cellie to drop out from the school and asks her to stay at home.

Cellie is one of the victims of abuse done by some men. She always get the
oppression from men that she ever met. Mr- looks like a good man when the first
time he comes to Cellie’s home. Cellie has sufficient time to Mr- because he looks
wise and say nothing when her step father saying him about Cellie. Moreover, Mrdefends Cellie when her father sold her. It makes Cellie appreciate him and she hope
Mr- will give happiness to her. But this condition is different when Cellie have
married with mr- . Her condition is the same as when she lives with her father. He is
full of oppression.
“She ugly. He say. But she ain’t no stranger to hard work. And
she clean. And God done fixed her. You can do everything just
like you want too and she ain’t gonna make you feed it or
clothe it. Mr. still don’t say, I go to git rid of her. She too old to
be living here at home. And she a bad influence on my other
girls. She had come with her own linen. She can take cow she
raise down there back of the crib. But nettie you flat out can’t

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M A R I T T A D E W I | 26

have. Not now. Not never. Mr. finally speak. Clearing his
throat. I ain’t never really look at that one, he say. Well, next
time you come you can look at her. She ugly. Don’t even look
like she kin to nettie, but she’ll make better wife. She ain’t
smart either, and l’ll just be fair, you have to watch her or
she’ll give away everything you own. But she worklike a
man”. (14)
Cellie’s step father doesn’t want Mr. to take Nettie away from him because
Nettie is still young and prettier than Cellie. He would rather Mr. take Cellie because
she is ugly and means nothing to him. He tells Mr. that she will make a better wife
because she works hard and Nettie doesn’t. He is only lying to mr. because he wants
to keep Nettie and doesn’t care about Cellie.



Sexual :

Cellie is still fourteen years old. But she has to feel many bad conditions. The
first time she assumed that her father is her blood father. But after she gets many bad
behavior from him, she becomes aware that he is not her step father. He rapes Cellie
in her young age. He never thought what effect will happen to her and he never
regrets it.
“ First he put his thing up gainst my hip and sort of wiggle it
around.Then he grab hold my titties. Then he push his thing inside my
pussy. When that hurt, I cry. He start to choke me, sayingYou better
shut up and git used to it” ( 8 ).
The quotation portrays the scene of Cellie’s getting raped by her step father.
Because of that, Cellie is pregnant. Although her stomach gets bigger than before, she

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M A R I T T A D E W I | 27

still has