In the novel The Color Purple, the author, Alice Walker, presents an interesting dichotomy throughout the story, one that consists of feminism, male dominance, and different forms of rebellion. There is a certain dichotomy presented when looking at the different female characters, and this is prevalent throughout the book.
First of all, Celie, the main character, is probably the least rebellious of the three most significant women in this novel, and she is characterized as weak and conforming to the men in society, who take advantage of and threaten the women. Unfortunately, Celie embodies the stereotypes of African-American women at the time. This idea is reinforced when Celie explains that she never gets angry: "I can't even remember the last time I felt mad" (47). On the other hand, there is Sofia, Harpo's wife.
She is on the other extreme, not listening to her husband at all, and beating him if he even tries. For instance, when Sofia finds that Celie told Harpo to beat her, Celie justifies it by saying: "I say it cause you do what I can't. What's that? she say. Fight. I say" (46). Celie shows jealousy of Sofia, because she is essentially who she looks up to. Sofia is shown as a strong and independent woman, refusing to submit to the norms of society, which is the idea of male dominance. This is also displayed when Sofia assaults the mayor, when he asks her to be his maid. She does not want to conform to a man all her life, and she is the embodiment of a strong feminist.
Lastly , we have Shug Avery. She is a famous singer, one that Celie has strong feelings for. She is in between the other two woman, primarily acting as a support for Celie throughout. She sympathizes with her, even staying with Celie until her husband stops beating her. On her own, however, Shug is relatively independent, at least when referring to Albert, Celie's husband. She doesn't say anything to him about beating Celie, but does not let him do anything he wants to her specifically. There is also a very strange contrast between how men, specifically Albert, acts around Shug and Celie. With Shug, he acts shy, nervous, and even scared. However, with Celie, he does whatever he wants. This is another idea that supports the fact that Celie is a lot weaker than Shug in terms of fighting.
As we can see, there is a very strange dichotomy between how these three women act, and very different outcomes of their stories.
First of all, Celie, the main character, is probably the least rebellious of the three most significant women in this novel, and she is characterized as weak and conforming to the men in society, who take advantage of and threaten the women. Unfortunately, Celie embodies the stereotypes of African-American women at the time. This idea is reinforced when Celie explains that she never gets angry: "I can't even remember the last time I felt mad" (47). On the other hand, there is Sofia, Harpo's wife.
She is on the other extreme, not listening to her husband at all, and beating him if he even tries. For instance, when Sofia finds that Celie told Harpo to beat her, Celie justifies it by saying: "I say it cause you do what I can't. What's that? she say. Fight. I say" (46). Celie shows jealousy of Sofia, because she is essentially who she looks up to. Sofia is shown as a strong and independent woman, refusing to submit to the norms of society, which is the idea of male dominance. This is also displayed when Sofia assaults the mayor, when he asks her to be his maid. She does not want to conform to a man all her life, and she is the embodiment of a strong feminist.
Lastly , we have Shug Avery. She is a famous singer, one that Celie has strong feelings for. She is in between the other two woman, primarily acting as a support for Celie throughout. She sympathizes with her, even staying with Celie until her husband stops beating her. On her own, however, Shug is relatively independent, at least when referring to Albert, Celie's husband. She doesn't say anything to him about beating Celie, but does not let him do anything he wants to her specifically. There is also a very strange contrast between how men, specifically Albert, acts around Shug and Celie. With Shug, he acts shy, nervous, and even scared. However, with Celie, he does whatever he wants. This is another idea that supports the fact that Celie is a lot weaker than Shug in terms of fighting.
As we can see, there is a very strange dichotomy between how these three women act, and very different outcomes of their stories.
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