Masculinity in The Color Purple

Throughout The Color Purple gender stereotypes are discussed and questioned. Feminism is shown greatly through the characters of Shug and Sofie. Masculinity however is not as directly addressed. The two major male characters examined are Albert and Harpo. Albert is shown to be the stereotypical male of this setting. He is abusive and dominant to Celie, as demonstrated on page 22. He feels that women are meant to simply conform to male power. Harpo on the other hand is displayed as a rare case. He at first questions a system which would give him power above others. On page 22 he is the reason Albert attempts to justify his opinion. However Harpo does eventually just go along with the system, as shown by his discussion with Celie on page 63. As Harpo states the same ideas as his father, that women should simply fall in line, it gives the sense that men not only follow those before them in what they believe is right, but they also become stubborn in the idea that it can not change. Though Harpo is dominated by his own wife, he refuses to accept that men are not intended to always control women. THe statements made by Celie in this passage concerning Shug, also then support the control that women have over men. Albert loves Shug, and therefore respects her. Shug is able to manipulate Albert even though she's a woman, because she has his emotions.