AN OVERVIEW OF GENDER OPPRESSION AND BLACK FEMINISM IN ALICE WALKER'S THE COLOR PURPLE

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to examine the novel The Color Purple, written by Alice Walker, in relation to gender and black feminism. The article also shows black men's violence against black women, as well as an internalized system of brutality that has significantly affected black women's lives. The novel depicts the story of Celie, a black woman living in rural Georgia who is abused by her stepfather and her husband. The novel indirectly portrays the life of a black woman in the 1930s and the difficulties associated with women's poor social status in American society. The story takes place in a time when there was great tension between races in society and blacks were considered inferior beings in society. More specifically, black people in the novel are oppressed and pushed into a lower class, not only because of their skin color, but also because they are women.