`The Color Purple`

Wai Lwin Phyo

December 19 , 2008

English 111

Professor Dr . Schwarz

The themes of Violence , Suffering and Racism in The Color Purple ' -

There are many themes like unconditional love , awakening , spiritual transcendence , empathy etc , which are portrayed in The Color Purple However , the major themes of the novel are that of Violence , Suffering and Racism , which is portrayed beautifully by Alice Walker through out the novel

Alice Walker 's The Color Purple is the story of a black woman who is physically beaten , sexually abused , and dominated for

almost thirty years . It is novel that delves with the theme of domestic violence which is portrayed and developed through the character sketch of Celie and other female characters . The two women who suffer the most in the novel and are physically abused are Celie and Sofia

Celie suffers through her mistreatment at the hands of her stepfather and her husband . She is repeatedly raped and twice impregnated by the man she believes to be her father . She is oppressed and subdued by her father and husband through out the novel . She responds to this treatment by becoming unemotional and submissive

Sofia also experiences abuse in her childhood and her marriages . She tries to fight her domestic violence by being violent herself . Due to her size and her strength , she dares to stand up to her oppressor . So unlike Celie she proves her strength in the face of violence

The two most abused women in the novel , Celie and Sofia , form...