Symbolism in the Color Purple by Alice Walker Essay

Symbolism is one of the major elements in The Color Purple by Alice Walker. The womans search for something she has never experienced is the symbolization of the mankinds search for love and happiness. The meaning of names, occupations, power, pants, cloth, words, eyes, frogs, starts, shell, stamps are only few examples of the symbols used by the author and are very important in understanding not only the characters of the story, but also global values such as love, power, mutual understanding, and authority over another persons life. The purple color itself symbolizes love in the story. When Celie is shopping for the first time in her life for new clothes, she wants to get something purple. However, she cannot find any†¦show more content†¦Sex is something Sofia is able to control and it empowered her to fight Harpo when he tried to reduce her to the status of an object. Even the names of the characters are symbolic. It seems that the usage of names is the authors favorite way to identify how much power one character has over another. Celie is unable to call Mr.em_/emem_ by his first name and lacks any power over him . The power of names is most vividly described in the relationships of Harpo and Squeak. As long as Squeak is called so, she is powerless to defend herself. Celie notices that Squeak is much like herself in actions and obeying. However, after being raped, Squeak points to Harpo that her name is Mary Agnes and demanding to be called so she asserts herself as an independent person demanding respect . The occupations of characters also have symbolic meaning and represent not only the social status of each person but also the strength of the individuals. Sophia becomes a servant and is subjected to the status that Harpo has fought with her to achieve. She is the symbol of the indecisiveness which needs to be fought against. Shug is independent because she works for herself. She represents a confidence in life and is a strong individual . The similar independence is offered to Mary Agnes when she becomes a singer like Shug. Marys decision is a symbol of ability to change ones own life and reach someShow MoreRelatedLiterary Elements of The Color Purple Essay1090 Words   |  5 PagesAlice Walker may seem the usual type of author that is ordinary in her writing. Actually, she is not. She uses a different method to make us feel the suspense of the story with vivid details. You only live life once so why not take advantage of it? In The Color Purple, Celie’s life is the co ntrary. You may ask why, but there are people out there who are afraid to speak up. Alice Walker seemed to portray this novel very well making it seem realistic. The tone Walker used in the novel seemed confessionalRead MoreLiterary Analysis: The Color Purple Essay1388 Words   |  6 Pagesthe 1960s. In her renowned book The Color Purple, Alice Walker narrates the journey of an African American woman, Celie Johnson (Harris), who experiences racism, sexism, and enduring hardships throughout the course of her life; nonetheless, through the help of friends and family, she is able to overcome her obstacles and grow into a stronger, more self-assured individual. While there are numerous themes transpiring throughout the course of the novel, the symbolism is one of the strongest prospectsRead MoreColors And Independence In Alice Walkers The Color Purple1555 Words   |  7 Pages Alice Walker’s masterpiece, The Color Purple, uses ordinary things such as clothes, colors, jobs, and money as strong symbolism. In this book, pants symbolize independence. Pants change the way society views and treats a person. They also convey that a person is strong, confident, free, and equal to others. Alice Walker shows the reader how wearing pants can have a big effect on a person’s life, especially if that person is a woman in the early twentieth century. From the beginning of time to lessRead MoreThe Meaning Of Heritage In The Color Purple By Alice Walker771 Words   |  4 Pages1944 in Eatonton, Georgia, Alice Walker grew up as the youngest sibling in a poor family. As a Civil Rights activist, Walker fought for the equality of all African-Americans. She is best known for her novel The Color Purple which was published in 1982. In 1973, she released the story collection In Love and Trouble which included the short story â€Å"Everyday Use.† Alice Walker’s â€Å"Everyday Use† displays the theme of the meaning of heritage through irony and symbolism. Walker uses irony, which resultsRead MoreAmayrani Lopez. Mr. Sahr. Honors American Literature. 21199 Words   |  5 PagesAmayrani Lopez Mr. Sahr Honors American Literature 2 March 2017 The Color Purple Background Information Alice Walker, the author, was born on February 9, 1944 in Eatonton, Georgia. She was the youngest daughter of sharecroppers and grew up poor. When Walker was eight years old, she was shot in the right eye with a BB pellet while playing with two of her brothers. After she got shot in the eye, a whitish scar tissue formed, and she became self-conscious of this visible mark. She found solace inRead More the color purple Essay examples1243 Words   |  5 Pages Color of Purple is a Novel by Alice Walker, published in 1982. It won a Pulitzer Prize in 1983. A feminist novel about an abused and uneducated black womans struggle for empowerment, the novel was praised for the depth of its female characters and for its eloquent use of black English vernacular. African-American people have had to climb over many obstacles to get to their position today. First, was the selling of their people into slavery. Then, they endured slavery itself, being treated likeRead MoreThe Color Purple by Alice Walker 1042 Words   |  4 Pages In the novel, the color purple, Alice Walker said â€Å"A girl is nothing to herself; only to her husband can she become something. What can she become? I asked. Why, she said, the mother of his children. But I am not the mother of anybody’s children, I said, and I am something†, clearly supporting the idea that self-actualization is independent from gender roles. It’s this sense of self-actualization and how it leads to empowerment that the minor characters in the color purple consistently conveyedRead MoreAlice Malsenior6001 Words   |  25 PagesAlice Walker: Peeling an Essence As an African- American novelist, short–story writer, essayist, poet, critic, and editor, Alice Walker’s plethora of literary works examines many aspects of African American life as well as historical issues that are further developed by Walker’s unique point of view. Writers like Alice Walker make it possible to bring words and emotions to voices and events that are often silenced. Far from the traditional image of the artist, she has sought what amounts to aRead MoreAnalysis Of Silko s Yellow Woman And Walker s Everyday Use2041 Words   |  9 Pagesdrawn to traditions of the past. First, I will show how identity is a common factor in both stories and plays such a large role in connecting the main characters and their past traditions. Second, I will illustrate how both stories are linked to symbolism, which will give proof to my claim that they are inherently drawn to their past traditions. Finally, I will show that the use of irony plays a part in both storie s and is another example of being inherently drawn to traditions of the past. LeslieRead MoreFinding Your Voice: an Analysis of the Color Purple1864 Words   |  8 PagesFinding Your Voice: An Analysis of The Color Purple â€Å"Who do you think you is? he say... Look at you. You black, you pore, you ugly, you a woman. Goddam, he say, you nothing at all.† (187) Alice Walker, the author of The Color Purple, focuses on the struggles of a poor and uneducated African American girl, who is verbally, physically and sexually abused by several men in her life. She feels worthless and becomes completely submissive. Her only way to express her feelings is through private