Personal Identity In Alice Walker's The Color Purple

Alice Walker is one of the best known of African-American writers. In 1982, Walker published her most famous novel, The Color Purple. The novel is written in an epistolary form. Ita has also been made into a movie by Steven Spielberg and into a musical. The novel primarily focuses on the problems that the African-American women faced in the 20th century in the south of the United States depicted on the example of Celie, who came through a number of events and finally managed to self-actualize herself in a world that was hostile to her.

The Color Purple unleashed a storm of controversy; a number of male African-American critics complained that the novel reaffirmed old racist stereotypes. Nevertheless, the Color Purple also had its supporters,

It is just a utopian vision, yet it encourages the hope for a better future for an ethnic minority. Through Celie’s wondrous transformation, African American women - past, present, and future—can envision a better world in which to live. Lesbian relationship leads Celie to self-realization, finding her personal identity, and, as a result, she realizes herself as a woman with dignity. Thanks to this relationship she learns about her sexuality and inner power, at once she feels respect for herself. In such a way of discovering own body, for the first time Celie clearly understands the natural beauty of her body. Consequently, she grows physically and emotionally, she learns about her beauty and sexuality and realizes her truly woman’s power. Celie’s first natural sexual experience appears to be the first step on her way to step away from oppressive male domination. Moreover, Celie comes to the realization of her longtime oppressed position and decides to struggle against it. The real revolution was made in Celie’s self-perception. She realizes herself as a woman, and no longer perceive herself as the object, which men may use for personal purposes. Thus, she becomes able to create, as LaGrone depicts it, “the Womanist Blues” which reveals the historical background of the South American community and finally wins over the “Violence Blues” (LaGrone