Archetypal Rape In The Color Purple

187 Words1 Pages
Similarly to the previous novel analyzed, in The Color Purple there are some references to the dimension of voice and silence which are considered to be symbolical by some scholars. In her research, Martha J. Cutter points to the connection between Celie`s rape and the Greek mythology (2000). She states that some African American women writers uses the concept of archetypal rape in order to present women`s subjection and inferiority to men. Philomela, the mythological protagonist of this story, is raped by her brother-in-law who cuts her tongue so she is not able to tell anyone what has happened to her. Similarly, Celie is forbidden to tell anyone about the rape. Her attempts to tell about what has happened to her are nullified. She is supposed