How Does Alice Walker Use Feminism In The Color Purple

Finding fulfillment in life is something everyone struggles to achieve no matter their circumstances. It becomes exponentially more difficult when a person leads a life riddled with misfortune and imperfect situations. In Alice Walker’s novel The Color Purple, Celie struggles with abusive relationships and expectations to be subservient. She is unable to find happiness in these situations. Despite the struggles of her life, Celie becoming increasingly independent gives her an increasing amount of contentedness in her life. As she grows her feminist outlook through the encouragement of Shug and Sofia, Celie becomes more proud of herself and is able to live without worrying about her abusers. She transforms as she gains an understanding of feminism

She continues to progress from subservient and unhappy to independent and content. This is further established and proven through the influence of the character Shug. While Sofia starts the change in Celie, it is Shug who solidifies and builds upon it. Again, we see a passionate female character who is diametrically opposed in all ways to Celie. The author states “like Sofia, Shug is everything that Celie is not” (Martin 33). It is once more the encouragement of a strong and happy female character that helps Celie advance as an independent person. It is a foil of Celie that shows her the merits of changing her mentality. While Sofia planted the seed, it was Shug who cultivated truly shaped Celie’s feminism. Shug is able to convince Celie to not only leave her husband and go to Tennessee, Celie also is able to become financially independent, something hardly seen in women, let alone a black woman. It is Shug that makes the option of feminism and changing lifestyles completely open to Celie. And due to that, Celie turns into a new woman, finally contented with herself. She is able support herself without relying on someone else through her pant business, find joy in an unconventional love, and live the life she wants, not the one she wishes to leave. While her experiences are what make her Celie, it is the intervention of Shug and Sofia that turn her from a uneasy shell into a