Comparing Alice Walker's 'Things They Carried And Myth'

From Harm to Wholeness Bad luck does not last forever, but only for a season. Misfortune can come from anywhere and anyone. The protagonists from Alice Walker’s The Color Purple, Tim O’Brien’s “Things They Carried”, and the Helena Maria Viramontes’ The Moths use personal strength from the pains of harsh circumstances to combat their adversity. Through Celie’s, Lieutenant Cross’s, and “The Moths’” protagonist’s hardships, they are all able to overcome their past and look forward for what is to come.

Celie, from Walker’s The Color Purple, has an unfortunate life. Celie’s Pa rapes her. Celie is given into marriage without her own consent. Mr. withholds her letters from her beloved sister from Celie. She gets abused by her husband in law, Mr.. Celie’s children grow up without knowing about their birth mother. The only phrase to describe Celie’s life in The Color Purple is messed up. Celie’s inherent freedom is plundered by the abusive men around her. For the entirety of Celie’s youth, she believed that Pa, the father to her two children, was her father. Pa and mammy, Celie’s adopted parents have repetitively engrained in Celie and her sister Nettie that Pa was their father. This is so extreme that Celie did not know Pa’s name until he was dead. Pa knew that Celie thought that they have committed

Sophia, Shug, and Nettie are a strong, independent women who instructed Celie to fight Mr.. Nettie advised Celie that “[you] need to fight” and Celie responded that “I [do not] know how to fight. All I know is how to stay alive” (17). Celie thought that quiet being submissive was the only way to stay alive. Nettie said to fight and Celie thinks she is dead. Sophia fought the Mayor and the white townspeople beat her up so badly that Celie was shocked that Sophia survived. Celie believed that when women especially black women fought then they would be killed by the white people and black males that oppressed