Vis-à-vis the time period, Alice Walker’s idiosyncratic characters go against the gender norms and challenge the stereotypes created by society. The Color Purple brings forth Shug Avery, the bold, outspoken, vivacious woman who liberates herself by doing as she pleases, with complete disregard to the judgement of others. The novel illuminates the fact that men could sleep with as many women as they pleased and talk with blatant vulgarity, but if a woman did the same, it was regarded as an unspeakable act, and they, like Shug, could be labeled as a tramp. Alice Walker also creates Celie, the abused letter writer of the story. At first, Celie adhered to gender norms, by being submissive and accepting of rape and abuse, but eventually, along with discovering her sexual identity, stands up for herself and finds light in her life again. Harpo is another strong character divulged from the novel. …show more content…
Unlike most men at the time, Harpo does not routinely beat women to assert his dominance. Although he attempted to hit Sofia after being cajoled by Celie, Sofia held her own against him and refused to be harmed. Her fierce, strong personality contrast with Harpo’s dramatically. Sofia is a fighter, that much is clear, both physically and emotionally. With her use of strong, unique characters, Alice is able to change the way people viewed women and men. Whether Walker wrote the story to challenge the views of the readers, or they were her own ideas of breaking stereotypes, her narration and characters reflect the redefinition of gender norms in The Color