The Color Purple Research Paper

Disruption of Traditional Gender Roles

There have been many powerful women in history who have left their mark by changing the status quo. For instance, Oprah Winfrey was the first African-American women to become a billionaire. In addition, Ruth Bader Ginsburg serves today in the United Stated Supreme Court. Hillary Rodham Clinton is the United States Secretary of State in the exact place where once woman were forbidden to participate in politics. Also, when it comes to news and special reports, the best is Barbara Walters. According to Forbes, the world’s most powerful celebrity is Béyonce Knowles, who earns $115M a year. Five of the ten world’s most powerful celebrities, as said by Forbes, are women. All of them have something

By using a variety of diverse characters, Alice Walker breaks the restrictions of traditional male and female gender roles. On page 39 of the novel a female character, Sofia, declares, “All my life I had to fight. I had to fight from my daddy. I had to fight from my brothers. I had to fight my cousins and uncles. A girl child ain’t safe in a family of men [..] I’ll kill him (Harpo) dead before I let him beat me.” (The Color Purple by Alice Walker, 1982) This statement shows that Sofia is strong, confident, brave, and outspoken. Sofia is the opposite of what a “normal” female should look like or act like - passive and submissive. Another female character Alice Walker used was Shug Avery. According to the traditional gender roles, a “normal” woman had to dress properly. The character Shug Avery didn’t followed societal restrictions. “And she (Shug Avery) dress to kill. She got on a red wool dress and chestful of black beads. A shiny black hat with what looks loke chickinhawk feathers […] A shiny black hat with what looks loke chickinhawk feathers […] She looks so stylish it like the trees all round the house draw themselves up tall for a better look.” (The Color Purple by Alice Walker, 1982) In order to break the limitations of traditional male gender roles, Alice established some men to be insecure, emotionally weak, sweet, and

As a result, today people are continuing disrupting traditional gender roles. One place that is still working to eliminate the traditional gender roles is Syracuse University. According to an article written by Kathleen Haley, the Syracuse University is creating a more inclusive institution for woman, extend the networks of women mentors, and with founding from the National Science Foundation looks forward to help woman in the STEM fields through recruitment, retention, and