摘 要

1. Introduction 2

1.1 Research background 2

1.2 Literature review 3

1.3 Need of the study 5

2. The Theory of Womanism 6

2.1 Definition 6

2.2 Origin, development and schools 6

2.3 Alice Walker’s Womanism 8

3. The relationship between the female images in light of womanism 9

3.1 Sofia: The Influence by Sofia in the Formation of Celie’s Racial Consciousness 9

3.2 Shug: The Influence by Shug in Celie’s Woman Selfhood and Consciousness 11

3.3 Nettie: The Influence by Nettie in Celie’s Cultural Identity 13

3.4 Reconstruction of Celie’s Woman Subjective Self⁃hood 15

4. The Significance of Alice Walker’s Womanism 16

4.1 Alice Walker’s Role as An Initiator of Womanism 16

4.2 Alice Walker’s Role in “The Spiral of Silence” 16

4.2.1 “The Spiral of Silence” 16

4.2.2 “The Spiral of Silence” in The Color Purple 17

5. Conclusion 19

References 21

Abstract

Many scholars confirm The Color Purple contributing significance on the developing progress of literature and make a research in different aspects; however, from the perspective of Alice Walker’s womanism, which is still of great significance, but not as much research as before. Under the framework of the womanism, the thesis analyzes womanism’s origin, development and specially Alice Walker’s womanism. On this basis, the relationship between each heroine and Celie and the impact of this relationship on Celie are analyzed. Therefore, I hope that this research will bring some enlightenment on womanism.

Keywords: Alice Walker’s womanism; Females images

中文摘要

许多学者确认了《紫色》对文学发展进程的贡献意义，并从不同的角度进行了研究，从艾丽丝·沃克的妇女主义的角度来看，它仍具有重大意义，但近年来研究不多。在妇女主义的框架下，本文分析了妇女主义的起源、发展以及艾丽丝·沃克的妇女主义。在此基础上，分析了每一个女性形象之间的关系及其对西丽的影响。因此，希望本研究对妇女主义的相关研究有所启发。

关键词：艾丽丝 沃克的妇女主义；女性形象

Introduction

1.1 Research background

Alice Walker, the most famous black female writer, was born in Georgia in 1944. She was gifted and received a good education in her early years. She worked tirelessly for the rights of black women through writing. Since 1950, she had actively participated in the American feminist movement and had repeatedly publicized her speech supporting women's independence. In the mid-1960s, Walker published her first book of poetry on the political stage. There are many excellent works in her entire writing career. These works also won countless honors and awards for her. In 1973, Walker won the Lillian Smith Award from the National Foundation and in 1982, The Color Purple, her masterpiece, was considered as a portrayal of the hard work and tenacity of black women. The fiction won many awards, including the Pulitzer Prize.

This masterpiece is an epistolary fiction, most of letters are written by the heroine Celie to God and her sister Nettie, and some are Nettie's reply. The story took place in South America before World War II. Celie's father died when she was little. Due to mental disorders, her mother lost her self-care ability, and the children's lives were even more insecure. Her stepfather married her mother without any emotions. However, Celie and Nettie didn’t know the fact. Unfortunately,her stepfather raped Celie at her age of 14, and all her babies were dropped by her stepfather. Later, she unwillingly married an old man to take care of several children. At that time, like most black women, she was as busy as a slave all day in a so-called family that only used her as a farm animal. She lived very miserably. Celie is not alone in the process of becoming an independent woman, but has been helped by many people including Shug, Nettie, and Sofia. As a black woman, Celie embarked on the road of self-consciousness under the torment of patriarchal society and culture, and eventually became independent. This fiction reveals racial and gender inequity suffered by black women during that period. Alice Walker tries to deconstruct patriarchal cultural consciousness and gender order, and highlight the strong womanism.

1.2 Literature review

Research abroad

The research on The Color Purple by foreign scholars can mainly be divided into several aspects. Firstly, some scholars argue about the definition of purple. Secondly, the heroine Celie was the core of research. There are also womanists views abroad. Black womanism is used to help black women. Foreign scholars have studied it intensively. Some scholars declare that women’s awakening about themselves can win the real independence. As for other aspects, American scholar Bernard Bell (2000) pointed out in The Afro-American Novel and Its Tradition that the theme of The Color Purple is another possibility for the lives of black women and what they can do to achieve other lifestyles. For Celie, homosexuality (not heterosexuality) is the way to go. In summary, the study by foreign scholars is relatively mature, which contains certain reference value.

Domestic research

The Color Purple is a popular piece of Alice Walker in our country. CNKI has more than 1500 papers on it. Since the first article on The Color Purple was published in 1986, the research on it has shown a diversified trend. Its research can be divided into three aspects: First, the interpretation of womanism. It holds that womanism is the link that runs through the tradition of modern African-American women's literature. It embodies the ideal state of existence of black womanism, emphasizes the popularity of womanism in different historical backgrounds, and fills in the blank of black womanists literature tradition under the strong "white-male" tradition, Sun (2004) concluded. Secondly, it describes the dominant ideology in it from the perspective of male violence, which prevents men from correctly understanding themselves and their black compatriots, Wu (2005) summarized. Thirdly, from the perspective of ecofeminism, Li (2010) analyzes that in the face of the current social situation, both nature and women are at a disadvantage, and they are suffering from torture and injury from all sides.

Among the papers analyzing womanism , one aspect is the analysis of the reason that cause Celie’s awakening. Liang (2018) believes that only true love can help one woman to awaken another. Celie and Shug are friends, sisters, families and lovers. It conveys the idea that woman can support and comfort each other not only materially, emotionally and spiritually, but also sexually. Jing (2013) analyzes the reasons that cause Celie’s awakening. The main reason is love. Love in it can be divided into two kinds. The first kind is love between Celie and Nettie. This kind of love finally give Celie courage to fight. This kind of relationship encloses Celie with bravery, too. Therefore, the essence of love is the reason that black women awake and are against black man’s brutality. Gao (2014) discusses the important role of sisterhood for Celie's.

Other aspects include analyzing Celie, her husband and mothers in this novel. Qi (2018) mainly talked about Celie’s awakening and the relationship between her and her husband. In wider perspective, both black male and female finally get coexisted. Wan (2009) studied the image of black women in this novel from the perspective of mother—Sophia’s mother and Celie’s mother. Both of them don’t have their own name in this novel, which exactly means black female is not an individual but a part of black male. Yong (2018) analyzed how Celie changed herself step by step and built her new life in the process of building gender and ethnic identity. Zeng (2017) mainly explained Alice Walker’s womanism including humanitarianism and ecologism from two aspects of sexual discrimination and racial discrimination.

1.3 Need of the study

As for the need of the study, first, womanism has never stopped being studied in the past few decades. Womanist campaigns and movements are generally considered a main force behind major historical societal changes for women’s rights, particularly in the West. Female consciousness often appears in many masterpieces and has obtained wide attention. Besides, in modern society, gender inequality, women’s suffrage, and the right to enter into one’s own property etc, have aroused great social attention. In short, womanism is inseparable from our daily life. Secondly, the female characters in The Color Purple have their distinct personalities and different ideas about life, especially its heroine Celie who has a strong personal color. Celie, a complicated and special woman, intends to subvert the role that the patriarchal society imposes on her and manages to change her destiny by herself. It might be of great help for the readers to learn from her independence, fortitude, and courage. This novel deserves a thorough research especially from the perspective of Alice Walker’s womanism. Women have to keep independent personalities in different relationships. In the process of liberation, there is no other way.

It is therefore concluded that although many scholars have discussed and studied Alice Walker's womanism, there is still siginificance on the womanism in The Color Purple. Among them, the research on Celie's image is the focus of previous scholars. They focused on the process and causes of Celie's awakening. Most scholars' research did not focus on other women's images, instead they just mentioned the images roughly in the process of studying the awakening of Celie's female consciousness. This thesis will focus on the other women's images—Sofia, Shug, and Nettie and how the relationships change Celie step by step. How does this embody Alice Walker's black feminist ideology and what is the significance of Alice Walker’s womanism? To sum up, the study can provide some enlightening thoughts on the womanism as well as enhance the readers’ reinterpretation of the novel from a woman’s critical perspective.

2. The Theory of Womanism

2.1 Definition

Womanism, as a branch of black Feminism, appeared in the early 1980s. At that time, more and more black women scholars were devoting themselves to rectifying racial prejudice and gender prejudice in women's studies and organizations both inside and outside the academic circles. They were increasingly inclined to emphasize that the fate of women in the third world and women of all colored races are mostly the same. It is in order to distinguish this radical movement from black feminism and to show opposition to the "separatist" tendencies implied in "black feminism" that Alice Walker advocates the use of the term "womanism". Womanism is deeply rooted in African cultural traditions, including Alice Walker. Womanism requires black (especially black women) writers and literary critics to devote themselves to the survival and perfection of all people, including men and women. The purpose of works of womanism is to expose the harm in both racial and gendered to black, to awaken the national consciousness of black people, to achieve the harmony of two sexes within the nation, and to build an ideal paradise of peaceful coexistence of women with colored men and women.

2.2 Origin, development and schools

The term "womanism" was first proposed by Walker in 1981 when she discussed black "homosexual women". She believed that it was inappropriate or uncomfortable to use "lesbians" to refer to black women under any circumstances. She argued that black women who love women (whether they have sex or not) only imagine themselves as complete women - women who love other women as well as their fathers, brothers, sons and other men.

Therefore, the more appropriate word should be Womanist rather than lesbian. Walker believes that the meaning of Womanist is broader and richer than black women's "preferential choice of homosexuality, preferential choice of cohabitation with homosexuality. “Womanist”: The first thing that must be affirmed is the connection with the whole black community, not the separation from the whole world. Since then, under the influence of the very active research work on black women in the 1980s, Walker formed the rudiment of womanism.

Black critics who have made outstanding contributions to the development and perfection of womanism theory include Chai Ogunyemi Amy and Shirley Ann Williams (Shui,2004) In his article "Women's Doctrine: The Dynamics of Contemporary Black Women's English Novels", Ogunyemi pointed out: "On the issue that a white woman writer may become a feminist, a black woman writer may become a ‘womanist’, because while focusing on gender issues, the womanism ideology also considers a series of issues such as race, culture, nationality, economy and politics. "(Chai Ogunyemi Amy, 1997) Obviously, like Walker, Ogunyemi believes that the primary task of womanism is to combat gender discrimination and racial discrimination and class oppression. Sherry Ann Williams is also an active advocate of Walker's woamnism. In her 1986 paper "Some Implications of Womanist Theory", she expressed her great concern about the separation tendency of black feminist criticism, because black feminist criticism only studies the works of black women writers and black women writers. To avoid womanism falling into the same dilemma, Williams clearly pointed out that “womanist research... It is believed that womanist research on men can be both effective and fruitful.” All in all, each school has its own value and significance.

2.3 Alice Walker’s Womanism

Alice Walker defines it as follows: Firstly, "Womanist is a black or colored feminist", "Womanist" comes from womanish, and womanish usually refers to women's "brave, bold, amazing action" and firm, confident attitude towards life. "Womanism" conveys the survival wisdom of black women.Walker argues that the women's movement should include "women all over the world" instead of geographical, racial and gender constraints. The significance of women's liberation is not only limited to women, but also means the liberation of men's mind and even the liberation of all mankind. Thus, Alice Walker's understanding of women's liberation is more meaningful. Walker believes that black men and women must eliminate gender discrimination, barriers, solidarity and fight against racial discrimination together so that the black people can stand in the forest of nations in the world as equals.

Compared with the feminist movement, Walker gives a proper analogy: "Womanism to the feminism is like purple to lavender." (Shui, 2004) The difference and connection is obvious. The similarity lies in the fact that purple and lavender belong to the same color system, which aims to highlight the common foundation of "womanism" and "feminism" - rebellion against male-centered society. Both of them regard striving for women's spiritual liberation and legal status as their goal of struggle. However, there are great differences between lavender and purple,too. Womanism and feminism have their own emphasis and connotation. Feminism rejects colored women, including black women's, but womanism covers all human beings, including black women. Another important difference between womanism and feminism is that feminists treat men as enemies, and think that the contradictions between men and women are irreconcilable, but Walker's womanism avoides this blindness and is committed to maintaining the survival and integrity of all people, including men and women.

Alice Walker has not copied all theories of feminism. Her Celia does not reject all men like radical feminists, and regards homosexuality as the only way to solve women's problems. However, Celia did not interfere with Shag's choice when she knew Shug loved others. She believed that everyone could decide to choose their own path of life. At the same time, it is worth noticing that at last Mr. so and so. won the forgiveness of Celi. Finally, they became close friends.

3. The relationship between the female images in light of womanism

Alice Walker uses the image in The Color Purple to illustrate that the ultimate liberation of black women depends not only on the results of resistance to slavery of whites, but also the resistance to black male hegemony. In order to gain human status, black women can not wait for anyone's charity and compassion, but can only rely on their own strength and the strength of women's groups; not only to achieve equal status in the family, but also to obtain equal treatment in society, that is, whether in the private or public sphere, they must become independent and have strong spiritual strength of the individual.

The novel is based on the self-help, self-improvement and self-liberation of Celie. It depicts the hardships of the black women's liberation road. Celie is an example which can raise millions of black women’ confidence. Therefore, her self-liberation shows that the day of black women’s awakening is coming. Shug is a different black woman. She did what she wanted. She freed Celie from the double slavery of her mind and body, but established a homosexual relationship with Celie. She was the combination of angels and devils (angels is in the eyes of Celie and Albert, and devils is in the eyes of ordinary people). Nietti is a saint. She is cultured, knowledgeable, courageous and powerful. She is the spiritual mentor and realistic teacher for Celie. She teaches Celie to write. Her heart is full of love, and the picture of Christ hanging in her room is a reflection of her heart.

3.1 Sofia: The Influence by Sofia in the Formation of Celie’s Racial Consciousness

“All my life I had to fight. I had to fight my daddy. I had to fight my brothers. I had to fight my cousins and my uncles”, as Sofia said to Celie.(Alice Walker, 2006:52)

Perhaps the most impressed reader is Sofia, the woman who can "fly to the moon", the "Amazon woman soldier" who will never bow to anyone, Sofia who won't yield even if she blinds one eye, breaks her ribs, spends four years in prison and is an eight-year maid. In the black female image library, she is a different kind; even if she is placed in the entire female image corridor, it is difficult to find peers.

Walker portrays Sofia, a black woman who seems to be born with a treacherous image. Sofia appeared in the novel with a big belly. She went to see her future father-in-law with her baby's father, Harpo, in the hope of getting married. However not only was it questioned whether the child was Harpo’s, but even a mouthful of water wasn’t sought before she left. Ordinary women, in this case, may collapse. Sofia, however, went away as vigorously as she had come, leaving a sentence: " Naw, Harpo, you stay. I'll wait for you when you have time”. (Alice Walker, 2006:45)Next, although Sofia got Harpo and her own home, she did not get peace. She had to continue fighting with men because Harpo insisted that she must "obey the rules", even if she had fulfilled her duties: working in the fields, working at home, getting married, having children, having sex... Sofia did not expect, "All my life I had to fight. I had to fight my daddy. I had to fight my brothers. I had to fight my cousins and my uncles. A girl child ain’t safe in a family of men. But I never thought I’d have to fight in my own house." (Alice Walker, 2006:52)"I love Harpo. God knows I love him. But I'll kill him before I let him hit me!"(Alice Walker, 2006:52)

Sophia’s resistance is instinctive Even in the event of extinction, it will not dissipate the will of resistance. So even though she was beaten by her husband and forced to leave home, provoked by her husband's lover, insulted by the white mayor and his wife, forced to fight back, blinded in prison and broken her ribs, forced to be a maid of the white mayor's family, unable to go home and take care of five children, he still had to do what she wants to do. She had to carry her mother's coffin at the funeral. She did not care about the eyes of others. "Sofia and Shug not like men, he say, but they not like women either.”.(Alice Walker, 2006:241) All beings are equal, however how they look like.

In The Color Purple, Sofia, Harper's wife, was the first person to clash with white people and suffer persecution. Sofia herself is a woman with fighting spirit. She is not afraid of men in her family. Her resistance to the white mayor can reflect the spirit of struggle. The Mayor's wife asked Sofia to go to her house and work as her servant. Sofia categorically refused: "Fuck it." White people had a higher status and position than black people at that time, so they had a right to make black people as their servants. After being rejected, the mayor slapped Sofia. Not only that, but even the police beat Sofia's children. Black people are slaves of white people. White mayors can do whatever they want. Even women and children must obey orders, too. Sofia, who was unwilling to give in, was put in prison, where she was severely tortured. She was sent to the mayor's house as a servant. Sofia said, " I’m at they beck and call all night and all day. They won’t let me see my children. They won’t let me see no mens. "(Alice Walker, 2006:102)

At the end of the novel, Sofia's spirit of independence in safeguarding personal dignity attracted mayor's daughter to inquire about her life, respect her fighting spirit and then Sofia served her willingly. Thus, whites and blacks can live in peace as long as racial barriers are eliminated and different cultures respected.

3.2 Shug: The Influence by Shug in Celie’s Woman Selfhood and Consciousness

Shug is a singer. She is beautiful and generous, talented, independent, and is the lady that countless men yearn for. Unlike the women who stick to the family, Shug will not cry for any man. She is happy every day. Although she is surrounded by many pursuers, she is always free to go and do as she likes. Shug is the lover of Celie's husband, Mr. So-and-so. On one rainy evening, she swaggered to Celie's house in drunk, laughing at Celie's ugliness. From here, we can guess that Shug was depressed by alcohol because her love pursuit could not be realized: " I don’t need no weak little boy can’t say no to his daddy hanging on me. I need me a man. "(Alice Walker, 2006:57) Here not only shows Shug's independent pursuit of love, but also reflects the oppression of patriarchal system. She not only has the male character of independence, rebellion and strong self-confidence, but also has a sexy and beautiful appearance belonging to women. Shug has a power to combine female personality charm with male personality charm. The society with strong patriarchal consciousness has completely deprived women of their right to speak. Women have no right of speech at any time. This makes it impossible for women to gain equal rights and status for themselves through language. But Shug bravely expressed her thoughts and called on more black women to express their thoughts and dispute of men's feelings. She thinks God created people, and there is no gender difference. From Shug's resistance, we can see that Shug's unique views and propositions fully illustrate Shug's male character.

In the family, women have always played the role of accessories. The scope of life is limited to the cage-like home. The husband is their supreme monarch. They have no power to decide, only the obligation to obey. Shug said to Celie, " You have to wipe a man out of your eyes before you can see everything."(Alice Walker, 2006:179) The cruelty and persecution of men made Celie instinctively afraid and disgusted with them. " Take off they pants, I say, and men look like frogs to me. "(Alice Walker, 2006;227-228) Therefore, the emergence of Shug in Celie's life has a special significance. For Celie, Shug is a mother, sister and lover. She helps Celie understand and appreciate her feminine characteristics. Because she was surprised to find that Celie, who had been married for many years and had two children, did not understand the characteristics and functions of women's body structure and knew nothing about sexes. With Shug's encouragement, Celie stood in front of the mirror for the first time to face up to her body structure and recognize her feminine characteristics. She firstly felt that she was not so ugly but beautiful.

After recognizing women's characteristics and recovering women's dignity, the next step is to learn how to maintain it and strive to realize it. Violence is common in black families. Celie, under Albert's pressure, never thought of resisting. Celie now understands that it's no use writing to God, because no matter how painful she is, how devout she is to pray to God, the situation can not be improved at all. In order to survive better, she must show courage and go out bravely. So Celie claimed to run away from home--her first positive revolt against Albert. The announcement provoked Albert's fury. For a long time, Celie was only his private property, at his disposal and under his control. This time, Celie turned passive into active and wanted to dominate her own destiny, which made him intolerable, hurt his vanity and threatened his male status.

Inspired and supported by Shug, Celie chose to sew pants as a means of making a living on her own. Although sewing still belongs to women's traditional occupation to a large extent, wearing trousers is considered to be the patents of men. Celie put on her own pants, gave them to friends and sold them. She not only fed herself, but also took care of her black sisters, thus solving the most realistic economic problems. It is like a declaration of equality, which shows that Celie can rely on her own strength and wisdom, make her own living, achieve economic independence.

In terms of women's unity and cooperation, equality and freedom, Shug is a typical representative. They realize that only mutual help is the way for them to survive. Women's sisterhood and love between friends can help them get rid of loneliness and poverty, oppression and abuse, and life without love. Individual strength is insignificant, but when combined, they can compete with the seemingly powerful world of male chauvinism.

3.3 Nettie: The Influence by Nettie in Celie’s Cultural Identity

Nettie, as sister of Celie, is also a woman with a distinct personality in the novel. Nettie grows up with Celie. However, Nettie and Celie are totally different. Nettie is beautiful and intelligent, and is liked by Mr. So-and-so at his stepfather's subsequent wedding. Shortly afterwards, Mr. So-and-So visits the house and offers to marry Nettie. Nettie's stepfather also covets her for a long time: "I can’t let you have Nettie. She too young. Don’t know nothing but what you tell her. Sides, I want her to git some more schooling. Make a schoolteacher out of her. But I can let you have Celie. She the oldest anyway. She ought to marry first. She ain’t fresh tho, but I spect you know that."(Alice Walker, 2006:23) Most importantly, Nettie realized the benefits of self-esteem and resistance from an early age.With a sense of resistance, unlike Celie, Nettie avoids being raped by her stepfather. Later, unwilling to be harassed and oppressed by her stepfather, she flees to her sister Celie's house and vows never to return.

When Nettie knows that Sister Celie is often beaten by her husband Robert, she tells her to stand up and fight with Robert. She tells Celie, " You have to let ’em know who got the upper hand. You have to beat!" (Alice Walker, 2006:48) But then comes Mr. Someone's various schemes against Nettie, and eventually Nettie is followed by Mr. Someone on the way to school and raped by him forcibly, Nettie opposed. Because the resistance, Mr. So-and-So drove Nettie away. When driven out of the house by Mr. So-and-so, Nettie cried hysterically, She say, “Only death will separate us." (Alice Walker, 2006:33) She promises to write to each other with her sister.

Nettie knows that as a black American, her ancestral culture came from the ancient African continent. Nettie decides to go to the African continent to find the culture of her ancestors. Nettie is brave. She did not regard work as a burden, and she truly enjoyed and liked the achievements of her own study and work. Her self-confidence and her fortitude enable her to have equal status with men and gain spiritual and material independence. With Nettie's help, Celie began to learn to read, which was the key for her going the outside world.

When Nettie arrived in Africa, she was more like Alice Walker at the time. The author's love for her hometown was expressed through the image of Nettie. When Nettie sees the coastline of Africa, she writes to her sister Celie like this: " My soul, Celie, like a big clock, and I'm just swinging. Corrine and Samuel felt the same. Our parents cried for it, and our ancestors lived and died there. We saw it again.” (Alice Walker, 2006:132) Black people are colored, and black skin once became a symbol of their suffering. “Shining black, their shine seemed to come from the moonlight, but their skin even was shining in the sunshine."(Alice Walker, 2006:131)

Olinka is the author's miniature of Africa. Nettie's group came to Olinka not to plunder, but to spread knowledge, to spread civilization, to help blacks out of poverty, and to promote the unity and friendship of their fellow blacks. Their work has achieved good results. Faced with the invading white people, the Olinka no longer yield, bravely challenge and counterattack the enemy.

In her work, Walker constantly calls on the black to enhance their cultural self-confidence, overthrow the reference and symbolism of white culture to blacks, and believe that black is a symbol of beauty and nobility. When Nettie made it to Celie, Walker made it to the world, too.

3.4 Reconstruction of Celie’s Woman Subjective Self⁃hood

Nowadays, we can often hear one kind of speaking, it goes that women must have their own career especially when they get married or having children. At that time, Walker had the similar thought, in order to be an independent woman and equal to men, the most important way is to have your own room (with keys and locks) and enough money to support yourself. In other words, without economic independence, there will be no self-improvement of the whole personality. With the help of her sisters, she began to become financially independent. This is reflected in the fact that, with the help of Shug, she owns a pants shop of her own. Celie's career represents both economic and spiritual independence. She finds herself not ugly and dumb as people say. In the eyes of those who love her, she is not only beautiful but also capable. Shug fully told Celia to respect herself, to recognize her talents, and to strive for the rights. She fought against male chauvinism. She encouraged Celia not to go to church or the Bible to find God who did not solve the problem, but to find her own God in nature and in harmonious relations. Shug's ideas greatly broadened Celie's horizons. She began to fight with her husband in different poses to face difficulties and challenges. Her growth is a powerful backlash against sexism: independent women can have their own lives even if they leave men and their families. It also tells all black women who suffer from gender oppression that only by getting rid of the spiritual shackles, maintaining the integrity of the spiritual world, and relying on the mutual relationship and support among women, can they achieve real independence.

4. The Significance of Alice Walker’s Womanism

4.1 Alice Walker’s Role as An Initiator of Womanism

Alice Walker's womanism still has far-reaching significance and influence on the present. In today's world, the incidents that are treated differently because of different genders are endless, and women still has a long way to go in the process of equal rights. It is important to have an opinion leader to represent the public. Opinion leaders are important players in the two-level communication. They are generally charismatic, have a strong comprehensive ability and a high social status or a sense of identity. They are active in social situations and have the same group as those affected by them. They know well about specific fields and willing to accept and disseminate relevant information. Alice Walker is such an opinion leader in spreading womanism. The protests of women who have been struggling with their families all the time are hard to be heard in the world, but when Alice Walker appears, they have a microphone that express dissatisfaction and protest to the world and use the theoretical weapons to follow the leader of charge. This is the first siginificance and influence of Alice Walker and her womanism in women's struggle for rights.

• 1. Alice Walker’s Role in “The Spiral of Silence”

4.2.1 “The Spiral of Silence”

When the opinion leader representing women sends out more and more voices and ideas, the public opinion field and the dominant opinions in it will be gradually formed. At that time, those who discriminate against women will find it difficult to ignore these points. This process can be explained by another theory of communication—the spiral of silence." The Spiral of Silence" refers to the phenomenon that for a controversial issue, people will form an understanding of the "view climate" around them, and at the same time judge whether their opinions belong to the "majority opinion" when people feel When their opinion is "majority" or "advantage", they tend to express this opinion boldly; when they find that their opinion belongs to "minority" or "disadvantage", they may remain silent to keep away from isolation. The more people who remain silent, the more they feel that their views are not acceptable, and the more they tend to remain silent. After repeated iterations, the opinion that have formed the status of "advantage" have become stronger and stronger, and the voices of those who hold "disadvantage" opinions have become weaker and weaker. Such a cycle formed a spiral process in which one side becomes more and more loud and the other side is more and more silent. In a patriarchal society, the voices that support equality between sexs are minimal. This naturally includes those so-called family-dominated men, as well as those women who never know that they originally have other options.

4.2.2 “The Spiral of Silence” in The Color Purple

Alice Walker firstly uses her theory to declare to women that women are never men's accessories and that women have the right to live in equality and dignity. After this, more and more women began to wake up and devote themselves to this battle of rights. Their voices and opinions were heard and recognized by more people. Due to the spiral of silence, there will be more and more people supporting equality between sexes, and the change in attitudes towards women in the whole society is just around the corner.

In the past, Celie were not truly accepted and loved by her husband Harpo. Neither her step-father nor her husband liked Celie. “She ugly. He say. But she ain’t no stranger to hard work. And she clean. And God done fixed her.” (Alice Walker, 2006:23) Even the children thought she was ugly and could be bullied. As for Celie, Shug is her “Alice Walker”.Shug advises Celie to wear pants and open a store. Celia didn’t think she could wear pants like a man. Shug tells her a different and new lifestyle that she never knows.“Well, she said, look at me, let me give you some pants. What I need pants for? I say. I ain’t no man.” “I don’t know, I say. Mr. So and So not going to let his wife wear pants. Why not? say Shug.” (Alice Walker, 2006:135) The success of Celie’s store is inseparable from the promotion and publicity by Shug. By selling Celie’s pants, Shug makes more and more people know that a woman can make a living by herself. “She laugh and say that let me git you some more women in here to cut and sew, while you sit back and design. You making your living, Celie.”(Alice Walker, 2006:192-193) Besides, Celie’s independent changes men(including her step-father and her husband)’s views and attitudes for her. They can not recoginize her when she appears before them. Celie becomes a totally different one. “Oh, Miss Celie, say Sofia, flinging open the screen. How good you look. Don’t she look good, Harpo? When Harpo saw me--his wife, it was as if we never knew each other, just a stranger.” (Alice Walker, 2006:198) This kind of change also represents that this “advantage” view to Celie becomes more and more convincing in the process of Celie’s awakening.

Thus, this is the second significance of Alice Walker and her theory of womanism.

1. Conclusion

The novel fully reflects Walker's hope to explore a way for black women to become self-reliant, and eventually formed the idea of "womanism". At the same time, she also pays great attention to the problem of black families, hopes that black men and women can grow up together, and envisages a solution for the harmonious coexistence of the two sexes.

Firstly, the womanism thought clearly states that black women must unite together, exert their womanist tradition and seek self-liberation with the help of black sisters. Only by standing up bravely and facing life and society can help them survive from suffering. The issue of the liberation of black women is not only the gospel of black women, but also provides a model and help to solve the common problems of all human at a higher level.

Secondly, black men have the ability to change themselves, womanists including Alice Walker believe in that, when it comes to liberation, black women need to face both sexual and racial problems. No matter what kind of discrimination, it is unacceptable. Black women are soberly aware that they must be closely linked their own fate to the fate of the entire nation, then it is possible to truly elimate gender oppression, because sexual discrimination within blacks is closely related to racial oppression. In The Color Purple, Mr. So and So and Harpo are the case of that. Womanists want black men to join with women to completely eliminate sexism and racism, rather than split black men and black women. In addition, womanists emphasize unity, which expand the scope of black women's struggles and avoid the narrowness of black womanism and white racism. All human beings, including men and women, can live in unity, completeness and harmony. This is not only the goal of women in the world, not just the struggle of black women, but also their dream life. The novel vividly illustrates the above ideas. So people commented that Walker wrote about black people, but covered the whole human race.

Finally, I hope that this research will provide researchers with insights into theories related to womanism and women's status.

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Acknowledgments

It is a great honor to spend the most precious time of my life in Nan Jing Tech University. During these four years, I have benefited a lot. In addition to my own efforts, it is also closely related to the support and encouragement of professors, classmates and friends.

The process of writing is boring and challenging. The teacher's instigation, the students' suggestions and the support of the parents are the source of motivation for me to complete the thesis. I would especially like to thank my professor—Zhu Li. She helped me a lot from the content to the format, from the title to the punctuation. Without the hard work and encouragement of professor Zhu, there is no successful completion of my thesis.

Last but not least, I want to express my gratitude to my family and my boyfriend for their understanding, support, encouragement and help. It is because of them that everything I do makes more sense. It is also because of them that I have the spiritual strength and confidence to pursue progress.