Publication Details
Abstract
This paper discusses the theme resistance and sisterhood that arise from the complex female relationships in Alice Walker's 1982 novel The Colour Purple. Walker utilizes characters such as Celie, Shug Avery, Nettie, and Sofia to illustrate how such relations are used as political tools for survival and defiance. Sisterhood, as Walker explores in the novel, develops and operates as a structural alliance stemming out of need against systemic racism, poverty, and misogyny. The paper illustrates the methods through which the structure of epistolary narratives and the growth the reader witnesses in Celie's autonomy is central to the story of self-recovery. The paper, furthermore, addresses the novel's portrayal of black masculinity and highlights its persistent legacy in feminist studies.