The Color Purple Essay About Identity

In the novel, The Color Purple by Alice Walker, identity is fluid among the female characters namely Celie, Shug, Sofia and Squeak. Their identity is influenced by a lot of factors such as their own thoughts, culture, personalities, and other people. Likewise, in a real setting, people are influenced by several factors too. People affect one another and it is inevitable. At some point, people find their true identities through other things and not by the self. This article explores on the female characters progress towards finding their own identities through each other. In Alice Walker's work, an epistolary type of novel have been used to show objectivity and subjectivity of writing letters in unfolding the lives of women and their knowledge
about their own life. It is in letters that the characters Nettie and Celie was able to express their thoughts and feelings in times of restriction. Also, in the form of letters, they have discovered their own identities. It enables one to overcome the barriers and to speak up. The article stated that when one wrote about his or her own life, they become conscious about what is happening to them.

Celie was silenced by her father stepfather when something happened between them.
In order to cope up with her situation and to release the unsaid feelings, she resorts to write letters to God because she cannot tolerate all the exploitations she had experienced. Thus, also explaining why she does not like men. Her father and her husband had imprisoned her to the beliefs of the patriarchal system which made her fear them. She had been limited and deprived of her own rights which made her become a victim of the patriarchal society. In addition to that, a lack of education contributed her become one. Mr. _____, her husband, did not even care about her nor love her for that matter because Mr. _____ had his eyes on Shug. Although Celie did not bother, Shug had influenced her a lot. The power of Shug’s sisterhood contributed Celie’s journey in finding her own voice to fight against the oppression made by men. Along with this, she had found friendship among the female characters, Sofia and Squeak, which then made Celie fight for their oppression too because it was them who helped Celie release her repressed thoughts and was actually able to say the things happened to her vocally. The power of sisterhood bring about the freedom to express one’s self and influence one another to fight for the rights they have been deprived of. It reminds people that through a strong bond, one is supported to keep moving towards success. They help one another to improve another’s life. As they
improve one another’s life, one is in self-realization and with this, they become idependent from all the expected norms imposed on them.