From subgigation to self realization
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Date
2015
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Publisher
university of Oum-El-Bouaghi
Abstract
The african-american woman question has spilled a lot of ink throughout the last few decades. Many writers have lengthily debated the issue in their literary works with the aim of emancipating this oppressed minority. Alice Walker, as one of the most prolific female writers in the african american literature outstandingly questions the status of black american women in her novel the color purple. During their quest for self definition, they clash with strict social and cultural paradigms that tend to put them in a marginal position. The novel is a realistic portrayal of the lives of black women as being doubly victimized. The protagonists are women who undergo a radical change from objects to suppressive environment to emotionally and physically independent subjects. Hence, this work aims to examine the damaging effects of sexism and racism on the female spirit. Relying on the psychoanalytical theory, it depicts the process of emancipation of black women and pictures their ability to find their voices and regain their identity despite of the controversies about black culture and the redeeming stereotypes. Writers as Alice walker suggest a path for all women to follow in order to fulfill their self- realization, mainly through sister hood and artistic creativity which constitutes the key sources of success and achieving spiritual and economic freedom.
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Keywords
English literature : afro-american women, Novel : The Color purple : Alice Wallker