Barbi: Media Analysis

The Color Purple and Masculinity

Imagine being raped by the man you believe to be your father and then made to marry a man that beats you be for not being the woman he loves. In Alice Walker’s The Color Purple, Celie the main character in this novel is put in these situations. To find out why Celie was put in these situations it might be helpful to know more about the author. Alice Walker is a black feminist who grew up in rural Georgia and who played a large part in the Civil Rights Movements of the 1970s (Hendrickson 111). Alice Walker was disappointed with some men particularly those in the Black Nationalist movement who believed only in men’s rights during this period (112). They did not believe women to be men’s equal therefore repressing them (women). I believe Alice Walker uses this novel to mirror some of how she saw women being treated during the Civil Rights Movement by men of their own color. All of the violence directed towards Celie is from men of her own race. Walker chose to showcase masculinity and the un-equallness of the gender system by exposing it in the form of violence and abuse. In this paper I am going to argue that Celie was subjected to abuse and violence due to masculinity or gender-based violence. Gender based violence is defined as “violence involving men and women, in which the female is usually the victim and which arises from unequal power relationships between men and women (UNIFEM).” This paper proceeds to tell about the abuse she suffered from her step-father as well as her husband, and how it relates to masculinity.
The first instance of violence happens on the first page of the novel: Alphonso, Celie’s stepfather (at the time she believes him to be her natural father) rapes her. “He never had a kine word to say to me. Just say You gonna do what your mammy wouldn’t. First he put his thing up gainst my hip and sort of wiggle it around. Then he grap hold my titties. Then he push his thing inside my pussy. When that hurt, I cry. He start to choke me, saying You better shut up and git used to it (Walker 1).” Celies mother is sick and unable to have sex because of just having had another child. Celie’s stepfather wants sex and believes she (Celie) is an easy target. He uses violence and abuse to get Celie to submit -- choking her around the neck and physically forcing himself on her. Later in the novel when Celie thinks back to the rape she says, “After he through, I say, he make me finish trimming his hair (Walker 111).” Alphonso does this to enforce his power dominance over Celie. Men feel they must be in control (Longwood 51). By Alphonso making Celie finish cutting his hair he is showing that he calls the shots. Men wanting to be in control is one part of masculinity. Aggressiveness, dominance, and strength are all characteristics of masculinity that Alphonso shows (UNIFEM). He is aggressive by turning to Celie for sex, dominant by possessing her in an act of rape, and strength by the physical force he uses on her.
After repeated rape assaults and two children from Alphonso, Celie is forced into a marriage. Her new husband already has four children from a previous marriage. Her husband who Celie calls Mr._____ believes: “wives is like children. You have to let’em know who got the upper hand. Nothing can do better than a good sound beating (Walker 35).” One critic gives reason for this violence, “black fathers who, in a social sphere shaped by white racism, gain access to manhood through the recreation of a violent (white) patriarchy in their own homes (Jenkins).” This novel takes place in rural Georgia around the early 1900s. There was a lot of white patriarchy during this time period and this fits perfectly into the novels background. Although it is never directly mentioned, the entire novel hints around white patriarchy. One quote from Alphonso (Celies step-father) gives a glimpse to what men like Mr.___ and him (Alphonso) are feeling: “You got to give’ em [whites] something. Either your money, your land, your women or your ass (Walker 182).” This quote shows how they (black men) are made to look up to the whites who believe they are better than them. Mr.____ felt like he was not getting a lot of respect in his community by those that were white, and believes if he beats his wife and treats her bad, as the whites do to him, he will gain esteem.
Another reason Mr.____ is violent towards Celie is because she is not his true love -- Shug Avery. Mr____ was not allowed to marry Shug so he takes it out on Celie. When Shug realizes that Celie is being beat she asks her: “What he beat you for? She ast. For being me and not you (Walker 75). ” Mr. ____ confirms Celie’s reasons when he tells her later on, “I told Shug it was true that I beat you cause you was you and not her (Walker 270).” This is yet another way Mr.____ feels he can assert his authority over Celie. Men constantly want to have their masculinity affirmed and one way some choose to do this is by hitting their wives. Their masculinity gives them a feeling of security. When a social structure is changed, in this case through an unwanted marriage, a man is put in a “crisis of masculinity” (UNIFEM). Some men cannot handle change well. To fix this crisis some men take it out on their wives in the form of violence so they can feel control in at least one part of their lives. Mr.___ does not feel in control of his life is going so he turns on Celie. He feels that by beating Celie he is more in control and this helps him cope with not being allowed to marry Shug Avery. He is trying to control the things that he believes he has power over--Celie.
There are many different kinds of violence and abuse. “Violence can be direct or indirect, verbal or physical, structural or culture (Myrttinen 29).” Emotional abuse is also one type of abuse listed in the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against women that was adopted by the United Nations (UNIFEM). Celie had a sister, Nettie, who she was very close to all through her childhood. Mr.____ had originally wanted to marry Nettie, not Celie. Shortly after Celie married Mr.____, Celie helped Nettie run away. Nettie eventually became a missionary in Africa. Before Nettie runs away Celie tells her to write Nettie answers, “Nothing but death can keep me from it (Walker 18).” Celie never receives a letter from Nettie so she believes her to be dead. One day, years later, Shug Avery (Celie and Shug have now become lovers and best friends) hands her a letter from Nettie and tells her “He [Mr.___] been keeping your letters (Walker 119).” Celie’s reply is “Naw... Mr___mean sometimes, but he not that mean (Walker 119).” Celie took the physical abuse from Mr.___, but this is too much for her. This is so bad to her she cannot even believe it at first. Whereas before when he hit her she never admitted to feeling anything she know says, “I think I feel better if I kill him…I feels sickish. Numb, now (Walker 144).” This form of abuse was greater than anything else Mr.___ or Alphonso had ever done to her. Men can assert themselves over women in more than just physical violence. Mr.___ wants control over Celies emotions and to completely cut her off from the outside world. The way Mr.___ chose to showcase his masculinity in this case was more painful and repressive than anything he had ever done to her before. This is the first time Celie ever feels hate so strongly against someone. He took away her hope to ever see her sister again, just so he could feel control and power over Celie. He only did it to boost his own ego.
In all of Celies relationships with men, men held the greater power over her (until she is able to escape from their grasp). As long as she was living with a man they found away to inflict violence upon her whether it was physical or emotional. Each man in her life Alphonso and Mr.___ used violence as a way to prove their masculinity and to give themselves the appearance of having more power. It is considered gender-based violence in both cases (Mr.___ and Albert) because each man purposely held Celie to a lower level then themselves. Each man felt that their male sex was more important and in higher esteem than Celie’s female sex.