Celies Life and Hard Times. :: English Literature

Celie's Life and Hard Times. Alice Walker vividly portrays the sad but apparent reality of life in the black rural communities of America during the mid-twentieth century. It is a time when the impacts of slavery are still prevalent. The relationships within families - as reflected in the novel - also feel this impact. In search of a means to overcome their inferiority in a society dominated by whites, men usually have their womenfolk provide them with the feeling of importance that they desire (such as the practice of addressing their husbands as Mr.______). This attitude towards women is made obvious on the very first page, depicting Celie's perception of her stepfather, "He never had a kine word to say to me. Just say You gonna do what your mammy wouldn't" (1). As Celie's life progresses, having given birth to two children - both of whom were taken away by her father - she is wed to Mr.______ unceremoniously. Pa, one the basis that she was too young, rejected the request for Nettie's hand in marriage to Mr.______. Instead he offers Celie, claiming she was the more viable candidate on the following grounds: She ugly. He say. But she ain't no stranger to hard work. And she clean. And God fixed her. You can do everything just like you want to and she ain't gonna make you feed it or clothe it. (9) Beginning from that day on Celie's life took an ever-downward sloping turn. She endures seeing Olivia with a new mother, the animosity of Harpo, taking care of Mr. ______'s children, and his abuse. Her relationship with Mr.______ is such that it could hardly be called a marriage. She was to do just as he said, without so much as uttering a word of disagreement. She no longer possesses a zeal for life: "My life stop when I left home . . ." (85). Each day is just another chore During this time Nettie had also experiences some trouble at home with Pa. After she realizes that to remain at home any longer would be a compromise to her safety she runs away to Mr.______'s home. There she is welcome since Mr.______ still thinks Nettie to be very attractive - but for a while only - as Nettie does not give in to his demands. When Mr.______ drives Nettie away, Celie experiences a loss so profound that it would take many years to undo the damage done. Up until that stage in Celie's life none had ever expressed any concern over herself. It was Nettie who ensured that Celie was literate, that Celie received an education, that Celie was not pushed around by