Nov. 2005, Volume 3, No.11 (Serial No.26)
US -China Foreign Language, ISSN1539-8080, US A
Decoding the Symbols in The Color Purple
Zhenhua Lv * Wuhan University Abstract: This paper mainly analyzes and decodes the symbols in The Color Purple from the feminist point of view. Decoding the symbols enables us to have a more profound understanding of the feminine thoughts Alice Walker put into the novel and the theme of the novel. Key words: symbols feminism The Color Purple
1. Introduction
The Color Purple written by Alice Walker examines the black women’ state of life in America and uncovers s their self-pursuit process, from the initial awakening to the following fighting and the final independence. The Color Purple is a great success, which won Alice Walker the Pulitzer Prize in 1983 and the American Book Award. The success of the book partly lies in its abundant use of symbols. Decoding the symbols of the novel from the perspective of feminism surely will help us have a better understanding of the theme of novel. A symbol is, in Daniel Weiss’ words, “ meaningful concealment of truth as the truth promises to emerge as s a some frightening or forbidden idea”(Weiss, 1985: 20). It has complex meaning: not only literal meaning, but also additional meaning(s) beyond the literal. In fact, the most significant symbols do convey an indefinite range of meanings. Symbols are important concepts to understand in discussing literature.
2. The Color Purple
In the Bible, the color purple is the color worn by the people with high social ranks, for example priests and the royalties. In The Ten Commandments, God as ks the Israelites that “ [w]hen they make these sacred vestments for your brother Aaron and his sons to serve me as priest, they shall use gold, blue, purple, and crimson yarns and fine linen” . Purple is also the color of the royalties, especially the kings. After Jesus was sentenced to death by Pilate, the soldiers purposely dressed him as a king in order to humiliate him. “And the soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they dress him in a purple robe” Therefore, purple is a color associated with dignity and respect. . In the beginning of the novel, the first time she was given an opportunity to make a dress, Celie wished to make herself a purple dress, however, she was “ advised”to make a blue dress instead a purple one. This shows that she hasn’ obtained dignity and respect at that time. As time passed by, at the end of the novel, Celie made her t life by making pants. The pants she made were popular among the market and her pants company was famous. By this way, she won her independence as well as dignity and respect. As a result, she painted the interior of the whole house into purple and red, the house though had been occupied by her step-father for years, belonged to her from the very first beginning. The purple house symbolizes her rebirth from a slave of Mr. _’ to master of her s own life. To some extent, the purple house is Celie’ Declaration of Independence. s Alice Walker names the novel The Color Purple for she doesn’ want the black women to be on their knees t
*
Zhenhua Lv, postgraduate of Wuhan University; Research field: English literature; Address: Postgraduate Grade 2004, College of Foreign Languages, Wuhan University; Postcode: 430072. 20
Decoding the Symbols in The Color Purple
anymore, instead, she wants them to live like the royalties, dignified and respectable.
3. Quilting
Quilting is a process of sewing different pieces of materials together in order to make one single quilt. Scraps, discarded clothing and feed sacks were the materials used. Many black women became highly skilled in creating these quilts. In The Color Purple, Sophie and Celie are all good at quilting, and Shug learns very fast though she knew nothing about it before. In the process of quilting, everyone, Sophie, Celie and Shug all contribute their own part. Shug passes her own merriness to Sophie and Celie by offering her yellow dress to make quilts. Sophie and Celie name the pattern on their quilt “ choice of sisters” which symbolizes love and understanding among black the , women. Before Sophie leaves for her sister ’ after her decision to divorce with Harbor, Celie gives the quilt she s has intended to give Shug to her. Celie has always admired Sophie for her independent spirit and courage to revolt against the sovereignty of men. In this way, she gives Sophie her support as a sister. Therefore, quilting is centrally linked with the theme of sisterhood in this novel. Quilting is also part of the cultural tradition of black people. The history of black women in quilting is almost as old as the history of America. Black slave women were needed for spinning, weaving, sewing and quilting on plantations and in other wealthy households. In Alice Walker ’ short story Everyday Use, quilting also denotes the s meaning of black people’ cultural tradition. s In a word, the symbol quilting has multi-faceted meanings in Alice Walker ’ The Color Purple. On one hand, s it symbolizes sisterhood among black women; on the other hand, it is part of the cultural tradition of black people.
4. Shells
After Celie leaves him, Mr._ begins to collect shells to win her back. “ [Mr._] order shells from books, too, He and they all over the place.”It’ undoubted that he loves the shells very much. “He [Mr._] don’ say much about s t them while you cooking, but he hold each other like it [shell] just arrive.” The shell itself is traditionally a symbol of the female imagery in western culture. This conclusion is made mostly out of the fact that shells share a lot of similarities with female wombs. Firstly, they share the same shape with female’ womb: they are both round. Secondly, the shells and womb both can produce lives. In the Bible, s womb is the synonymy of producing offspring. “And the Lord said to her, ‘ nations are in your womb, and two two peoples born of your you shall be divided, … .’(Genesis, 25: 23) In western mythology, shells have the same ” function as wombs of producing lives. Aphrodite in Greek mythology, that is Venus in Roman mythology, is said to be born from a huge shell. The famous picture “ The Birth of Venus” drawn by Italian painter Botticelli, , represents this classical myth. According to Sigmund Freud, “ [If] the image can be a stand-in for the womb, if then it might be functioning as female imagery” (Tyson, 1999: 22). From the above analysis, we have enough reasons to say that shells can be a stand-in for the female womb; therefore, naturally it is a female imagery. Mr._ formerly is a defender and representative of the patriarch system. Women in his eyes are something subordinate and inferior to men. He treats Celie, his wife, as a working machine and a slave. He forces her to work all day long, to take care of his children and to do all the housework, cooking, washing, sewing, etc. in his house, as well as to work in the fields. In addition, Celie has to satisfy his sexual lust. On the contrast, he himself stays in the house like a master, enjoying all the service Celie provides with him. Furthermore, he just does what
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Decoding the Symbols in The Color Purple
he likes, never taking Celie’ feeling into consideration. s However, after Celie leaves him and set up her own pants company, his attitudes toward women, especially toward Celie has greatly changed. His hobby of collecting shells, which traditionally symbolize the female imagery, is powerful evidence. From here, we get the sense that he begins to know his feminine side. He begins to cherish the days he spent with Celie and admits for the first time that she is a good companion. He even design pants for them, which is a work demanding artistic creation. Artistic creativity is generally considered to be the endowed talent of women. Therefore, in handling the shells in The Color Purple, we get to know that Mr._ start to realize his feminine side. Great changes happen on him: he changes his former negative attitude toward women and even engages himself in the activity demanding creativity which women are thought to be naturally endowed with.
5. House and Roundness
In The Color Purple, roundness is always mentioned with a house. Both Nettie and Shug express their idea for a round house with windows. In her letter to Celie, Nettie writes that she hopes Celie could come to have a look at her round house with big leaf as the roof. Shug also expresses the similar idea. She hopes that she could own a big and round house with doors and windows, painted into pink and surrounded by trees. If the round house represents womanhood, then the window symbolizes a desire for both women to be explored for who they really are not just for what they look like. They want to be understood and respected by people; they want them, men and women, to probe into their heart, to search for their identity and to respect their dignity. Essentially, women are to seek communication with men and other women on the basis of equality.
6. Razor and Needles
Razor and needles are both w eapons women in The Color Purple use to fight against men and the patriarchal-male-dominated system. In the novel, Shug smiles “ a razor opening” at Tobias, Mr._’ visiting like s brother. Later on, Celie looks about ready to cut Mr._’ throat after he hides Nettie’ letters. Shug, however, s s manages to appease her. Razor here symbolizes a violent way for women to fight against the patriarchal society and to realize the mutual understanding between women and men. The use of the symbol “ razor”in this novel is related to the early experiences of Alice Walker. By senior year in Sarah Lawrence College, Alice Walker was suffering from extreme depression likely due to the fact that she got pregnant. She considered committing suicide and at times kept a razor blade under her pillow. It’ natural that s Alice Walker uses razor to symbolize violent way. If razor symbolizes a violent way for women to fight, then the needle is a symbol of non-violent protest against men. It’ through needles that women could work together to make quilts and develop sisterhood among s women. It’ through needles that Celie gain independence and men’ respect, for she uses needles to make pants s s and finally found the famous and popular pants company. Though needles symbolize a non-violent way of fighting, it’ much more powerful. Killing is contradicted to s the Ten Commandants in the Bible. “ And He said: … You shall not murder… .”(Deuteronomy, 5: 17) Moreover, killing can’ solve problem. What killing will result are death, deeper hatred and more killing. Comparatively t speaking, the way needles represent is more practical. By needles, women get economic independence, and it’ s only after economic independence that women could talk about rights with men. By needles, they prove to men
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Decoding the Symbols in The Color Purple
that they are not inferior, instead they have the talents and ability that a lot of men don’ have. By needles, they t win men’ respect, and realize communication and understanding with men at last. s
7. Conclusion
To sum up, symbols play an important and essential role in comprehending The Color Purple. Decoding the symbols enables us to have a more profound understanding of the feminine thoughts Alice Walker put into the novel and the theme of the novel. Alice Walker has been making unremitting effort to realize the harmonious co-existence of women and men and mutual understanding between women and men. Symbols like the color purple, quilting, shells, house, razor, needles and many other minor symbols all speak for Walker. We can read Alice Walker ’ mind through reading s these symbols. The color purple tells us that Alice Walker wants black women to live with dignity; Quilting symbolizes sisterhood among black women and cultural tradition of black women; Shells are to prove that the former defender of patriarchal society begin to realize his feminine side; Houses with windows and doors are to indicate that women desire to be searched for who they are; Razor and needles are weapons women use to fight against the patriarch society, one violent and the other non-violent.
References: 1.Holy Bible. New Revised Standard Version. National TSPM&CCC. 2000. 2. Tyson, Lois. Critical Theory Today. New York London: Garland Publishing, Inc.. 1999. 3. Walker, Alice. The Color Purple. New York: Pocket Books. 1982. 4. Weiss, Daniel. The Critic Agonistes: Psychology, Myth, and the Art of Fiction. Ed. Eric Solomon and Stephen Arkin. Seattle: U of Washington. 1985.
(Edited by Wendy, Qun Fan and Doris)
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