The Color Purple - Alice Walker Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Color Purple - Alice Walker - Essay Example By the end of the book, Walker imposes the idea that the only way that women can be happy is to be independent of the perceptions of men and the way in which they relate to women. The first way in which Walker presents a boundary between men and women, in which men are not regarded as friendly, is through the point of view that is used with the father. The narrator, Celie, always refers to the men as â€Å"he† and creates a disconnection to the men that are surrounding her in the book. This combines with the perspective toward the narrator’s father, brothers and later toward the relationships that are held. There are several instances where the narrator creates a significant boundary between women and men, specifically which create men as not having a sweet spirit. For instance, in the opening chapter, Walker writes â€Å"He acts like he can’t stand me no more. Say I’m evil an always up to no good. He took my other little baby, a boy this time. But I don’t think he kilt it. I think he sold it to a man and his wife over Monticello†¦ I see him looking at my little sister. She scared. But I say I’ll take care of you. With God help† (Walker, 3). This passage is significant in the point of view from Celie. The first way in which this creates a boundary is through the use of â€Å"he† as a reference to the narrator’s father. Instead of creating an identity that is positive, loving or that can be defined; a boundary is created by the general statement used about the father. The perception then continues with the actions of the father and the statement that he believes his daughter is evil. This immediately creates a perception that Walker believes that men act with behavior that causes difficulties and boundaries for women. The point of view that is given by Celie continues throughout the book to create this same sense of boundary. For instance, most of the