Another example of this is when Celie and Shug kisses. There is a visible lesbian presence in the kissing scene, but the kiss is not perverse. This conforms to the pre-Hays Code where “lustful kissing” was prohibited in films (Mondello, 2008, para. 10). Patricia White further argues that characters that are portrayed as a lesbian or gay are often consigned to the status of supporting characters (p. 148). This is completely true because Snug is not a main protagonist in the film and the audience did not get to see her relationship with Celie blossom. Shug enters into the film for a brief moment just to act as a trigger for Celie’s new sexuality rather her lover. This was down because of the period the movie was set in, so the producers had to portray Celie as a woman not allowed to her sexuality. …show more content…
These negative connotations associated with black women’s sexuality are translated and coded in both films. For example, The Color Purple draws audience attention to the fact the black women's bodies were not considered desirable during the slavery era as Celie struggles with her sexual identity due to being constantly abused by the men in her life. In fact, this was the beginning of her traumatic life experiences when she marries an abusive man who takes advantage of her body. The turning point in her identity is when she meets her husband’s ex-lover,
In the Steven Spielberg film, The Color Purple, based on the novel by Alice Walker, Celie Johnson has goals of re-uniting with her family. Celie doesn’t care about men as much because Albert, her husband, has treated her very poorly. Despite both experiencing
Celie is given into marriage without her own consent. Mr. withholds her letters from her beloved sister from Celie. She gets abused by her husband in law, Mr.. Celie’s children grow up without knowing about their birth mother. The only phrase to describe Celie’s life in The Color Purple is messed up. Celie’s inherent freedom is plundered by the abusive men around her.
What is something that every single person in the world cherishes? What is something that people long for? The Color Purple by Alice Walker stretches the answer to that question with a series of letters between two sisters that spans forty years. A story of women joined together by love and hardship, The Color Purple depicts the value of family. But ever since it has been published, the book has gained a reputation for being inappropriate, and not suitable for schools.
The Color Purple tells the story of a young girl, Celie, who lives in the early 1900’s in the South. By the age of 14, she has been raped and pregnant twice by her stepfather Fonso. Celie has a deep relationship and love for her younger sister Nettie, just like Esch is valued and supported by her brothers Randall, Skeet, and Junior. Both girls face struggles with men and are pressured to mature at a very young age due to the responsibilities that life, and men, throws at
In other words, those who undergoes adversities and endure through them will benefit in some form, whether it be strength, experience, or independence; this becomes evident in “The Color Purple,” as Celie journeys from being an illiterate and abused 14-year-old to becoming an independent home and business owner. Celie’s abuse during here adolescent years. As a young girl, Celie’s mother was ill thus not being able to satisfy her father nor maintain her household. Because of this, Celie had to uptake her mother’s wifely duties.
In the 1920s, homosexuals were widely accepted. The author of a popular play about homosexuality, Mae West, was an early advocate of gay rights. In the 1930s, the public didn’t want to deal with homosexuality in the actors, so they forced them to retire or keep their sexuality private. Homosexuals would not be accepted again until the 1960s. In the 1930s, life was harsh for homosexuals.
Her faith is weakened at a certain point but then she starts to develop a new perception of God, she begins to see God as a universal being with no gender and race who is present everywhere and in everything that we love or do. She is now able to see God through people, nature, sex, and in the color purple. Alice Walker also gave importance to the value of female bonds and relationships or sisterhood as a means of coping and social support against the alienation experienced by Celie and other black female characters in the novel. Celie’s friends, mainly Shug and Sofia helped her to find her voice and stand up for herself. As the novel progresses, Celie develops strength and eventually gains her freedom towards the end.
Toxic Masculinity is the root of men’s oppression, and it requires our attention to be adequately addressed. This is because in the United States we teach boys that demeaning women make them more valuable to society. The idea is that women are only around to give men pleasure and to be seen as objects. In the documentary, we are also told by Joe Ehrmann that in addition to demeaning women we are taught that we need to strive for money and positions of power to obtain money with the help of media and film perpetuating the idea. He also added that if that we look at what society is telling boys, they will lose what is truly important in life.
Once Shug is able to feel acquainted with Celie they find themselves doing everything together. Shug teaches Celies about herself mentally, spiritually, and physically with her body. The book captures the feelings held between the Celie and Shug with vibrant words and sentences between the two characters. ¨She say, I love you, Miss Celie. And then she haul off and kiss me on the mouth (Walker, 1982).¨
Representation 'LGBT' in the cinema. From 1970 until today. 1. Hollywood. The big industry, commercial cinema.
it creates a ripple effect as sofia revives from her repressed state back to her old vivacious self and Mary Agnes stands up to her husband and voicing her displeasure in her nickname “Squeak”. All throughout The color purple characters change due to their circumstances. Celie was very restricted and oppressed during the first part of the movie but she blossomed inspiring others to do so as well. Her change was taking control of her own life and choosing her own way after being ordered around all her life. Celie proved to have great courage for standing up for her human rights.
For example, Celie becomes socially, economically and spiritually free, she sins love, dignity, and respect. This paper has analyzed how the characters in The Color Purple arouse their self-consciousness, through sisterhood and encouragement, love and help from their partners. The author demonstrates how the characters escape degradation caused by mistreatment by men and finally win dignity. The paper recognizes that Celie utilizes sisterhood to gain liberation, sexual identity independence, and freedom. Works Cited Thyreen, Jeannine. "
During the 1950’s, it was hard to tell the difference between homosexuals and heterosexuals by the way they acted, and if there were homosexual characters present, it was unheard of for them to have passionate scenes of the love between homosexuals in a film. During these times, gay characters were represented as being evil and vindictive as well as untrustworthy and dangerous. (Benshoff, 2005) (Item 4) By the 1980’s during the AIDS pandemic, rumours began to spread about gay sexual intercourse being the main cause of AIDS.
Sexuality is not something one is born with or something that comes naturally. Sexuality is learned from differing social and cultural interactions, which build from one’s basic physiological instinct. Humans are born with basic sexual potentials, but society helps to form their resultant sexuality. At the biological level, humans house various erotic zones that act as the baseline of sexuality. Sexual practices are socially and culturally adopted, based off of these zones, which lead to learned sexuality.
The letters gave her the knowledge of the existence of other ways of being and led to the process of liberation and identity formation. By doing so, Alice Walker re-writes the archetypical rape narrative of Philomela through an alternative language methodology of swing and patchwork. She gives a strong voice to Philomela through Celie’s metamorphosis – a transition from being a silent victim of patriarchal designs to becoming a powerful narratorial presence. Celie is the author and subject of her own story. Alice Walker also offers a crucial intertwining of private and public in The Color Purple.