| Friday, November 14, 2008 |
| SEXUAL PERVERSION DEPICTED IN ELIOT’S “THE WASTE LAND” |
SEXUAL PERVERSION DEPICTED IN
ELIOT’S “THE WASTE LAND”
Abstrak
Hubungan sex merupakan kegiatan sakral yang dilakukan dengan penuh kasih sayang oleh pasangan suami istri untuk melanjutkan keturunan. Namun pada “The Waste Land” karya T.S.Eliot, sex telah berubah fungsi. Sex digunakan sebagai alat pemuas birahi, obat menghilangkan stress dan bahkan diperdagangkan sebagai barang komersial untuk memperoleh keuntungan materi. Penyimpangan sex tersebut menyebabkan kemandulan peradaban modern. Eliot menyerukan pembersihan spiritual sebagai solusi masalah tersebut. Namun masyarakat modern tak terketuk hatinya karena terbius oleh kenikmatan duniawi semata.
Keywords: sexual perversion, moral values, guilty love, sex exploitation
INTRODUCTION
According to Eliot, sex is an important aspect of life. It is an expression of love and a means of procreation. But in modern society, sex has been perverted from its proper function and is utilized for animal pleasure and monetary benefits. Easy sexual relation could be found among all sections of the society.
Eliot cites the instances of guilty love in the first section of the poem with reference to Waqner’s opera Tristan and Isolde. Then he goes to another guilty love of the hyacinth girl.
In the section of Game of Chess we are introduced to sexual violation in high-class society where a lustful duke seduced a young married-woman. Sex also prevails among the lower class of society. Eliot mentions the story of Lil and the experience of three daughters of Thames. Another example is that of mechanical sex relation between the typist girl and her boy friend. A homosexual relation is exemplified by Mr. Eugenides. Eliot sums up the story of European lust through the words of St. Augustine.
To carthage then I came
Burning burning burning burning
(Lines 307-308: The Waste Land)
Eliot means that the whole of Europe is being destroyed by the fire of sexuality.
If interested to have the complete article, you are to send me email to: poers212@yahoo.com |
| Posted By Purwarno, Jam 6:06 PM
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| Wednesday, September 3, 2008 |
| Narrative Technique in Thomas Hardy's "Tess of the D'Ubervilles" |
Narrative Technique in Tess of the D'Urbervilles
by George Fleischer
"All works of fiction tell a story but what sets them apart is the particular way in which the story is told". Discuss the narrative technique of Hardy in Tess of the D'Urbervilles and what this method enables hardy to achieve.
The narrative technique of an author in any novel is crucial to the readers understanding of the narrative. The way in which a novel is written influences the way in which the reader interprets the events which occur throughout the novel and allows the author to convey the feeling of time, place, and people in the society in which the author is attempting to impart to his or her readers. In Tess of the D'Urbervilles, author Thomas Hardy uses a variety of narrative techniques in order to convey his own impressions of the society in which both he and his character Tess lived. Hardy's use of a third person omniscient narrator who is all knowing adds to the vulnerability of Tess by the reader's knowledge of what other characters say and do, whilst simultaneously detaching himself from the tragedy of Tess. The use of extensive description of setting by Hardy allows the reader to interpret the action, reactions, and moods of the characters in relation to the specific atmosphere in which they exist at the time and the influence which such a setting has on the character's feelings and emotions. Hardy's use of religious and mythological allusions and metaphysical symbols allow the reader to reflect on the religious and sociocultural environments in which the narrative is set so as to allow the reader to better understand and interpret the actions and emotions of the characters due to the reader's knowledge of their environmental influences. An effective narrative technique used by Hardy is the provision of a more direct means of communication between his characters and the reader. This is achieved through the use of dialogue, letter writing, and songs and poetry. Dialogue between characters allows Hardy to present his characters to his readers in a more direct way. It permits Hardy to allow his readers to interpret the characters in a way which is less influenced by his own narration and by which the readers are able to judge for themselves the characters by how they speak and communicate with others as well as the content of their converse. Letter writing and songs and poetry allow the reader to be directly informed of the actions and their rationale as well as the feelings of a specific character by which the reader is able to interpret these being influenced by the specific character rather than Hardy himself, and also allows the reader an insight into the social and cultural backgrounds of the society as reasoning for the characters behaviour and emotions. The way we read, interpret, and reflect on a novel is greatly influenced by the author and his or her use of narrative techniques in order to appropriately convey the characters and their society.
An omniscient narrator is one who knows all and sees all. It allows the reader and indirect insight into the actions and emotions of specific characters. The omniscience of the narrator allows the reader to not be influenced by the character in the interpretations of the character's behaviour and feelings and also encourages the reader to sympathise with Tess in her tragic and unfortunate predicament. Using such a narrative technique, Hardy allows himself to be somewhat detached from his characters, often appearing as though he himself does not sympathise with the tragedy that is Tess. The effect of the novel not being narrated by Tess is that we as the reader are given a perception of the lives of other characters which Tess herself is unaware of. It allows us to interpret for ourselves the predicament which characters other than Tess are placed in through our own eyes with the influence of Hardy and not through Tess. However, this style of narration prevents the reader from having a direct line into the thoughts and feelings of Tess and other characters, and does not allow for the character to directly communicate with their readers in a way which would inform the readers of the workings of the character's mind, what they do, and why they do it. However Hardy manages to overcome this difficulty through the use of other narrative techniques such as dialogue and letter writing.
Setting in this case refers to the specific surrounding environment and it's atmosphere in which a character exists at a specific point in time. The particular setting in which a character exists reflects the character's moods, actions, reactions, and their rationale for these, whilst the setting also influences how a character behaves. Hardy's comprehensive description of these settings also conveys to the reader the insignificance of individual characters in relation to the social atmosphere in which they live as a whole. Upon the commencement of chapter two, Hardy describes the county of Marlott and the surrounding Vale of Blackmoor in terms of its rural beauty and cultural atmosphere whereby a May Day dance is being held. This description of setting reflects the peaceful atmosphere of the county at that time, much like that of Tess and her family, creating suspense for the events to come. Prior to Alec's violation of Tess, Hardy describes the setting of Chaseborough as "a decayed market town" (Chapter 10) where Alec, Tess, and their companions have chosen to spend their evening drinking. An atmosphere of chaos and disorder has thus been set with Tess's intoxicated and unruly companions turning into "satyrs clasping nymphs" (Chapter 10). This creation of a embroiled and uncomfortable environment for Tess alerts the reader to advancing events. Hardy makes note of the fog in the woods which is regarded as a metaphorical representation of entrapment. It is during this tumult that Alec takes advantage of the sleeping Tess. In the second phase of the novel, Tess is seen making her way back to Marlott at which point she is overtaken by Alec. Tess refuses converse with him and leaves him to go down the "crooked lane" (chapter 12). It is here where we realise that Hardy's created topography of Wessex represents the moral condition of the characters. Two distinct setting placed in stark contrast to each other are Tess's journey to The Slopes where Alec lives and Tess's journey to Talbothay's dairy. Upon departing for The Slopes, Tess is reluctant and indisposed to her impending situation. She does not enjoy the journey in the least, feeling that her excursion will result in unwanted consequences. However travelling to Talbothays Tess's ride is swift and pleasant. Tess feels a sense of purpose in beginning a fresh new chapter of her life, and considers the journey more of a "pilgrimage" (chapter 16). Upon arriving at the dairy, Tess observes that this a place of good spirits where "she appeared to feel that she really had laid a new foundation for her future" (chapter 16). Hardy juxtaposes the residences of both Alec and Angel, contrasting Alec's estate on The Slopes and Angel's elevated dwelling. This contrast in setting reflects Tess's respective relationships between herself and both Alec and Angel. In the midst of the blossoming relationship between Tess and Angel at the dairy, Hardy describes the setting as "oozing fatness and warm ferments... the hiss of fertilisation... The ready bosoms existing there were impregnated by their surroundings". (chapter 23). This description of setting reflects the relationship between Tess and Angel and the atmosphere in which their relationship matures. However this was not to last. Following the demise of Tess and Angel's marriage, Tess arrives at Flincomb Ash. Such a name conveys the impression of a stark and desolate setting which reflects Tess's on misery and suffering. The land in harsh and barren, possibly representing the love of lack thereof between Tess and Angel. The work is onerous and toilsome, contrasting considerably with Tess's joyful labour at Talbothay's. Tess's depression reaches it's climax here in the barren wasteland and "the joyless monotony of things" (chapter 46). it is amidst this desolate and destitute environment where Alec surfaces again to declare his love for Tess. Tess refuses his pleas, still hoping for the return of her beloved Angel. When Angel finally does return, it is amidst the luxurious seaside resort at Sandbourne whereby Tess is described as being expensively dressed and living in affluence. This setting conveys the impression of both an inappropriate environment for Tess, representing her union with Alec, but also a prosperous environment representing her reunion with Angel. Hardy's effective use of dynamic setting is used in order to allow Hardy to convey the moods and feelings of his characters which are reflected by the setting in which the specific characters exist at that time.
Hardy's characters are greatly influenced by the religious and social environments in which they live. Religious and mythological allusions enable Hardy to convey these aspects of his society to his readers. In the opening of the novel, the first character the readers are introduced to is Parson Tringham. No physical description is given and his dialogue is limited, creating an alluding and mysterious figure. The parson represents the religiosity of Hardy's society and communicates to the readers that this is a religious society, whilst also setting the scene for Tess's introduction to the readers and for the events to come. At the commencement of the second phase of the novel "maiden no more", Tess is seen burdened with a heavy basket and a large bundle. This can be regarded as the metaphysical symbol of oppression and hardship. Some time later as Tess and Angel depart from the dairy after their wedding ceremony, a cock is heard crowing. Such is an omen of bad luck, and according to biblical references, the cock crowing three times as it had done intensifies the omen even more. This religious allusion represents the religious implications and consequences for Tess's decision not to inform Angel of her past, whilst also creating suspense for the reader as to the events to come.
An effective narrative technique used by Hardy is dialogue between characters. How a character speaks and what they say allow a greater insight into the nature of their individuality. It permits the reader to judge the characters on the basis of their own communication with other characters rather than on Hardy's own interpretation of their converse. Dialogue also informs the reader of a specific character's thoughts and feelings as well as their intentions and rationale for previous actions. Upon the commencement of the novel, the reader is introduced to John Durbeyfield. His dialogue with the unknown parson indicates to the reader that this is an uneducated man who is a member of the lower classes. His dialect may give an indication of his county of origin but also conveys to the readers that he is possibly intoxicated, which we later find out he is, and also slightly pompous without reason. Thus Hardy's use of dialogue here sets the scene for Tess's introduction to the reader. Also used by Hardy in order to create a more intimate relationship between the characters and his readers is the use of letter writing and songs. Having set their wedding date for New Years Eve, Tess and Angel relish their time together, however upon trying on her wedding dress, Tess cannot help but remember one of her mother's songs:
"That would never become a wife
That had once done amiss" (chapter 32)
This song allows Tess to return to her childhood in her adulthood, and also allows her to convey a typical value of the society in which she lived, a women who had committed an indiscretion in her early years shall never be married. This song also imparts to the reader Tess's fears and doubts, and the extent to which her guilty conscience is imploring her to inform Angel of her past. During the climax of Tess's depression whereby she is in a state of "utter stagnation" (chapter 41), Tess receives a letter from her former dairymaid friend Marian, asking Tess to join her at Flincomb Ash.
Once having arrived at Flincomb Ash, and Tess having subjected Alec to an "insulting slap" (chapter 48), Tess resolves to write to Angel, imploring him to "save me from what threatens me!" (chapter 48).
Having returned home to her ill mother, only to be informed of her father's death, Tess now resolves to write to Angel yet again, this time in a bitter letter abusing Angel for his mistreatment of her.
Having received no reply from Angel, Marian and Izz write to Angel beseeching him to return to Tess.
The use of letter writing enables Hardy to create a more intimate relationship between his characters and the readers, allowing the readers to understand the character's behaviour and their rationale.
Hardy's use of an omniscient narrator, descriptive setting, allusion and metaphysical symbols, and letter writing and songs in Tess of the D'Urbervilles enables Hardy to influence the way his readers understand an interpret the events of the novel. These narrative techniques are highly effective in establishing a relationship between the characters and the reader and also in conveying to the readers the various aspects of Hardy's society. An understanding of these religious, social, and cultural aspects allows the reader to rationalise the actions and emotions of the characters in relation to the society in which these character's live. It is crucial for the readers to comprehend the background and aspects of Hardy's society in order that they be able to realistically explicate the plot of the novel in relation to the environment in which the characters exist. |
| Posted By Purwarno, Jam 9:43 PM
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| William Blake as a Visionary Poet Depicted in Some of His Poems |
In his very childhood Blake had seen vision of angels and prophet. Once, when he was about seven years old, he told his parents that he had seen a tree full of angels. On another occasion he said that he had seen the prophet Izekiel under a tree in the fields. According to another story, he saw angelic figures walking in and out among the human haymakers in a hayfield. Once, he saw God “put His head to the window.” Much of the imagery of Blake’s poems grew out of his visions and dreams.
In the Songs of Experience, he deals with the ugliness of life. His mystical faculty henceforth found a more satisfying expression in decorative designs. He became actively concerned with the art of illustration, and he enriched a number of his works in this way including his own prophetic books. Blake also claimed that the spirit of his dead brother used to come to him in visions and prompted his writings as well as his illustrations. Of many of his poems he said that they were “dictated” to him by spirits. In this most literal sense he held that “inspiration” could come to the aid of a poet. When he was inspired he made use of his Imagination or Divine Vision. Blake had, indeed, a strong hold upon the spiritual world. He was a great believer in the imaginative faculty. He admired William Law (1686-1761: author of religious and mystical works) and Charles Wesley (1707-1788: author of a number of hymns) and was himself, as a young man, a follower of Swedenborg (1688-1772: Swedish philosopher, scientist, and mystic who claimed to have seen many visions). He said, for instance, “One power alone makes a poet: Imagination, the Divine Vision.” For Blake, God and the imagination are one; that is, God is the creative and spiritual power in man, and apart from man the idea of God has no meaning.
As a visionary poet, Blake left his mark on both painting and literature. He is ever looking behind the visible frame of things, for the glories and terrors of the world of spirit, with the eyes of one who cannot help dreaming dreams and seeing visions. The visionary in him sometimes overpowers the artist. A wild confusion of imagery then often blurs (haze) his works, whether as an engraver or poet. But if at times it obscures his clarity and simplicity, it gives a phantom touch of extraordinary subtlety, and too much of his work exquisite beauty.
Blake’s mysticism is deep-rooted in the practical side of his nature, and touches the problems of life. The Songs of Experience illustrates this quality of Blake’s mysticism more forcefully. Introduction to the Songs of Experience contains the prophetic Bard’s call to Earth to arise and embark upon a new era in her life but Earth’s Answer leaves no doubt in our minds regarding Blake’s pessimism as regards the present of mankind. Earth speaks of the cruelty of Jehovah or Urizen (“Starry Jealousy”) and her being in chains. She speaks especially of the restraints of the sexual nature of human beings. In other words, this poem depicts the imprisoning, the hindering, and the restrictive influences in life. Both these poems, Introduction and Earth’s Answer, were written in the form of visions, and the first is more strikingly mystical because of its references to the “Holy Word” and “Christ” or “God” walking among the trees of Eden.
The Holy Word
That walk’d among the ancient trees.
(Introduction, lines 4-5)
The two poems show vividly that Blake’s mysticism is founded on a clear understanding of the actual facts of human life but at the same time the exact meaning of these poems baffles the reader.
The very imagery represented by Introduction is sexual while in Earth’s Answer it confirms the sexual implications. The last two stanzas of the Introduction are spoken in the manner of a lover: “Arise from out the dewy grass” and “Turn away no more”, says the Bard to Earth who is treated as a woman. Yet, the Earth does not respond in the role that the Bard has hoped for: as a fulfilled and joyous woman, risen refreshed and vigorous, but as an old, worn, and disillusioned wife might do from a sexual intercourse with a husband to whom she is bound in a servile (like a slave) and joyless union. Earth wants the chain that binds free love to be shattered. It was selfishness and jealousy on the part of Jehovah to have imposed restraint on free love. Earth wonders why human beings should make love furtively (secretly) or stealthily.
Does spring hide its joy
When buds and blossoms grow?
(Earth’s Answer, lines 16-17)
It is clear that Blake looks upon the liberation of the senses and sex as a prerequisite to the regeneration or rejuvenation of mankind.
The Tiger is a marvel of poetry. It combines a vivid realism with a strong visionary quality.
Tiger! Tiger! burning bright
In the forest of the night,
(The Tiger, lines 1-2)
The two lines quoted above are true literally and metaphorically. Literally, they refer to the fiery quality of the tiger’s eyes and the tiger’s glittering skin in the dark forest. Metaphorically, they refer to the violent, terrifying, and destructive nature of the tiger. These ideas are developed in the course of the poem, and the process, which describes the construction or the creation of the tiger has about it a visionary or mystical quality, which finds its climax in the fifth stanza of the poem, lines 17-18 in which the exact meaning of the two lines is again a riddle.
When the stars threw down their spears,
And water’d heaven with their tears,
According to Blake art was not a side-issue. It was not a vehicle of formal instruction. It was something that should ‘move’ man in the fullest sense of the term. It was a vision of fundamental living realities, as perceived not by the reason but by the eyes of the mind. He denied the validity of ideas imposed by custom. He declared that his vision was a vision of truth.
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| Posted By Purwarno, Jam 9:23 PM
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| An Essay on William Blake’s Symbolism Depicted in Some of His Poems |
The use of symbols is one of the most striking features of Blake’s poetry. There is hardly any poem written by Blake, which does not possess a symbolic meaning, besides its apparent or surface meaning. Though most of his poems are written in simple language, the fact does not deprive them of a deep meaning. However in order to understand Blake’s poetry at a deeper level, we have to know something about the symbols, which he makes use of. Critics have classified the principal symbols which are used by William Blake as innocence symbols, energy symbols, sexual symbols, corruption symbols, oppression symbols and so on.
Introduction to Songs of Experience and its sequel, Earth’s Answer have to be considered together. Introduction and Earth’s Answer strike the keynote of the Songs of Experience. In the Introduction, the Bard, being the poet who is inspired as a prophet who has the power of seeing present, past and future, has also been symbolized as the Christ who asks the mankind to wake up from its slumberous sleep. He has heard God’s message and if mankind will only hear this message, a new dawn of happiness will break. Man has “lapsed” from his original happy state in the Garden of Eden, but there is a hope of recovering that state.
Like the Piper in the earlier Introduction, the Bard here is a poet, but the Bard’s poetry is prophetic and brings a message. His “inspiration” comes from the Divinity. He speaks with authority in the first line of the poem and like God he calls to the “lapsed soul” and pleads with a fallen Earth to return to the way of light. He speaks on behalf of a loving God—the “Holy Word”, that is the Son of God, Christ who is described in Milton’s Paradise Lost as walking in the garden in the evening of the day of Adam and Eve’s Fall. The Bard takes Milton a stage further, and describes the “Holy Word” as “weeping in the evening dew” (dew in Blake is often a symbol of materialism). The weeping is perhaps due to Christ’s agony in the garden at the Fall and at the judgement of Adam and Eve. Before the Fall, God was known to Earth; He walked among the “ancient trees” of Eden and was the intimate of Adam and Eve till they become “lapsed soul”. After the Fall, however, Earth does not respond to the love of the “Holy Word” or know him for what he is.
The main idea of the poem, however, is that: Mankind is in a fallen state. But people should not give themselves up to despair and they should not be indifferent to a new dawn, which can come only if they strive (struggle) to bring it about.
In the Earth’s Answer, Earth may be symbolized as a woman because earth gives the birth to nature and to all existing on it. The woman is lack of freedom therefore she wants to get freedom and liberty. She wants to unlock the key, which locks her, but she has no power to do so, and it makes her in a great despair. She lacks of warmness and freshness that cause man far away from her because man likes a warm as well as a fresh woman. Therefore she is weeping to realize her destiny. She says that she is imprisoned by her fears of the false god of conventional religion and morality, Jehovah. “The water shore” and “starry” in the lines 6-7 symbolize oppression and tyranny. “Starry Jealousy” and “Selfish Father” represent the jealous god, a god of fear, Jehovah who is also called Urizen by Blake. Blake effectively builds up here a picture of desolation, an atmosphere of darkness and of grey despair. Earth laments the fact that her bones are “frozen around with a heavy chain” and that “free love is bound with bondage”. The false god, Urizen, though this name is not used in the poem, is the false god of conventional religion, and his law is a series of prohibitions. The jealous Jehovah or Urizen gives sexual natures to his creatures but at the same time imposes restraints upon them. In other words, he is a tyrant who forbids unrestricted sexual pleasure to the virgins of youth and morning and who is responsible for the bondage imposed on free love. “The virgins of youth and morning” are the symbols of the youthful girls who are fresh like the morning and who have an unlimited capacity for enjoying sexual pleasure. Earth’s lament concludes thus:
Selfish! vain!
Eternal bane!
That free love with bondage bound.
(Earth’s Answer, lines 23-25)
Earth wants the oppressive chain, which restricts her freedom, to be shattered. Free love should not have been bound or curbed or put in chains. It was selfishness and arrogance on the part of Jehovah to have imposed restrains on free love. Such restrictions are an everlasting curse to mankind.
We can sum up that Blake, who was a great believer in natural impulses, hated all kinds of restraints. He condemns all those who exercise restraints upon others because God has created human beings with the same right. Therefore he censures any tyrant and oppression to mankind. Blake gives attribute to Urizen, who symbolizes Reason in Blake’s later poetry, as all negative such as jealousy, fearfulness, cruelty, secrecy, and hatred of life and of joy. He is described as “Starry Jealousy” and “Cruel, jealous, selfish Fear”.
London is a poem that depicts sordid and sad conditions of life. The word ‘chartered’ comes from business, trade and commerce, but here it means the street which has its economic value. Water in the rivers represents sense of life. Water sustains us, and the Thames stand for a symbol of life and rejuvenation. London represents a genteel character, as it is still a city based on traditional values although it has its vices too. But, although the city is very old, strong and well planned yet from a cursory glance it is evident that it is hollow from inside as the people have marks of weakness and misery on their faces. Every word is insisted upon because no one escapes the misery and woe in this city. Children are innocent and do not know “fear”, but in this city, children are depicted in a gloomy condition as the blackened chimney sweepers. Here child is snatched away its innocence, and experience has been thrust into his mind as to weep for sufferings. The poet sees “marks of weakness, marks of woe” in every face. He hears “the mind-forged manacles” in every voice, whether of man or child. Then there is the soldier who sheds his blood in obedience to his King. Then the Church, which is supposed to purify and chasten the people, is itself blackened because it fails to do so. The word “hapless” represents the soldier’s hidden feelings of not to participate in war and battle. It also shows that the soldier is useless as there is no work for him to do. According to Blake, prostitution is the most heinous (monstrous) crime. The harlots do not do it willingly but they are forced to do so as to earn their bread. Then there is the tragedy of loveless marriage, which compel men to go to prostitutes and beget illegitimate children. Oppression and tyranny are symbolized by the king who is responsible for the soldier’s blood being shed, social institution like loveless marriage, and “the mind-forged manacles”.
In London, Blake criticizes the corruption of civilization by the power of Reason, whose mind-forged manacles have restricted every natural joy into a terrible agony. The street-cries of the chimney-weepers are accusations against the Church; and the death-sigh of the soldier is a stain upon State. Love itself, when so bound, makes the marriage-bed a diseases-blighted hearse. This poem is not only a protest but also a picture of a mental state.
Perhaps the most striking image in the Song of Experience is The Tiger. To the mind in the state of innocence, the Lamb appears to be a fit symbol of life. To the mind, which has experienced the disappointments, the sorrows, and injustices of life, the tiger appears as the symbol. The tiger is relentless, strong, remorseless, but beautiful and it is already the nature that every God’s creature has its beauty. But although the tiger is beautiful, it is a symbol of the violent and terrifying forces for man, as the phrase, “fearful symmetry”. Tiger also is symbol of generation, full of life, energy and passion. Tiger actually does not exist in the cloud or in the sky. The existence that is meant here is the existence of the spirit of God. God may exist everywhere. Blake here tries to represent things in sense of their spirit, not merely as objects as to say that this is the thing, etc. Actually Blake, in this poem, talks about human beings and the spirit they have. Then, there is a hidden meaning behind putting the brain of the tiger into furnace. It interprets that after getting out the furnace, the tiger’s brain is remoulded into a benefactor tiger that will do good things. As God has created lamb as well as tiger, ignorance and awareness or knowledge, therefore good and evil always exist in this world. That is why we as human beings must be able to control or to stabilize our life because our brain is very easy to construct. At the same time, the tiger is also a symbol of the Creator’s masterly skill, which enabled Him to frame the “fearful symmetry” of the tiger. |
| Posted By Purwarno, Jam 9:17 PM
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| Review on Alice Walker's "The Color Purple" |
The Color PurpleBy Alice Walker Alice Walker who was born in 1944 in Eatonton, Georgia is a black American Writer. She comes from a poor family and has a tough childhood, constraint family household. She becomes adept in the new cultural language of black arts to which she becomes a young writer. She is the author of a memoir. Her novel, ‘The Color Purple’ constitutes a remarkable fiction that it won the Pulitzer Prize and the American book award for fiction. In The Color Purple, Alice Walker attempts to convey what has been one of the greatest absences in American history: the Black voice. It talks about the position of women in the white society as well as that of women in the community of their own black men. In every aspect, the Color Purple is a womanist novel in the sense that it shows the complete growth of its protagonist, Celie. Here the novel is not feminist in the radical sense of the term because it rather articulates a rabbit dislike of men or possesses a pierce opposition to male discourse. In Alice Walker’s novel, ‘The Color Purple’, the focus in the beginning is of the pain that Celie experiences.
From the very beginning, Celie is introduced to us as a slave. She neither controls, nor possesses her own body. At the age of fourteen, she is raped by her (step) father, and sold by him into marriage to a man, Albert, at least twice her age. Such is the evil of black male patriarchy as portrayed to us by Walker.
Celie’s marriage with Albert is a failed one because Albert, in fact, does not love Celie but he loves Shug only and it is clearly described in the novel that Albert leaves his first wife, Annie Julia and lives with Shug. A jealous Shug kept Albert away from home so often that Annie Julia would have to come begging for enough money to feed his ever enlarging brood of children. Annie Julia’s fate is to be shot dead in front of her children by her ex-boyfriend whilst coming home from church . . .Celie realizes that Albert does not love her as she says, ‘No body loves me’.
The very reason why Albert married her is because she would look after his children. Her marriage to Albert is not a remedy for her pains. Her painful experiences have not come to its end after her marriage. Even when she is married to Albert she faces regular physical abuses from him. There is no sense of personal fulfillment for Celie in her marriage life. She always feels as if every body that she has in her life continuously rejected her. Moreover her personal experience bears this out. The entire personal history of Celie is a saga, which is full of pain and agony. However, the way in which Celie responses to it is indeed marvelous. She neither refuses to launch a noisy protest nor uses violence against Albert. It is quite different if compared to her daughter in law, Sofia who is indeed violent against her husband, Harpo. Thus one can see two distinct and specific responses in the novel.
In The Color Purple the true extent of this appalling violation is made only too clear in a number of incidents. Celie herself writes ‘Bub in and out of jail. If his granddaddy wasn’t the coloured uncle of the sheriff who look just like Bub, Bub be lynch by now’. When Sofia is in jail for striking the mayor, Mr.-----, Celie’s husband, asks ‘Who’s the warden’s black kinfolks?’ The worst episode occurs when Mary Agnes is sent by Sofia’s family to gain her release: her own white uncle rapes her. The only weapon Celie’s family has is literally that of blackmail. By reminding the warden, and other powerful Southern whites, of their sexual and familial relationships with blacks, they can help each other to survive just. By the time Sofia is finally free, not much of her spirit remains.
The fulcrum around which the text seems to hold is the scene where Shug Avery converts Celie to her empowering vision of God and its creation. Before then, Celie had seemed all too resigned to her fate - ‘Heaven last always’ - she says at one point. Celie’s story, if it is anything, is how she escapes this terrible negativity, and how she learns to embrace life. Besides, it is also Shug Avery from whom Celie realizes her sexuality as in one occasion Shug tells her how she can explore her body and realizes her sexuality (Walker, 1982, p.82).
Celie is saved from this fate in a crucial scene in The Color Purple, which is similar to the finale of Beloved. Probably the saddest part of Celie’s story is how she first comes to be raped by her stepfather. When she was young, she had a passion for cutting hair. Until, that is, her stepfather began to use these barber sessions as an excuse to rape her. It is by no means coincidental that the way Celie unconsciously reacts to the revelation that Albert, her husband, has hidden Nettie’s letters from her, is to stand behind his chair with his unsheathed razor at his throat.
If Celie had cut Albert’s throat, it is more than probable that she would have shared the fate of Sofia - a brutal prison sentence. Above all the other misrepresentations and absences that Walker portrays in The Color Purple, the ones that state that abused Southern black women must remain victims all their lives, are the ones that must be overturned above all others. As Walker herself has said, ‘I liberated Celie from her own history. I wanted her to be happy’. And in that, she has succeeded admirably.
Celie shows mature, adult behaviour despite going through the toughest odds in life. Even though Celie’s life can be called disastrous by any yardstick, including rape, incest, killing of her babies by her step father, and both physical and psychological abuse by Albert, her husband yet she is able to express herself and successfully shows herself as an individual in this world. To everything and everybody who listens, Celie says, “I am here”. |
| Posted By Purwarno, Jam 9:15 PM
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