If asked, most people would say that women are strong, passionate, and loving, but all of these positive traits don't really define who they are. Their nature is considered the most difficult to define because they have negative aspects that contribute to their strength, passion, and ability to give love. In The Color Purple, Alice Walker uses winks between several main characters, literary devices, and divisive imagery to communicate that femininity and being a woman are both defined by a variety of personal standards and societal. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Walker deliberately creates female characters who are different from each other to create a holistic view of femininity. The main character, Célie, is a woman who embodies the oppression of women. In many instances throughout the book, Celie lacks respect from the male characters. After being beaten by her father for winking at a boy in church, she claims: “I don't even look at men. The truth is that I look at women because I’m not afraid of them.” Célie builds her life above all on the fear of men and their power. Because of this, she serves quietly and does not face her oppression, portraying a characteristic of cowardice that most women have attempted to overcome. Unlike Celie, Sofia is an authoritarian and independent woman who speaks her mind. Celie says: “I like Sofia, but she doesn't act like me at all. If she speaks when Harpo and M. enter the room, she continues” (27). Sofia, like Célie, is beaten by the men in her life, but she chooses to defend herself. Celia admires Sofia's strength and this foreshadows her desire to emulate Sofia's attitude in the future. Shut Avery is noticeably different from the other women in the book. Shug Avery represents the two familiar characteristics of women, desirability and confidence. As Celie gives him a bath, Shug Avery tells him to "take a good look." Even though I'm just a bag of bones now” (35). This shows Shug Avery's ability to be comfortable with herself. Unlike her, Celie likes to be called ugly, which lowers her self-esteem. These three women have different characters, but they play with each other to create a balanced definition of a real woman through the tests of time. Additionally, the protagonist Celie experiences oppression by being treated poorly by her father and husband. Célie's mother is ill and her father makes sexual advances towards her, rapes her, and she becomes pregnant again at the age of fourteen with her second child. Her father silences her voice by expressing, “You better never tell anyone but God, it [will] kill your mama” (Walker 1). This statement silences Celie's voice and in fact offers her father the role of male domination over her. Silence does not protect Célie and her mother dies. Her father uses Celie and Nettie to satisfy his own needs, without considering them as real women. Think once again of Célie and her arranged marriage to Albert. Albert approaches Alfonso, Celie and Nettie's stepfather, asking for Nettie's hand in marriage. Alfonso commented that Nettie was too young and that he could have Celie, his oldest daughter, as Nettie apparently needs more education. Therefore, their father figure shows that he has the power to negotiate them into marriage, but he also has the ability to determine whether they are educated (Johnson 78). This shows the ability of men to choose what is best for women and to.. 2016.