从妇女主义的角度解析《紫色》这本书毕业论文

PAGEXX师范学院毕业论文AnAnalysisofTheColorPurplefromthePerspectiveofWamanism从妇女主义的角度解析《紫色》这本书外国语学院英语教育专业09级1班学生姓名黄XX学号090201013指导教师丁XX职称教授完成日期2013年3月15日Abstract:AliceWalkerisnotonlythefirstblackwomanwriterinAmericanhistorywhowonthePulitzerPrize，butalsoisoneofthemostinfluentialwritersofcontemporaryAmericanliterature.HernovelTheColorPurpleisknownasatimelessclassic,whichdirectlyexploresthecontradictionsandconflictsbetweenblackmenandwomen,describesthehardcourseofblackwomen’sgrowth,pointsoutafeasibleroadoftwosexes’harmony,andfurthershowstheessenceofthe“womanism”.Thisthesisisdividedintofiveparts.ThefirstpartgivesabriefoverviewofAliceWalkerandhermasterpieceTheColorPurple.Thesecondpartdealswiththetheoreticalframework,andincludesthetheoryofwomanism.ThethirdpartgivesananalysisofthefourfemalecharactersintheColorPurplefromtheperspectiveofwomanism.TheforthpartmainlydealswiththreeuniquefeaturesofwomanistreflectedinTheColorPurple.Thennaturallythefifthpartmakesaconclusion.Inall,AliceWalker‘swomannismovercomestheshortcomingsofthefeminismandprovidesanewangleofviewtoliberateblackwomen.KeyWords:AliceWalker;womanism;TheColorPurple;Harmony【摘要】艾丽丝·沃克是美国历史上第一位获得普利策文学奖的黑人女作家,也是当代美国文坛最有影响的作家之一。她的小说《紫色》直接探讨了黑人男女之间的矛盾和冲突，以及黑人妇女的艰难成长之路，提出了两性之间和谐相处的可行之道，并从多个角度展现了“妇女主义”的要旨，是沃克的妇女主义思想的完美体现，被誉为永恒的经典。本文共分五个部分。第一部分简要介绍艾丽丝·沃克以及她的代表作《紫色》。第二部分是理论基础。第三部分从妇女主义的角度分析《紫色》中的四个女性。第四部分探讨了《紫颜色》中的三个典型文化特征。第五部分为总结。综上，爱丽丝•沃克提出的妇女主义不仅克服了传统女权主义的缺点，而且也为解放广大黑人妇女提供了一个新的视角，使她们能更勇敢的面对自己的人生，也更有勇气实现男女之间的和谐。【关键词】艾丽斯·沃克；妇女主义；《紫色》；和谐ContentsIntroduction 10.1AnIntroductiontoAliceWalker 10.2AnIntroductiontoTheColorPurple 11.TheoreticalFramework 31.1TheTheoryofWomanism 31.1.1AdvocatingtheBravenessandConfidenceofblackwomen 31.1.2PraisingtheSisterhoodofBlackWomen 31.1.3PursuingtheHarmonyofTwoSexes 41.2Summry 42.FourFemaleCharactersofWomanisminTheColorPurple 52.1Celie 52.2Shug 52.3Sophia 52.4Nettie 62.5Summary 63.UniqueFeaturesofWomanistCultureReflectedinTheColorPurple 73.1Bluesmusic 73.2Sewing 83.2.1SewingClothesfortheFamily 83.2.2Co-SewingwiththeMr.Johnson 93.2.3Quilt-Sewing 93.3Pants-Making 10Conclusion 12Bibliography…………13Acknowledgement 14. PAGE14Introduction0.1AnIntroductiontoAliceWalkerInthelatterhalfofthe20thcentury,withthedevelopmentoffeministmovement,theriseofAfrican-Americanwritersbecameparticularlystriking.Especiallyin1983,ablackwriter—AliceWalkerwonthreeU.S.literaryawards:thePulitzerPrize,theNationalBookAwardandtheNationalBookAssociationAward.Asapractitionerandtheoryexploreroftheblackfeministliterature,AliceWalkerrevealedthetragicfateandpoorlivingconditionsoftheblackwomenwithheruniqueperspectives,studiedthehumanityoftheBlacksbeyondtheboundariesofraceandgender.Shediscoveredtheproblemoftheuniversalhumannature:livingconditions,socialrelationsandweaknesses,andthepursuitofthehumanspirit.AliceWalker’sliterarycreationcloselyrelatedtoculturaltraditions,thecontemporarysocialenvironment,andherlifeexperiencesandfamilybackground.SoitisnecessarytounderstandAliceWalker’slifebackgroundbeforeanalyzesthetext.AliceWalkerwasborninablackfamilywhoweresharecroppersinSouthernAmerica.Shewitnessedandexperiencedtheunfairsocialstatusandsufferingsoftheblacks.Fromhermotherandgrandmother,AliceWalkerlearnedmuchabouttheoppressionandabuseofthetragicfateofblackwomen.Atthesametime,AliceWalkerunderstoodthepreciousnessoftheblack’sculturalheritage.Shesetthefaithforthepreservationandpromotionofthetraditionalculture.ThetragicchildhoodmadeAliceWalkerindrawn\o"添加到单词本",sosheonlyfocusedonreading.WhenAliceWalkerwantedtodevoteherselftoliterarytraditionandhistoricalartisticcreativityoftheblackwomen,hermother’sgardeningskillsandtheotherblackwomen’sartisticcreativitiesinspiredhergreatly.TheimpactofAliceWalker’smotheralsoreflectsonthatshevaluedchildren’seducation.Althoughtheylivedinavillagewherewithoutaschool,buthermothertriedherbesttoprovidehereightchildrenwitheducationalopportunities.BeforeAliceWalkergonetogetcollegeeducation,hermotherhadalreadygivenherthreethings:asewingmachine,atypewriterandasuitcase.Walkerexplainedthemeaningofthesethreegifts:thesewingmachinemeansindependence,thetypewritermeansthatwritingwillbeherlife,andthesuitcasemeansenlarginghervision.AliceWalkerisablackwriterwhohasrichlifeexperience,profoundthoughtandclearpoliticalideas.AliceWalkershoulderssocialresponsibilityandhistoricmissionofthisvulnerablegroup—blackwomenwriters.Sheisfullyawareofthetouchingpoweroftheliteraturethatdependsonthedeepmeaningofthesubjectandultimateconcernforthedestinyofmankind.AliceWalkermakesahugecontributiontocontemporaryAmericanliterature.0.2AnIntroductiontoTheColorPurpleTheColorPurplewaspublishedin1982andwonthePulitzerPrizeandtheAmericanBookAward.Thisnoveltellsthelifejourneyoftheprotagonist—Celie’sgrowthfromavulnerablegirltoanindependentwoman.ByemphasisingonCelieandtheotherblackwomen’spursueforequality,independenceandfulfillment,AliceWalkerdemonstratesherideasofwomanismbest.InTheColorPurple,therearethreesetsofletters.ThefirstletterisCelie’sletterswhichwerewrittentoGodaboutCelie’smiserybecauseshecouldnotwriteorspeaktoanyoneelse.ThesecondisNettie’slettertoCelie,abouthervariousexperiencesinAfrica.ThethirdisCelie’slettertoNettie,whichexposesthethemeofTheColorPurple.TheColorPurplebeganwithCelie’slettertoGod.WhenCeliewasfourteenyearsold,shewasrapedbyherstepfather.Thenshegavebirthtotwochildrenwhoweretakenawaybyherfatherlater.Celiefeltextremelypainfulandtorturous,exceptGod,shewasforbiddentotellothers.Later,CeliemarriedtoAlbert,whomshecalled“Mr.Johnson”.AsMr.Johnson’swife,Celieworkedhardinhisfields,tookcareofhischildrenandborehisviolence.Celie’ssisterNettie,whoescapedfromherownhomebecauseofherstepfather’smistreatment,wasadoptedbyablackmissionarycoupleandwenttoAfricawiththem.Atfirst,SofiahadgreatinfluenceonCelie.Sofiawasabravewoman,whofoughtagainstherhusband’sabuse.AndSofiarefusedtobethemaidofthewhitemayor’swife.ShugAveryisabluessingerandMr.Johnson’slover.SomeideasofShug’ssongsareconsideredassinfulfortheChristians．buttheyinspirepeople．EvenCelieisencouragedandcomfortedbyShug’ssongs．Itisthebluessongsthatconveyblackwomen’saspirationforfreedomandselfhood．Moreover,Shag’spursuitofthebluesreflectstheappreciationoftheAfricanculture．Althoughtheplotissimple,thisnovelisfarfrombeingsimple.L.SRobinsonclaimesthat“Likeaskillfullycraftedquilt,TheColorPurpleincorporatesrecognizablepiecesofliterarytraditionsintoitsownpattern,includingslavenarrative,domesticnovel,epistolarynovel,bildungsroman,fairy-tale,romance,andevenexistentialnovel.”(L.SRobinson,1996:32).MaroulaJoannouacclaimsthat“theinfluenceofTheColorPurpleinprogressiveacademiccircleswasunprecedented”(MaroulaJoannou,2000:101).1.TheoreticalFramework1.1TheTheoryofWomanismIn1983,AliceWalkercreativelyputforwardtheconceptsof“womanist”and“womanism”toreplace“feminist”and“feminism”inherimportantcollectionofessays--InSearchofourMothers’Gardens.Inthisbook,AliceWalkermakesaconcreteandvividillustrationoftheblackwomen’sidealstate,anddefinestheterm“womanism”asfollows:1.Ablackfeministorfeministofcolor.Fromtheblackfolkexpressionofmotherstofemalechildren“Youactingwomanish”thatmeansyouactlikeawoman,usuallyreferringtooutrageous,audacious,courageous,orwillfulbehavior.Wantingtoknowmoreandingreaterdepththanisconsidered“goodforone”.Sheisresponsible.Sheisincharge.Sheisserious.2.Awomanwholovesotherwomen,sexuallyand/ornonsexually,appreciatesandpreferswomen’sculture.Committedtosurvivalandwholenessofentirepeople,maleandfemale.3.Awomanwholovesmusicanddance.Shelovesthemoon.Shelovesthespirit.Shelovesthefoodandroundness.Shelovesstruggle.Shelovesthefolk.Shelovesherself.Sheisregardless.4.Womanististofeministaspurpleistolavender.(Walker,1983:xi-xii)Walkercreatestheterm“womanist”toshowthedifferenceswithwhitefeminists.Womanismisaunityoanti-sexism,anti-racialism,Africacentralismandhumanism,whichisregarededasthecoreofWalker’sspiritualworld.AliceWalkerstressesthatthewomanist“Committedtosurvivalandwholenessofentirepeople,maleandfemale”(Walker,1983:77).Survivalwholeisthecoreofwomanism.Walker’swomanismisnotonlyagainstthegenderdiscrimination,butalsoagainsttheinequalityofraceandclass.AliceWalkercallsforallpeopleofdifferentraces,colorsandgenderscoexistequallyandpeacefullytoachievehuman’ssurvivalwhole.1.1.1AdvocatingtheBravenessandConfidenceofblackwomenAliceWalkergivestheoriginofthewomanisminthefirstinterpretation.Henceawomanistmusthavesomecharacterswhichtheword“womanish”implies,suchaswomanist,AliceWalkershowsthesecharacterscompletely.WhenAliceWalkerwasyoung,shewasveryconfident.Shedaredtocryout“I’mtheprettiest”infrontofherbrothers(Walker1983,385).AliceWalkeractivelytookpartintheCivilRightsMovementandBlackWomen’sMovement,Whenshestudiedincollege.What’smore,shewasthepioneerwhoopensblackwomenliteraturecourseincollege.1.1.2PraisingtheSisterhoodofBlackWomenInAliceWalker’sworks,wecanfindthatthegoodrelationshipamongwomencanbefoundeverywhere.Forinstance,InTheColorPurple,themutualloveandsupportamongCelie,Sofia,Nettie,Shug,andSqueak,demonstratestheimportantinfluenceofsisterhoodontheliberationofblackwomen.AliceWalkeralsoemphasizeswomen’semotionandwomen’sculture,oneofwhichismakingquilts.WhenAliceWalkerwroteTheColorPurple,shelivedaverysimplelifeinamountainvillage,butshestilldidnotforgettomakethequilt.“Ibought[…]aquiltpatternmymamasworewaseasy,[…].Iworkedonmyquilt[…].Myquiltbegantogrow”(Walker1983,358).Tosomeextent,makingquiltshelphertofinishthenovel.InTheColorPurple,Celie,SophieandShugalsomadeaquiltnamed“sister’schoice”,whichsymbolizestheirpreciousfriendships.1.1.3PursuingtheHarmonyofTwoSexeAliceWalkerneverforgetsblackmen.Thewomanistshouldcommitthemselvestotheentirethingsoftheworld,whethertheyaremaleorfemale,humanbeingsornature.Sometimes,AliceWalkeriscriticizedbyhernegativedepictionofmen,especiallyblackmen,butsheisnotaseparatist.AliceWalkeronlywantstoshowhumanbeingsafactthatblackwomanissufferingunfairtreatmentsandgreathurt.Therefore,greathurthopesthatblackmencanrealizeandrectifytheirproblem.Andtheycanbecomefriendsofblackwomen.AttheendofTheColorPurple,thechangeofAlbertandHarpoisagoodillustrationofWalker’swishofachievingtheharmonyoftwosexes.TheAmericanHeritageDictionarydefineswomanistas:“Havingorexpressingabeliefinorrespectforwomenandtheirtalentsandabilitiesbeyondtheboundariesofraceandclass;exhibitingafeminismthatisinclusiveesp.ofBlackAmericanculture”(Harcouri,2000:312)1.2SummaryWalker’swomanisttheoriesprovidesanewtheoreticalperspectivetoAmericanblackwomen’smovement,feministcriticismandevenAmericanliterature.Thereisnodoubtthatasaprolificwriteranddaringpracticalthinker,WalkeristhegreatestAfrican-Americanwomanistinthe20thcentury.2.FourFemaleCharactersofWomanisminTheColorPurple2.1CelieCelieisthemaincharacter,whohasbeenoppressedbymenherwholelife.Celieistreatedas“themuleoftheworld”(walker,1983)andsufferfrombothracialdiscriminationandsexualabuse．AtthebeginningofTheColorPurple，Celie’sfathersays，“youbetternotnevertellnobodybutGod．”(Walker,1982：1)Beingdeprivedofthespeechfight，Celieturnsherinnerfeelingstoletterswhereshecanexpressherselffreely．Atthestartofthenovel,CelieviewsGodascompletelyseparatefromherworld.ShewritestoGodbecauseshehasnootherwaytoexpressherfeelings.ShetellsShugthatsheseesGodasawhiteman.CeliehasthisbeliefbecauseeveryonesheknowshassaidGodiswhiteandamale.TheuglymenAlbertandhestepfatherhardlydestroyherwholelife.Luckily,ShugtellsherGodhasnoraceorgender.ThisenablesCelietoseeGodinadifferentway.SherealizesthatyoucannotplacequalitiesonGodbecauseGodisapartoftheunknown.HerfaithisnowbasedonherinterpretationofGod,notoneshelearnedfromsomeoneelse.WiththehelpofShug,CeliefoundoutletterswrittentoherfromAfricabyhersisterNettie,amissionary.Theseletters,fullofeducated,firsthandobservationofAfricanlife,formamovingcounterpointtoCelie'slife.TheyrevealthatinAfrica,justasinAmerica,womenarepersistentlyoppressedbymen.2.2ShugShugisacharmingandrebelliouscharacter“inshortskirt，smokingcigarettes，drinkinggin，musicformoneyandtalkingaboutslut，hussy，heiferandstreetcleaner”(walker，1982：49)．AccordingtoAliceWalker,womanistsarewholovesdance，lovesmusic，lovesthespirit，lovesloveandlovesherself.ItappearsthatShugisawomanistwhoexpressesherrealfeelingsinthemusicandfirmlybelievesthebluesthemesoflove，sexualityandfreedom．Shugisaveryextrovertedandtranscendentalcharacter.SheisAlbert'sex-girlfriend,theonewhoalwaysgotaway.WhenshecomesbacktovisitAlbert,sheshakesupnotonlyhisfeelings,butalsothoseofCelie.SheinfluencesAlberttothepointthatheendsuptreatingCeliebetterthanheeverhad.ByshowingCeliethewondersoflifeandherbody,shehelpsCeliedevelopherselfemotionallyandspiritually.ShugalsohelpsCeliediscoverthelonglostlettersthathersisterNettiehadwrittentoher.InallowingCelietoviewtheseletters,Shugissupplyingherwithevenmorehopeandinspiration,lettingCelieseethatintheend,everythingworksoutforthebest.2.3SophiaSofiaisoneofthestrongpersonalitiesinthestory.ShemarriesAlbert’ssonHarpo.Harpotriestodominateandbeatherashe’sseenhisfathertreatwomen,butshefightsbackbygivinghimabruiseononeoccasion.OnedaysherunsintothemayorandMissMillie,themayor’swife.ShefindsSofia’schildrenvery“clean”andasksSofiatobehermaid.OfcourseSofiarefusesherbecauseshewouldneverdreamofit.Beingoffended,MissMillieslapsSofia.Sofiahitsbackandforthissheisbeatenbyamobofwhitesandsenttojailfor8years,whichalmostbreakshespirit.“AllmylifeIhadtofight．Ihadtofightmydaddy．Ihadtofightmybrothers．Ihadtofightmycousinsandmyuncles.Girlchildarenotsafeinafamilyofmen．ButIneverthought.I’dhavetofightinmyownhouse!ButI’llkillhimdeadbeforeIlethimbeatme．”(Walker,1982：401)Sofiaisastrongandfeistycharacter,andcannotbecontrolledbymen.Sheisanindependentwomanwhotakesprideforwhatshedoes.Sofiahasthecouragetochallengethepatriarchyortheauthorityofmen．2.4NettieNettieistheidealfemalecharacterwithknowledge,senseofresponsibilityandhumanitarianspirit．Nettieusestheweaponofknowledgetofightagianstthedarknessofdifferentoppressions．OnceAfro-AmericansenteredtheUnitedStates，theylosttheiridentity．Theyhavenorelatives，nofriends，andnocultureinthenewland．Thus，womanistsadvocateAfracentrismwhichimpliesthereviewofAfro-Americanhistoryandculture，especiallyslaverycultureandregressiontoAfricancultureandtradition，accordingtoAliceWalker．Apparently，Nettle’sjourneytoAfricaindicateshersearchofthelostblackidentityandculture．NettietoldCeliethatatthesightofthelandwheretheirmothersandfatherscriedandlivedanddied，somethingstruckinhersoullikealargebell．“Theyaresoblack，Celie，theyshine⋯trytoimagineacityfulloftheseshining，blueblackpeoplewearingbrilliantbluerubeswithdesignslikefancyquiltpatterns．”(Walker,1982：126)Sheisexcitedtofindherrootandisproudoftheblackandtheblackculture，justasallthewomanists．2.5SummaryTosumup,despitethattheyhavedifferentpersonalitiesanddifferentwaysofemancipation，thefourfemalecharacterssharethespiritofwomanismsincetheyare“committedtosurvivalandwholenessofentirepeople，maleandfemale”andtheirsisterhoodbuildsupstrengthandcouragetofightforabetterfutureforallblackwomenandseekaharmoniouscoexistencebetweenmenandwomen．Eveninmoderntimes，thespiritofwomanismreflectedbythefourfemalesisofgreatimportanceandsignificanceforwomenstillinsuffering,especiallyforthoseofcolor,forthisspiritconveyshope，enhancesstrengthandinspiresactionforabetterlife．3.UniqueFeaturesofWomanistCultureReflectedinTheColorPurple3.1BluesmusicThebluesmusicisblackwomen’straditionwhichmanifeststheircreativity.ItarrivedinAmericaapproximatelyaround1900.ItisanotherintegralpartoftheAfricanAmericanculture,especiallyoftheruralsouthonthe1920s.Bluesusuallyexpressestherealconcernsofthewomenwhosingthemandthosewhoregularlylistentothem.Thebluesisrootedinreligioussongs,fieldhollers,shouts,andworksongs.ItssubjectmatterbearssimilaritiestosongsfoundinAfrica,indicatingaclosekinshiptotraditionalAfricansongs.Inform,thebluesmusicfollowsthecallandresponsepatternoftheAfricantradition,whichisbasedontheexperienceofthecollective.Itisan“individualstylepresentedinaninteractiveperformance.”(quotedinWalker1982:71)Bluesthemecontainseverykindoflifeexperience,includingloveandhate,sexanddeath,sufferingsandhappiness.Thebluessingerintendstocreateamood,asenseoftogethernessamongthepeople.Basingonthecollective’ssharedknowledge,abluessingerbuildsastrongbondwithheraudienceandgivesvoicetothespiritofthebluesinordertobringrelieftothesuffers.ContrasttotheabstractChristianity,thebluesisconcrete,liketheAfricanmusic.Africansdonotdividetheworldintospiritualandseculardomains.ThespiritualdomainofthebluesisdifferentfromtheconventionalChristianpreaching.Thebluesbeginsanewrelationshipbetweentheindividualandtheworld.Itisaprofoundtransformationoftheindividual.Meanwhile,thebluessustainsafundamentalAfricanworldview.ItcanbeconsideredasafollowerofAfricanculture,whichopenstothespiritualworldandprovidesopportunitiesforthesocialandpsychologicalgrowthoftheindividual.InTheColorPurple,Shug’smusichelpsCelietonegotiateanewrelationshipwiththeworld,onebasedonanunderstandingoftheholinessofalllivingthings.SheteachesCelietothinkofGodinanewway,asaforcethatallpeoplecarryinsidethem.Blackwomen’ssongshavebeenaparticularlyradicalsiteoffeministandAfricanAmericanresistanceandself-affirmation,adiscoursethatarticulatesaculturalandpoliticalstruggleoversexualrelations.Inthenovel,ShugandMaryAgnesarebluessingers.Byperformingtheblues,they“bringtogetherthetransformativepowersoffeministpoliticsandtheAfricanAmericanbluesmatrix.”(quotedinWinter1997:53)Theyarticulateastrugglethatisdirectedagainsttheobjectificationoffemalesexualitywithinapatriarchalorder,andtrytoreclaimwomen’sbodiesasthesexualandsensuoussubjectsofwomen’ssongs.Theblues’themeoflove,sexualityandfreedomofexpressioniscentraltoShug.Shecrossestheboundarieswhichusuallyseparatethesacred,bybringingthespiritualpowerofmusictohersecularperformance.SheisalwaysstickingtoherbasicideathatGodwantspeopletoappreciatethegoodthingsoftheworld,includingsexualpleasure,musicanddancing,thewondersofnature,and“thecolorpurpleinafield”.Sheextendstherealmofsacredtoincludeallcreations.Obviously,thebluesmusicformsclearcluesinTheColorPurple.Wecanalsotakethewholearticleasapieceofbluemusic.Itexpresseshowtheblackwomenstruggleagainsttheunfairsocietywiththeirintelligence.Ontheonehand,thebluesmusicgivesthemajorcharacterinthenovelmoreexcellentspacetolivehappily.Ontheotherhand,thebluesmusicbecomesasignalofculturaltransmission.3.2SewingSewingisadailymatterforhousewives.Thethread,shuttleandclotharenotonlyakindofhandcraft,andit‘smorelikeanartmediaforpeopletoexpressthoughtsandemotion.What‘more,sewingisasymbolofAfricanAmericancreativity.ThecriticWatersDowsonEmmeoncesaid.InTheColorPurple,theblackwomendefeatstheracismandsexismbysewingpantsandquilts.(Emme,1991:240-259)AliceWalkerthinkshighlyoftheAfricanAmerican‘screativityinherproseInSearchofOurMothers’Gardens:WomanistProse.IntheeyesofWalker,thedailybehaviorsuchasgarden,sewing,cooking,tellingstoriesisveryimportantforblackwomen.Thesearethewaystoexpressthemselvesandachievethemselves,atthesametime,thesearethewaystoliberatethemselves.That‘swhyWalkerlinksthegrowthofblackwomenwithsewing.Andtheysucceedatlast.3.2.1SewingClothesfortheFamilyThecriticM.TeresaTavorminasays:“sewingclothescanhelppeopleinthecommunityestablishtherelationship,especiallythefamilyrelationship.”（Tavormina，1986：220-300）Celie‘ssewingquiltsplaysanimportantroleinestablishingandkeepingtherelationshipbetweenhersisterandherdaughter.ForCelie,itisawaytoexpressloveforherdaughterOlivia.Owingtotheincest,Oliviaissoldtoothersafterherbirth.Celieisdeprivedoftherightsofmother.Severalyearslater,Celiecomesacrossawomanwithagirl.Theintuitiontellsherthatthisgirlishers,butsheisn‘tsure.SosheremembersthatsheonceembroideredOliviaintheseatofallherdaidies.Thesewingisthekeytoconfirmthemother-daughterrelationship.Besidesestablishingwithherlost-daughter,CeliebuildsthementalandemotionalrelationshipinAfricathroughsewing.CeliehasadeepfeelingwithhersisterNettie.Afterhermarriage,NettiewalksawayfromhomeandmovesintoCelie‘shome.Mr.JohnsonfallsintolovewithNettie.InordertoavoidMr.Johnson,NettieleavesforAfrica.ThusCelielosestheonlycomfortanddependence.What‘sworse,Mr.JohnsonhidesallthelettersthatNettiewritestoCelie.Thefamilyloveiscutoffbythebullymen.AlthoughshehasnomessagefromNettie,shekeepsinmindthathersisterNettieisalive.ShesewspantsforNettietoexpressherloveandmissforhersister.Celie‘scarefulsewingisinfactakindoflovelanguage.Throughsewingpantsforhersister,CeliecancommunicatewithCelieinmind.EvensheistoldthathersisterNettieisdead,CelieinsistsonthatNettieisalive.ShedependsonNettiementally.Celieisprovedtoberight.NettiecomesbackandbringsbackCelie‘schildren.Celie‘sfamilylovechangesfromcrushtowholeness.3.2.2Co-SewingwiththeMr.JohnsonM.TeresaTavorminasays":Sewingwithothersisafriendlybehavior.Duringtheprocess,youcantalkandcancompanywitheachother,andsupporteachother.”(Tavormina，1986：220-300）Throughsewing,CeliegraduallyforgivesMr.Johnsonandtheycommunicatewitheachother.Beforethis,theirmarriageisjustlikeatrade.SheisMr.Johnsonservant,cook,babysitterandsoon.Theyhavenotpassiononeachother.WiththehelpofShug,shegivesupthehelplesslove.ThenshegainseconomicandmentalindependencewhichsurprisesMr.Johnson.Thefirsttopictheytalkedisaboutthesewing.Fromthenon,theybegintosewtheirrelationshipthroughsewing.What‘smore,CelieteachMr.Johnsonhowtosew.Theprocesscanmakethemhaveadeeperunderstanding.AndCeliecantalkwithAlbertfreely.What‘smore,Mr.JohnsonbeginstorespectCelie.Therefore,Co-sewingbecomesanewwaytolinkthepersonwhohashatredwitheachother.Atlast,CelieforgivesMr.Johnsonfromtheheart.Atthesametime,Mr.Johnsongraduallychangesherbadhabit.WhenMr.Johnsonwantstomarryheragain,shesayspeacefullytoMr.Johnsonthattheycanbefriendsnotthecouple.Thepostureshowsshehasachievedanewperfection.Andshebecomesawholewoman:smart,considerate,inductive,whichconformtothetheme―”wholeness”.3.2.3Quilt-SewingQuilt-sewingplaysanimportantroleinTheColorPurplewhichisoneofblackwomen'sdailyactivitieswhichcomesfromtheAfricantraditioncenturiesago.Apatchworkquiltismadeofmanypiecesofworthlessclothesindifferentsizes,texturesandshapes.Inalongtime,theblackpeopleliveamiserablelifeandcan‘taffordtobuythequilt.Theyhavenochoicesbuttomakeitontheirown.Thentheblackwomenmakethequiltsyearafteryear,andit