Comparisson of Film and aa Case of Racism - Research Paper Example

First, the plot of the film is discussed, which is necessary to develop a basic understanding of the backdrop of time and place of the story. This is followed by a discussion on the historical context of the film. Next, an analysis section has been incorporated to assess the effects of the film. Finally, the thesis concludes by justifying the opinion that the historical context of “The Color Purple” is related to settler racism. The Plot The film “The Color Purple” has been directed by Steven Spielberg.

It is a film under the category of period drama. It is based on the famous novel having the same name written by Alice Walker. The background of the film is set in Georgia (Southern United States). The events of the story take place from 1880s to mid 1930s. The story is mainly centered on a black woman, Celie, who faces incest by her father in her own family. In an environment of isolation and poverty, she is deprived of education and does not know about her legal rights. She constantly receives rude behavior and is beaten by her father.

The same story continues even after she gets married to a widower, named Albert. For a short time, her sister Nettie comes to live with her and her husband. Nettie and Celie spend some good time together, but Nettie had to leave because of Albert’s sexual interest in her. Following several ups and downs, other black women like Shug and Sofia are also introduced in Celie’s life. These women give Celie confidence and help her to face the tortures of her husband. However, Celie develops homosexual relationships with Shug.

Sofia, on the other hand, was victimized by circumstances and exploitation. She is beaten up, jailed, and tortured. The story advances through many other events, which exhibit the socio-economic situation of black people together with the plight of Celie. However, the film ends at the reunion of Celie and Nettie, and their children. Albert also changes from a harsh, abusive man to a kind and understanding person at the end of the film. Historical Context Prior to the Civil War of America, the black population in the country was subjected to direct slavery and they lived in sub-human conditions.

In the middle of nineteenth century, Abraham Lincoln changed the situation significantly. However, political and constitutional changes took time to become socially effective in real sense and this was discernable in the 1880s too. The timeline covered in the film starts at this crucial point. Discrimination towards the black people, economic deprivation, and continued frustration might explain the intolerant and cruel attitude of the black males towards the women in the community at this stage.

Socio-economic discrimination and deprivation might adversely affect the socio-sexual behavior of the black males, leading to incest, rape, and sexism. The fight for civil liberties had not begun at that time, and nobody like Martin Luther King had appeared in the scene. The domestic violence faced by Celie, a black woman, is actually an internal manifestation of the settler racism faced by the black community itself. Notably, when black women faced torture and incest, their white neighbors did not come to rescue them.

They did not arrange for economic parity and education … neither for the black men nor the black women. The treatment