Female Identity Revealed Mainly Through Opposition to Male Identity - Essay Example

Is Female Identity Revealed Mainly Through Opposition to Male Identity in ‘The Color Purple’ by Alice Walker and ‘The New Dress’ by Virginia Woolf? This essay will examine how female identity is revealed through the main protagonists in ‘The Color Purple’ (Alice Walker, 1983) and ‘The New Dress’ (Virginia Woolf, 1927), addressing the question. Both works centre on the women’s lives and the roles they have accepted or attributed to themselves, providing insight on ways that women allow themselves to be defined by the norms of the societies in which they live and how these impact. Celie in ‘The Color Purple’ encompasses a reflection of black society and the solidarity of women and kinship over a 30-year period. Mabel Waring, with her new dress, exposes the thoughts of a few hours, focused on herself, apparently driven by an obsessive inferiority complex. Celie exemplifies a woman escaping the patriarchal order, winning the right to be her own person, no longer socially, sexually or psychologically enslaved. Mabel progresses some way along that road, identifying what is good in her life, and by that process, finding resolution. Both achieve self realization and peace. The stories will be examined separately, exploring the male-female interactions and the women’s development towards liberation. The New Dress (Woolf, 1927): Told as a stream of consciousness, in the third person, the narrator allows access to all thoughts and feelings. What Mabel Waring wore, symbolically represents her need for acceptance as a witty, beautiful woman in the social setting of a party, a microcosm of society. She craved this from the men in particular. Unable to afford to be fashionable, “fashion.., meant thirty guineas at least - but why not be original?” (Woolf, 1927, p. 296), Mabel convinced herself of the possibility with Miss Milan, her dressmaker. That was discounted when Mabel was confronted by the “ordinary people” (p.296) at the party, for which the dress had been made. “And at once, the whole of the room where she had planned with the little dressmaker how it was to go, seemed sordid, repulsive;..” (p.296). Mabel interpreted Mrs. Barnet’s offer of mirror and brush on arrival as confirmation of how ‘wrong’ she looked, and Rose Shaw’s compliment “But my dear, it’s perfectly charming!” (p.296) meant the opposite, as Rose was “dressed in the height of fashion, precisely like everybody else, always.” (p. 297). Metaphorical imagery of “Flies trying to crawl” (p.297, applied to the company as a self-protective mantra, failed for Mabel; in her yellow silk dress, she defined herself as “..some dowdy, decrepit, horribly dingy old fly,” while the “others were dragonflies, butterflies, beautiful insects, dancing, fluttering, skimming.” (p.297) Mabel’s feelings of social and economic inferiority made her unable to accept reassurance from other women. Male positive reaction would confirm her worth. She sought approbation through wit, with the fly simile to capture a compliment from Robert Haydon. His polite response was insincere: “she saw in a flash right to the bottom of Robert Haydon’s heart…she saw the truth” (Woolf, 1927, p.297) That ‘truth’ was Mabel’s interpretation, the worthless ‘self’ was reality. Charles Burt’s reaction to her ambiguous comment, “It’s so old fashioned” (p.298) was observation, not admiration, reinforcing negative self-image, arousing paranoia, which segued into self-pitying reminiscence of an underprivileged background and romantic hopes dashed. Further memories allowed Mabel to recognize aspects of her life, more meaningful than male admiration. “As if she were lying in the sun or carving mutton. It would be it!” (Woolf, 1927, p.300). Clothing became important, in this instance a uniform; the transformation she sought relied on becoming ‘Sister Somebody’(p.300). While ambiguous, as Mabel might have meant nun or nurse, both domains are all female, making male admiration and power inconsequential for defining oneself. Whatever she did, Mabel might escape the strictures of society, no longer searching for male approbation, and just possibly, become the self she wished to be. The Color Purple (Alice Walker, 1983): In contrast, Celie’s young life was one of real tragedy. The epistolary style plunges the reader immediately into the depths of sadness, the horrific experiences of a young woman who can only share them through letters to God. From the outset, men are the oppressors, almost slave masters, owning and disempowering Celie. Her response was acceptance and obedience, but early in the book, female solidarity is revealed. To save her younger sister Nettie from Pa, she was willing to sacrifice herself. “I ast him to take me instead of Nettie, while our new mammy sick…I tell him I can fix myself up for him….He beat me for dressing trampy, but he do it to me anyway.” (Walker, 1983, p. 9) Further oppression emerged when Celie, deprived of her babies, her education, is ‘sold’ to Mr…Albert, becoming his chattel. Kate, her sister in law failed in attempts to help; the pattern of men using women was obvious, as young Harpo stated: “Women work. I’m a man” (p.20). Kate urged Celie “You got to fight them for yourself.” (p.21), but Celie saw how Nettie fought and ran, and believing her dead, responded: “I don’t fight, I stay where I’m told. But I’m alive” (p.21). This black, male dominated community, where men had physical, sexual, psychological and economic control, reflected the white slave owning model. Two women do not conform to this gender role, and their strength and power brought Celie to life. Jealous at first of Sofia, Celie appeared to betray her sex, telling Harpo to beat her into submission, causing herself guilt and remorse. Sofia was a realist. “A girl child ain’t safe in a family of men…I loves Harpo…But I’ll kill him dead before I let him beat me.” (Walker, p. 38) She left him for treating her badly, living by her principles. The other unconventional woman, a picture brought to life for Celie, was Shug Avery, considered a slut, an immoral woman with three children born out of wedlock by different fathers, according to the men in the community. Nurturing, and caring for the sick woman, may be perceived as evidence of Celie’s weakness and submissiveness, or as a manifestation of the female character that always extends care to those in need. Celie appeared subservient, yet she flouted the rules of conventional male opinion. Practiced in nurturing children, Shug, while a role model, was one more needing love and care. Their bond, eventually a lesbian relationship for a time, gave mutual support and physical love, awakening self awareness for Celie. Sexuality was another form of male aggression she was forced to accept. “Most times, I pretend I ain’t there. He never know the difference.” (Walker, 1983, p.68) Taking Celie to Memphis, Shug removed her from the male dominated life. The men became redefined, losing their controlling power as Celie achieved self-realization. Female solidarity was evident throughout. The love from Sofia and Shug permitted Celie to recognize herself as a valuable, lovable person in her own right, no longer an isolated, mistreated possession. Self-discovery allowed Celie to express anger at Mr….Albert’s duplicity in hiding Nettie’s letters. In depriving Celie and punishing Nettie, he was exerting his male power and control. The women found strength and resolve to assert themselves, overturning the stereotype, reducing the power of male dominance, and illustrating female solidarity. Shug told Albert, “Why any woman give a shit what people think is a mystery to me” (Walker, 1983, p.171), summing up the alteration in the dynamics of power, as the women seized the right to live their own lives. Clothes, personality, voice and physical appearance contribute to definitions of female identity. Even Nettie’s letters from Africa made clothing significant; the inappropriate missionary women’s apparel, the sacks the Olinka had to wear, symbolic of the constraints placed on women. Celie’s talent for making pants is also symbolic, for Albert acknowledged her ability in a traditional male domain. She did not ‘wear the pants’ in the metaphorical meaning of the term, but gained respect by building a business from them, little ‘ugly’ Celie, successful in a man’s world. She did not abuse her power, but shared her skill and taught Albert to sew, a juxtaposition of traditional roles. Through the common bond of love and loss of Shug, they became friends. Albert also reached self realization, as he examined cultural, social and personal dilemmas. “I start to wonder why us need love. Why us suffer. Why us black. Why us men and women.” (Walker, 1983, p.239) Celie was at peace, aware that connecting to oneself and others could transcend the divides, destroying differences, removing the need for others to define the self. Male and female interaction in both pieces exposed how people defined themselves within their gender roles, their circumstances and place in society. Men appeared to have the power to define a woman’s worth; women gave them this. Only when the woman recognised her own value and the aspects of her life that mattered most, could she develop an independent spirit, becoming a person in her own right. This could then influence the behaviour of men, the community, culture and society, beneficial for the freedom of all. Reference List Walker, Alice. (1983) The Color Purple. First Published New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovitch. This Edition, London: Book Club Associates, by Permission of The Womans’ Press. 1986 Woolf, Virginia, (1927) The New Dress. In Goodman, L. (ed) (1996) Literature and Gender. pp. 296-300. London: Routledge Read More