Although drastically different novels, both The Color Purple and The Poisonwood Bible are told in the first person perspective of women. Alice Walker, author of the novel The Color Puple wrote the story in first person point of view, from the perspective of Celie, to showcase the life of an African American woman facing racism and sexism in the late twentieth century. The Color Purple, showcases Celie's struggle to finding her own identity, during a time where oppression and racism were at its high. I believe that Celie's struggle to find her own identity mirrors that of Orleanna in The Poisonwood Bible. Tragically, both women are beaten by mean who are believed to have a greater power over the women. In this way, both Orleanna and Celie believe that they are inferior, and both spend the entirety of each novel discovering themselves and overcoming life-changing obstacles along the way.
Although her identity is not suppressed due to race, Orleanna struggles to find her true identity because her husband has suppressed her true ability to discovering life. As Orleanna describes, she has "lost her wings" (201). Losing her wings, metaphorically, is inept to acting as she wishes, and fails to see the true beauty of the world because he husband forces his life upon her (shown when the Price family goes to the Congo because Nathan wishes to spread Christianity). Similarly, Celie is both beaten and raped by her “father” as a young woman, and fails to understand how to re-discover herself and trust someone of whom she fancies.
In this way, these two characters symbolize the oppression of women and how the novel is an outlet to describe the atrocities of each of their lives. The reader is able to hear both of their problems as well as accomplishments when evolving throughout both novels.
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