The Life of Alice Walker and Her Contributions to Feminism

Alice Walker is one of the most renowned African-American writers. She was born in 1944 in Georgia. One of the books she wrote that portrays feminism, and the place of the black woman in the society is The Color Purple, which was written in 1982. This novel won Pulitzer prize, a year after its publishing in 1983.

Walker was the eighth child in the sharecropper’s family, and they lived in a small town, Eatonton, which only had two streets . She is a woman who has gone through hardship as her family lived in poverty. Alice Walker is among the black children who had had to forego education in order to work in the White man’s farms. The white landowner the family worked for demanded that every child must work on the fields. Minnie, Alice walkers mother, knew the positive impacts of education, and she fought for her children’s right of education and saw them through school. Thus, the devotion of her mother is one of the reasons Walker went through school and excelled. Walker is woman, who was blessed with a yearning and a love of learning, and this explains why she graduating at the top of her class in 1961. Later, she went to Spelman College through a scholarship. It is while in college that she joined civil rights movement, and she was a vocal protestor against the discrimination the blacks were undergoing because of their race. Walker spent two years at Spelman, and later transferred to a New York college, Sarah Lawrence College. It is in this college that her gift in writing became apparent. Her literary reputation rose, as she published Once and many other works. The success the novel, The Color Purple brought was immense, and it became a which became a best-seller, and further won a Pulitzer Prize. In this novel, the main message is that individuals should learn to respect each other, because, eventually, every flower blooms. The Color Purple passes on her history, as well as that of the black women. Walker cherishes her black heritage, as well as the cultural values she learnt from the culture, which includes the spirit of sharing, and helping community members solve problems. Walker aims to redeem the past lives by recreating a new identity, happiness and dignity in her novel, The Color Purple. She has a quest of liberating the black people from the oppression and injustices inflicted upon by the white patriarchal society. This paper analyzes Alice Walker’s advocacy for black feminism in her work that transcends ideology, through the analysis of The Color Purple. Additionally, the paper will examine the literary elements in this novel.

Black Feminism can be termed as the critical movement that was formed and defined by black women to protest against extreme levels of discrimination and domination experienced. The movement also aimed at responding to the multiple effects of various intersecting forces that are allegedly oppressive to women like those of gender, race, and class discrimination. The central ideology in black feminism is the demonstration of the societal, institutional, and personal manifestations of the above oppressive forces and the implementation of adequate measures for their total abolishment. In an attempt to embody her own particular vision of Black Feminism and to name her philosophy. The term womanist is what Alice Walker uses to describe herself, as she embodies her concept of feminism, among the blacks, as well as she, states her philosophy. 

Alice Walker's black feminism extends beyond her literary works. She has been involved in grassroots activism, fighting for racial and gender equality, environmental justice, and economic empowerment. She has spoken out against female genital mutilation, domestic violence, and various forms of discrimination. Through her activism, Walker seeks to create a more equitable and inclusive society that uplifts the experiences and voices of black women.

In recognition of her invaluable contributions to literature and activism, Alice Walker became the first African American woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1983 for 'The Color Purple.' Her work continues to inspire and empower countless individuals, particularly black women, by challenging societal norms and advocating for a more just and inclusive world. As a black feminist, Alice Walker has made an indelible impact on the feminist movement, urging society to acknowledge and address the specific struggles faced by black women.