A Study of the Narrative of The Color Purple【毕业论文】.doc

1、 本科毕业论文 （ 20 届） 英语 A Study of the Narrative of The Color Purple 外语学院学生毕业论文独创性申明 本人郑重声明：所呈交的毕业论文是本人在导师的认真指导下，独立进行研究工作所取得的研究成果。除文中已经注明引用的内容之外，本论文不包含其他个人或集体已经发表的学术成果，也不包含为获得浙江万里学院或其它教育机构的学位证书而使用过的材料。对本文的研究作出重要贡献的个人和集体，均已在文中以明确方式表明。如本文涉及上述声明及任何知识产权 纠纷，本人将承担一切责任。 学生签名： 日期： Abstract Alice Walker is one of

2、 the most influential African American writers of the contemporary period. Walker is a novelist, a critic and a poet as well. Her works is about the life and experience of the black people especially the black women under patriarchal and racial oppression. She is the first black woman novelist to wi

3、n the Pulitzer Prize for her most famous novel The Color Purple (1982) which was also awarded the American Book Award in 1983. Even though The Color Purple revolves the lesbian relationship, nasty language, domestic violence and is attacked by many people, it is still said to be a classic book in pr

4、ovoking the awakening of the black women. This thesis explores the narrative features of The Color Purple by revealing the narrative devices, which includes the epistolary, languages and polyphony. By analyzing these narrative features, this thesis penetrates the African American females life situat

5、ion and the chance for them to change. In addition, it reminds people of the inequality, the darkness and misery caused by the discrimination and makes people perceive the considerable importance of equality between black and white. Key words: The Color Purple narrative features epistolary novel lan

6、guage features 摘 要 在现代，沃克是最有影响力的美国非裔作家之一。她是小说家、评论家和诗人。她的作品大都关于黑人的生活和经历，特别是处于性别歧视和种族歧视之下的黑人女性。发表于 1982 年的紫颜色使得沃克作为第一位黑人女作家获得普利策奖和国家图书奖。虽然这本书涉及到同性恋、粗话和家庭暴力，遭受一部人的批判，但依然被看作是黑人女性觉醒的经典之作。 这篇论文将通过揭示紫颜色的叙述 方式，研究这本书的叙述特点，研究内容包括书信体，语言和复调技巧。通过分析小说的叙述特色，论文深入美国非裔女性的生活状况和她们改变命运的机会。此外，本文将提醒人们：因为歧视，黑人女性遭受到不公正的待遇，不

7、得不面对生活的灰暗和悲哀。并且，使人们感受到种族平等的重要性。 关键词 ：紫颜色 叙述特点 书信体小说 语言特色 Contents 1 Introduction.1 2 Epistolary.2 2.1Different Addressee.2 2.1.1The Initial God.3 2.1.2 Natty.4 2.1.3 The New God.4 2.2 Different Signature.5 2.3 Different Address.6 3 Languages.7 3.1 The Blankness of Names.7 3.2 Direct Speech.8 4 Polyp

8、hony.9 4.1 From Celies Narration.10 4.2 From Nattys Narration. .11 5 Conclusion.12 Works Cited.13 Acknowledgements A Study of the Narrative of The Color Purple 1 Introduction The Color Purple is the master piece of Alice Walker, which was published in 1982 and made into film later. This fiction not

9、only won walker the fame and success, but also brought the controversy to her. As a womenist, walkers work exposes the double suppressions the black women suffered. One is the sex-discrimination from the patriarchal society, and the other is the racial discrimination from American history. This fict

10、ion focuses on the heroine Celies development from a silent girl to a independent woman that dare to voice. Besides, Walker uses different narrative techniques to show how the heroine Celie grows to be an independent woman. For its supreme artistry and distinctive narrative, The Color Purple is cons

11、idered Walkers best novel and attracts attentions of many critics and reviewers. For instance, Bell (2007) points out that its unrelenting, severe attack on male hegemony, especially on the violent abuse of black women by black men, is a revolutionary jump into a new social order based on sexual ega

12、litarianism.(p.157) However, this fiction also brings criticism on the author. The portrayal of the male characters annoys some reviewers, who hold that the men are defamed in this novel. Steven Spielberg makes it into film and brought larger success and disputes to her. It causes more scholars to d

13、evote themselves to the study of The Color Purple from diverse angles. Millard (2006) explains that The Color Purple is not only about women. The male also can help themselves to live with female in a harmony circumstance. Each character has its o wn fate and is worthy to be explored. Based on these

14、 studies and analysis, this thesis studiesk the narrative use along with the heroine Celies development in The Color Purple. 2 Epistolary As a epistolary form of novel, The Color Purple is made up of letters, which can be divided into six parts. They are addressee, address, content, ending, beginnin

15、g, and signature. Each of them can be seen as a textual sign or narrative unit. According to the changes of each part, celies inner world is changing as reflected on the narrative units. Elliott (1989) argues that Celies personal letters serve precisely as a “textual strategy by which the larger Afr

16、ican-American history, focused on racial conflict and struggle, can be marginalized by its absence from the narration” (p.166). In order to expose the narrative effect of each narrative unit, addressee, signature and address will be respectively analyzed with the development of Celie. 2.1 Different

17、Addressee When a letter is being read, it is the addressee that readers will pay attention to firstly. As part of a letter, addressee is the one that Celie can confide to. In The Color Purple, Celie experience three addressees. It is a wheel of Celies life. With the changes of addressees, the author

18、 uses a mild way to indicate readers that Celie are changing continuously. From the beginning God, Natty and the new God, Celie finally finds the meaning of life and leads a better life than she can image. Different addressee can represent Celie in different stages of life. 2.1.1 The Initial God Thi

19、s section focuses on celies state. When she writes letters with “dear God”, the initial God is the addressee in two thirds of these letters. During this period, Celie has changed from a little girl to “Mr._s wife”. In the beginning of the story, she raped by a man who she thinks is her father.“You b

20、etter not tell nobody but God. Itd kill your mammy”(Walker, 2003, P.1). She is so scared that she couldnt tell anyone. Her stepfather forced her to marry Mr._, who has 3children. After married with Mr._, She is merely a maid to Mr._ and has to put up with all kinds of abuses. She is just like a belo

21、nging to these men. She tries to treat herself as a tree without feelings so that she would not feel any panic. Even though Celie is so powerless, she still want to help Natty, “with God help”(Walker, 2003, p.3). At that time, writing is the only way to express Celies thoughts. Just like what her fa

22、ther said, she could only write to God. She is so timid and scared that she is afraid to confide what she want to say. Celie also trys to treat herself as a tree, which is numb to any pain and dumb. If it is the only way to survive at that time, Celie really makes herself a tree and writes to God. W

23、ith the arrival of Shug, Celie and Shug become intimate. It is under shugs help that celie finds those hidden letters written by Natty. Not until she reads these letters does Celie find that God never beside or care her. This detail shows that it is Shug, not God, who has helped Celie. So it is clea

24、r that God is the whites God, this God who has blue eyes never listens to a black woman. “You must be sleep” (Walker, 2003, p.177), this sentence ends Celies faith to the initial God. 2.1.2 Natty In this period, Natty has been Celies major addressee. She begins to think about what God really does to

25、 her and begins to write to Natty, who is celies sister. Like good friends, they always unload to each other. As a pastor, Natty is traveling abroad and lives with the Samuals who have adopted Celies son and daughter. To some extent, Natty is a mentor or a guide to Celie. As a idol for black women,

26、not only can she read, she but also knows things that Celie has any idea about. At the same time, she receives the letters from Natty. In letters, celie knows Africa. With reading these letters, she has an increasing knowledge about her character and the cradle of the blackAfrica. At the same time,

27、Nettys letters are like a depot of knowledge. From these letters, celie finds that her ancestors came from Africa. Besides, celies children didnt die. They live with Netty and they can read. During this period, celies mental world turns to be a copious one. She leaves to Tennessee and sets up a comp

28、any. Celie said “I am so happy, I got love, I got work, I got money, friends and time”(Walker, 2003, p.215). Even though she led a hard life in the past, now, her life begins cheerful and satisfying. A new life is waiting for her. 2.1.3 The New God The new God appears in the last letter. Celie begin

29、s this letter with a long addressee, which includes the new God, stars, trees, sky, people and everything. Although the new god appears just once in The Color Purple, it is meaningful and cheerful for Celie to find the new God. Before then, she experienced a long time to identify herself in such a p

30、atriarchal society. Hankinson(1997) vows that from early adolescence into adulthood Celie associates the biblical God with the men she knows man who have been oppressive and cruelly insensitive to her.(p.321) However, from Celies point of view, God is the one she confides to when she suffers from ma

31、ny humiliations. No matter her stepfather or Mr._ gives no passions but abuses to her. So, the God could not be these men who live with Celie. All in all, Celie has faith in the God primarily. If it were not for the finding of Nattys letters to celie, she would believe in God. If God is an abstract

32、concept in the primary stage, at that time, God becomes concrete. That addressees change from the traditional God to the new God reflects her lifes conversion from a housewife that has to restrain others temper to a woman that utters her thoughts smoothly. Hankinson (1997) also concludes that “the p

33、antheism alternative propounded in The Color Purple presents then a newfound optimism and spiritual furtherance in the ideological framework of walkers characters.”(P.327) The God of pantheism brings optimism to her, also reveals a renewing life in front of her, in which she is connected with others

34、 and is self-accepted. 2.2 Different Signature Celies signature appears in 7 of her letters. However, signature is bound to accentuate the growth of Celie. For it is this that makes signature in letters connotative and, more directly, makes the change of celie more vivid. On her arrival to Memphis a

35、nother life just begins. The life in Memphis differs greatly from her past life. She has time, love and own space. She has an unusual talent of making pants. Her pants are very popular among her friends and are good enough to be commodity. Though she is unaware of it, her career is already in the ascendance. She notes the address of company in a letter written to her sister, at the same time, her signature