Sexism is, at its core, a product of gender roles. In the early 20th century, discrimination against women through overt reliance on gender roles was widespread among both men and women. In a patriarchal society, women are expected to submit to men in all matters simply because they are expected to be “inferior” and dependent on them. At the same time, women are encouraged to play submissive and quiet roles that not only cement their inferior status to men, but also give men roles of power. The cyclical nature of this systematic oppression continues its course without interference as it is seen as a societal norm and, because women take on such passive roles, it gives men an excuse to justify their superiority and power over women. As a thematic novel, Alice Walker's The Color Purple features similar, recurring motifs regarding gender roles and sexism. Through Celie's letters to God, the audience sees several occasions where gender roles go hand in hand with sexism for many of the female characters and that the discrimination they face is a result of the gender values ​​around them. In work and marriage, violence, sex and education, Alice Walker's portrayal of gender roles in The Color Purple underlines her view that such values ​​perpetuate sexism in society, but when roles are reversed, sexism decreases. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Gender roles determine the type of work women do, and it's as sexist as it is calculated. Women must marry and submit to their husbands and children by meeting their every need, because marriage is their only path in life and pleasing their husbands is an important part of their job. In The Color Purple, Mr. __'s sister Carrie says, "When a woman marries, she undertakes to maintain a decent home and a clean family" (Walker 21). The typical role of a housewife is to maintain order in the house, feed the members of the household, ensure that her children are well behaved and that her husband is happy, regardless of the treatment he receives. she receives in return. She has no choice but to conform to this standard since according to the societal expectations of that time, a woman who does not perform these duties well enough is considered a shameful failure. Once Celie marries Mr. __, Celie is forced to take care of her "rotten children", tend to Mr. __'s every need without complaint, cook, clean, and take care of her alone. the house (Walker 18). While Celie does all of the family's submissive domestic work, Mr. __ is the breadwinner. In "The Ideal Woman," Jennifer Holt writes that the role of mother and nurturer "deprives women of a career or any commitment outside the home," which restricts the housewife's world and "reduces her role ". return to [a] housewife (Friedan, 1963). » Likewise, as Celie is busy being a housewife, she has no other job or source of income that she can use for herself, making her dependent on Mr. __'s support. This lack of freedom from the duties assigned to her by her sex keeps her chained to her home and constantly dependent on Mr. __ for housing, money and protection. In return, Mr. __ has all the power and direct control over her. Celie's traditional role as a housewife and Mr. __'s role as breadwinner allowMr. __ to control Celie very easily, because she has no way of taking care of herself and works to please him so that he will continue to provide for her. In Celie's dependence on Mr. __, who holds all the power in their relationship, Mr. __ is able to hold his power over Celie to make her do whatever he says, which only continuing Celie's role as servant of the family. In general, men do not want their power to be usurped by women, so they deliberately push women into submissive, quiet roles that reinforce men's power through women's dependence on them (Holt). Through these gender roles, women are considered "inferior" to men because of their domestic duties while men fulfill the role of providing for their wives, thus allowing men to become "more important" and unopposable to women. women. Consequently, sexism takes over the situation, and what started with traditional gender roles turns into a cycle of discrimination against women because they are "inferior" to men because their status matrimonial and professional reflect the same intention. to sexism, but the reversal of these roles in the world of work reduces sexism. For most of the novel, Celie is under Mr. __'s control due to his dependence on his money and home. She could never go against him because that would leave her without his protection, and despite how little he has to offer, it's much better than nothing. However, when she leaves Mr. __, starts her own business, and is able to earn an income without depending on anyone else, Celie writes to Nettie: “I am so happy. I have love, work, money, friends, and time” (Walker 218). For the first time in decades, Celie is free from Mr. __'s control and can do whatever she wants. She has work, money, friends, and time, most of which she is deprived of while living and relying on Mr. __. With money and time, Celie is free to do what she wants, and her company, Folkspants Unlimited, offers her enough protection that she never again needs to rely on others for support. money, and even less on Mr. __. Celie challenges her role as a traditional housewife and creates her own independence in the form of work. By owning a business, she is completely freed from the monetary dependence that prevented her from challenging Mr. __ in the first place. She reverses their roles as wife and breadwinner, which ultimately ensures his freedom and happiness. By moving away from traditional gender roles, sexism can be pushed back. Although work plays a significant role in sexism, violence stemming from insecurity about gender roles is also a significant factor. According to Jane Collingwood's article "Violence Linked to Gender Roles," "recent research shows that men who do not feel they measure up to traditional masculine gender norms may be more prone to violence. » Men are pushed toward masculinity and toughness throughout their lives because both of these are a measure of pride and strength in the eyes of society. For a man to be neither means to be a woman, and a feminine man is considered shameful. Insulting a man by calling him “feminine” is blatant sexism against women. This implies that it is shameful to be a woman because women are inferior to men. On top of this, men who feel like they "don't meet traditional gender norms" sometimes resort to violence to show their strength, which is believed to help them regain the masculinity that society demands.(Collingwood). This is shown in The Color Purple when Harpo begs Mr. __ and Celie for advice on how to get Sofia to listen to him and submit, to which Mr. __ responds, "You already have hit? . . . Well, how do you plan to make him make a decision? . . . You need to let them know who has the upper hand. Nothing can do it better than a good sound beat” (Walker 36). Mr. __ associates violence with control, power, and masculinity, which is what Harpo desires in his relationship with Sofia. Harpo's seeking advice from Mr. __ and Celie on how to do his wife's "mind" stems from his emasculation at the robust actions and speech of Sofia, who places himself in a place where he is the more feminine of the two. despite their gender. Having grown up with the idea that femininity was "lesser", Harpo following Mr. __'s advice to beat Sofia only illustrates how important it is for Harpo to conform to gender roles, given that he prefers to beat his own woman whom he loves rather than risk his masculinity. . In “Black Adolescent Girls: Gender Role and Racial Identity: Do They Impact Their Self-Esteem?” “, writes Tamara R. Buckley: “. . . [C]onformity to traditional gender roles has been considered a prerequisite for psychological well-being. However . . . researchers argue that conformity to traditional gender roles is associated with poor adaptation” (648). Buckley argues that “conformity to traditional gender roles” results in psychological instability that stems from insecurity and the need to protect one's ego. One will go to extreme lengths just to fit in with what is normal among one's peers. Similarly, Harpo follows his parents' advice due to his insecurities, which only exist due to the gender roles he grew up with. The fact that Harpo assumes that beating Sofia will make her more submissive, calmer, and more attentive to him says a lot about violence and how some men think violence works. Women are supposed to be weaker and obedient than men. When a man is not strong, the alternative is that he is "feminine", meaning he is inferior to the "typical man" (Collingwood). Believing that violence will maintain traditional roles of virile men and submissive women, some men mistakenly use violence as the key to achieving golden masculinity. Being “feminine” becomes an insult to men, and women are therefore degraded below men. Men are also physically stronger than women in most cases; beating a much weaker woman gives an abusive man the illusion of masculinity and only highlights men's control over women. This insinuates that because women are dominated by men, they must conform to what men want. This makes women appear weaker and submissive to men, which also happens to be their typical gender role, while men receive an ego boost because they appear strong, manly, and tough again. By trying to preserve traditional gender roles, violence guarantees the development of sexism. However, by reversing gender roles related to violence, sexism dissipates. Usually, domestic violence occurs when a man feels insecure about emasculation and wishes to impose his masculinity on a woman to boost his own ego (Collingwood). In The Color Purple, Harpo tries the same approach with Sofia, but rather than submit to the abuse, Sofia fights back and says, "All my life I've had to fight." . . . I love Harpo. . . God knows yes. But I will kill him before I let him beat me” (Walker 40). Traditionally, theWomen are not supposed to challenge their husbands in any way, but rather try to always please them. Despite this, Sofia, who has fought with her brothers and father all her life, pushes Harpo away even worse than he tries to beat her. As a strong and sturdy woman, Sofia easily dominates Harpo; she loves him deeply, but she will never tolerate abuse. By defending herself, Harpo is unable to make herself “think” of him, as is the traditional role of a wife towards her husband (Walker 36). Instead of being beaten and submissive herself, Sofia pushes Harpo away, which is the opposite of what usually happens. Therefore, Sofia is never oppressed by Harpo's abuse because he cannot overpower her and prove his supposed dominance, and Sofia is never forced into the authoritarian role of an obedient housewife. The sexist view of a submissive, attentive wife who allows domestic violence to happen does not exist for Sofia because she fights against it. Gender roles still play a big role in the sexism surrounding each gender's sex life. In the early 1900s, women were extremely conservative when it came to gender and the presentation of their skin compared to today's standards. Normally, sex is something a man does to a woman, not the other way around, as Celie's narration mentions: "He got angry with you, he pulled your nightgown around your waist, and dove. Most of the time I pretend I'm not. there. He never made the difference. Don't ever ask me what I feel, nothing. Just do his business, go downstairs, go to sleep” (Walker 78). Celie doesn't like sex with Mr. __ because he simply doesn't care enough to please her with himself, because he doesn't see the need for it. He just “does his business” and ends up without her. Celie had never even seen her genitals until Shug mentioned it, which only proves how conservative most women are about anything sexual in this time period. Even Shug, who is an anomaly in this regard and enjoys sex, is considered terribly promiscuous by most people due to her brazen sex life. In “The Ideal Woman,” Holt writes: “. . . [Women] could only find fulfillment in sexual passivity, male domination, and nurturing maternal love (Friedan, 1963). » Even if the notion of “fulfilment” is far from being comparable to that experienced by Célie under the thumb of Mr. __, it is still the expectation set by society. Her sex life is extremely passive to the point of being non-consensual, and she is so disconnected from her own sexuality that she doesn't even know what an orgasm feels like or what her genitals look like. Most women have their sexuality so repressed that the mere mention of a woman enjoying sex is scandalous, which is exactly what happens when Shug mentions to Celie what an orgasm feels like; Celie is extremely embarrassed, emphasizing Shug's liberal spirit. Even Sofia, who is then pregnant with Harpo's child, is accused by Mr. __ of being a slut: "Young women are not good these days," he says. They have their legs open to all Tom, Dick and Harry” (Walker 31). Although she is pregnant and not doing anything sexual at the moment, Mr. __ goes so far as to imply that she is a slut just so he won't be able to prove that her child is Harpo's . Although men expect women to have sex with them, they also shame women for having "too much" sex or having sex with someone they are not married to . Another example ofthis is in Daisy Miller by Henry James, where Daisy is seen "scandalously" flirting with two men in public. Although she only flirts and talks, Mrs. Costello, Winterbourne's aunt, condemns Daisy as shameful for being so flirtatious and trying to deceive Winterbourne with her courtesies, but for her own nephew who is also wooing and flirting , she makes no judgment on him (James 83). The double standard does not work against men as it does for women due to gender values, where women should remain pure and untouched while sleeping with many women is considered masculine for men. This creates and perpetuates a sexist attitude between the sex lives of men and women through society's double standards. A person's sex life is subject to gender roles and the discrimination that comes with them, but sexism begins to disappear once one moves away from these values. An example of this is Shug Avery's belief about sex: "I must confess, I love it" (Walker 78). In an age where women are expected to be conservative and not lustful, Shug brazenly defies this social norm. Although people consider Shug to be extremely promiscuous because of the way she dresses and acts, her blatant sex life adds to her overall appeal. His fame comes from his singing and talent in entertainment, but people are also attracted to his way of acting. Her openness about sex and sexual appeal attracts others, and although some consider her shameful, she uses it to her advantage. While men can have an open sex life without shame, as seen with Mr. __ and Shug, women generally do not have the same right without social backlash; However, Shug deliberately defies this norm and in doing so adds to her charm and enjoyment and freedom. While never submitting to the conservative mindset of women of her time, she was no less for her sexual beliefs and habits. Without being tied to traditional gender roles and values, Shug proves that sexism can be pushed back if one accepts its overthrow. Gender roles intimately affect not only private matters such as sex, but also education. In the early 20th century, sexism was extremely evident by today's standards. A girl's only duty, according to traditional gender roles, is to grow up, marry and have children, and once she has accomplished that, she only has to devote her life in the service of his family. Célie is taken out of school by her stepfather during her first incestuous pregnancy. She is then seen by Miss Beasley, her former teacher, who comes to Papa to try to convince him to let Celie return to school. Seeing Celie's pregnant body, Miss Beasley leaves and Celie writes: "She says that since she was a teacher she never knew that no one wanted to learn as badly as Nettie and I." But when Dad calls me and she sees how tight my dress is, she stops talking and leaves” (Walker 10). Miss Beasley tries to defend Celie's right to education by telling Papa that Celie really wants to learn, but as soon as she sees that Celie is pregnant, Miss Beasley immediately gives up. Indeed, once women or girls become pregnant, they already begin the last stage of their lives where they dedicate their lives to carrying their husband and children. Education is still not something absolutely necessary for a girl at this time, so when Miss Beasley sees that Celie has her hands full with pregnancy, education is already out of the question since all Celie is supposed to do now is take.