Suppression and redefinition of self in the select novels of toni morrison and alice walker

Abstract

Literature is a mirror held onto the society that reflects the culture, history and socio-political issues of specific periods. Books have the uniqueness of transforming lives by weaving characters, to whom we are able to relate their trials, tribulations and achievements become our own. Although confined to the Afro-American milieu, Alice Walker s The Color Purple and Toni Morrison s The Bluest Eye, Sula and Beloved raises issues and concerns that are universal to women across the globe. These writers try to lend voice to an otherwise marginalized and newlinesuppressed group of women, who have been denied a dignified existence. This research, through the methodology of critical analysis and interpretation of texts, tries to understand the concept of self, from the western and eastern perspectives. In the due process, the various factors that contribute to the formation of an individual s self are also identified. Through an analysis of the newlinefemale protagonists in the works of Morrison and Walker, this study examines how it is possible for a woman to progress from the margins to a position that is central, from object to subject. newlineMost often, women are not even conscious that they too have an individuality of their own and need to lead a dignified life. Having got so habituated to oppression, it has almost become a way of life for them. They need to be conscious and aware of the fact that they have to create a space of their own, without compromising on their individuality and dignity. When they fail to do this,they just stagnate and become mere pawns in the hands of men and tend to get exploited. Most of newlinethe female protagonists discussed in this study, go through this phase and are unable to extricat themselves from the traumatized conditions that engulf them. newlineThis study clearly focuses on how women need to be conscious of what is happening to them and realize that they are being deprived of their individuality and dignity.