Purple Identity : A study of identity changes in the novel The Color Purple

The thesis attempts to bring up the concepts of identity changes in Alice Walkers book TheColor Purple, which is set during the 1930s in the Southern parts of the United States, whereblack people were oppressed by white Americans. The study shows that the protagonist Celie,a black young girl, adopts different identities due to stages of her life and the peoplesurrounding her. It is shown that Celie’s identity changes occur in different stages throughouther life, Childhood, Wifehood, Segregation and Sisterhood. This is due to her lack ofknowledge about life in general, and her idea that other people make one’s identity. It is foundthat Celie, when meeting a strong black woman, discovers that identity is never made byothers, but people around you can influence and guide your search for identity