The Color Purple

To Ban or Not to Ban

Alice Walker’s Life and story

The author Alice walker was born February 9th, 1944, in Eatonton Georgia. She was the first African American woman to be awarded the Pulitzer Prize for fiction for her novel The Color Purple. When she was younger, she was accidentally blinded in one eye, so her mother gave her a typewriter to use instead of doing chores, which Is how she developed her love for writing. After graduating from Sarah Lawrence College in 1965, she moved to Mississippi and got involved in the civil rights movement. She also began teaching and publishing short stories and essays during this time.

Walker’s novel, The Color Purple was published in 1982. It won the Pulitzer Prize, was made into a film by Steven Spielberg, and was made a musical produced by Oprah Winfrey and Quincey Jones. Walker felt inspired to write this story due to the experiences her parents faced when it came to the “Oppressive sharecropping system and the racism of the American South” (Morris). Also, Walker was determined to educate people about the survival of black women in a male comminated world. She said that she just “wrote what happens in the real world” and “At its core, this is a story of women loving and helping other women”(Britannica).

The Color Purple is about a 14-year-old African American woman named Celie who is abused by her father, Alphonso. He has raped Celie many times and ‘gotten rid’ of the children he impregnated her with. A man named Mr. is interested in marrying Celie’s sister but is offered Celie by her father instead. Mr. goes on to abuse Celie for the remainder of their marriage and has a lover named Shug Avery, who Celie is interested in. Celie and Shug eventually realize their interest in each other and move to Tennessee, where Celie opens a clothing store. Celie finds out her father is just her stepfather, and that her sister’s boyfriend adopted her long-lost children. Eventually, they all end up moving back to their hometown, and Celie says that although she is old, she has never felt younger.

Behind the Banning

Walker strived to write stories that helped people reflect on their own experiences. The Color Purple is not based on a true story, however, it is based in a real period where things like this would not be rare occurrences. This story, along with many others, was petitioned to be removed by mostly parents of students who would be reading this story.

This book was banned from school libraries in the United States between 1984 to 2013. Although there have been many reasons for this book being banned, some of the main reasons include “religious acceptance, homosexuality, violence, African history, rape, incest, drug abuse, explicit language, and sexual scenes” (Britannica). Many people, especially parents of students, believe that this is unnecessary for students to be learning about, even though stories like this are real and a good example of what the past was like for women and people of color.

In 2003, it was challenged by a group of parents called “Parents Against Bad Books in Schools” for profanity and descriptions of drug abuse, sexually explicit conduct, and torture. Again in 2008, it was banned for sexually explicit and offensive language, in 2009 it was challenged by Burke country schools by parents concerned about homosexuality, again in 2010 for offensive language and being unsuited for age groups, and in 2014 it was challenged but retained. Most recently in 2022, the Protect Nebraska Children Coalition proposed a list of books, including The Color Purple, to be banned. It was later removed for evaluation (Marshall Libraries).

This book was banned in many schools across the United States, some of them being in Souderton Pa, Southbury Conn, Jackson County, VA, and in multiple libraries in Michigan. This book was not just banned in school libraries though, it was also banned in all Texas State Prisons for “explicit language and graphic depictions of violence.” (bannedbooks)

Reaction to the Banning

In this story, Celie suffers at the hands of her father and abusive husband. She was not the first to struggle with this and she was certainly not the last. The importance of not only women, but everyone understands the complexities of abuse is crucial. Women have been suffering at the hands of men for centuries, and Walker’s story shows how it can be recognized and eventually overcame. Since this story ultimately has a happy ending, it can give hope to students and people who may be going through something similar, or know someone who is.

In my opinion, banning books makes books more desirable. If schools and websites are so determined to get rid of a book, then students will become more interested. Just because it’s not required for students to read anymore, does not mean they won’t read it and receive the message the author is trying to get across. Speaking from experience, authorities in school not wanting students to do something only makes us want to do it more, which would ultimately benefit the authors of the banned books.

So, my reaction to the banning of this book is that I do not support it. Without this crucial information, students run the risk of history repeating itself. “Books also are one of the main sources that teach us about history, emotions, and new ways of thinking” (NPR), there are important lessons and facts about history that every student should be aware of. Although some may see the contents of stories like these as inappropriate, banning these books is “preventing people from learning about some of the harsh realities of life robs them of the knowledge they need to grow.” (NPR)

Conclusion and Legacy

Walker ultimately won the Pulitzer Prize for her book “The Color Purple”, so whether it is banned from schools or not doesn’t matter as much. With this book being so famous and widely known, everyone will go on to learn her legacy and the struggles women and people of color went through in history and still go experience today. Everyone will remember and continue to share this story to enhance the importance and awareness of historical events.

References

Morris, Mary. “Banning Books Is Like Banning Knowledge.” The Odyssey Online, 17 Oct. 2019, www.theodysseyonline.com/dont-ban-books.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Alice Walker | Biography, Books, the Color Purple, and Facts.” Encyclopedia Britannica, 5 Feb. 2023, www.britannica.com/biography/Alice-Walker.

“Alice Walker, ‘The Color Purple.’” The Banned Books Project, 11 Sept. 2019, bannedbooks.library.cmu.edu/alice-walker-the-color-purple. Accessed 25 Mar. 2023.

Npr. “‘The Color Purple’ Is About the Bonding of Women.” NPR, 8 Feb. 2022, www.npr.org/2022/02/03/1078020237/the-color-purple-is-about-the-bonding-of-women.

“Banned Books 2022 — the Color Purple — Marshall Libraries.” Marshall Libraries, 28 Sept. 2022, www.marshall.edu/library/bannedbooks/color-purple.