Abstract: The Color Purple is a novel by the modern Afro-American writer Alice Walker in 1982 about black women’s struggle. This paper aims to analyze The Color Purple from the angle of womanism. It exposes the double oppression of the black women in this work, and tries to show the difficult process of the black women seeking their identity, which reflects Walker’s ultimate prospect of womanism. It expresses womanism on the important guiding significance and practical value for the black women. By analyzing the author, the work and the previous research, from the four aspects of sisterhood, self-consciousness, women’s struggle and harmonious relationship between men and women, the thesis describes the embodiment of womanism in the work. It indicates that the emergence and development of womanism is inevitable, so it can help readers to understand the novel more deeply, and inspire the subsequent researchers.

Key words: Alice Walker; The Color Purple; womanism

CONTENTS

Abstract

摘要

1. Introduction...1

    1.1 Introduction to Alice Walker

    1.2 Introduction to The Color Purple

1.3 Introduction to Womanism

2. The Embodiment of Womanism in The Color Purple3

2.1 Sisterhood in The Color Purple

2.2 Awakening of Self Consciousness

2.3 Struggle of Black Women

2.4 Harmonious Relationship between Men and Women 

3. Conclusions ...7

Bibliography...9

Acknowledgements..10