Communications in Humanities Research ISSN: 2753-7072
Home> Volumes> Volume CHR Vol.43> Article
Research Article

Steven Spielberg’s The Color Purple and Realization of Female Characters

Yuxuan YangInternational School of Tanganyika*

* Corresponding author: [email protected]

Abstract

This essay delves into the transformative power of female solidarity in Steven Spielberg's The Color Purple, with a focus on how the film uses the contrast between the male and female gaze to underscore the importance of Celie’s relationships with other women. The detailed exploration of cinematic techniques, such as camera angles and lighting, effectively highlights how Spielberg underscores the importance of these connections in Celie’s path to self-empowerment, which emphasizes these crucial connections and contributes to the narrative’s portrayal of Celie’s evolution from subjugation to self-empowerment. The essay argues that the male gaze in the film serves to objectify and diminish female characters, while the female gaze offers a path to empowerment, fostering empathy, mutual respect, and self-realization. Ultimately, the film is presented as a profound commentary on the strength of female solidarity in challenging and overcoming systemic oppression, with the bonds between women playing a pivotal role in Celie’s journey toward independence and liberation.

Keywords: Female Solidarity; Male and Female Gaze; Cinematic Techniques; Female Self-awareness; Systemic Oppression.
Published: October 25, 2024
DOI: 10.54254/2753-7064/43/20240154
Volume: CHR Vol.43
pp. 112-119
Download PDF

References

  1. "The Color Purple." IMDb, © 1990-2024 by IMDb.com, www.imdb.com/title/tt0088939/. Accessed 26 Aug. 2024.Bootorabi, F., Haapasalo, J., Smith, E., Haapasalo, H. and Parkkila, S. (2011) Carbonic Anhydrase VII—A Potential Prognostic Marker in Gliomas. Health, 3, 6-12.
  2. Carroll, Noël. "The Image of Women in Film: A Defense of a Paradigm." The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, vol. 48, no. 4, 1990, pp. 349-60. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/431572. Accessed 26 Aug. 2024.
  3. Wu, Lianghong. "Reading the Color Purple from the Perspective of Ecofeminism." Theory and Practice in Language Studies, vol. 9, no. 8, Aug. 2019, p. 965+. Gale Literature Resource Center, dx.doi.org/10.17507/tpls.0908.11. Accessed 26 Aug. 2024.
  4. "Steven Spielberg." IMDb, © 1990-2024 by IMDb.com, www.imdb.com/name/nm0000229/. Accessed 26 Aug. 2024.
  5. "The Color Purple Film and Discussion – Chloé Leclair." University of San Diego, © 2024 Studies of Black History at the San DiegoU, 11 May 2020, sites.sandiego.edu/blackhistoryatusd/2020/05/11/the-color-purple-film-and-discussion-chloe-leclair/. Accessed 27 Aug. 2024.
  6. "The Color Purple' by Steven Spielberg: Movie Analysis Essay." Ivypanda, © 2024 - IvyPanda®, ivypanda.com/essays/the-color-purple-by-steven-spielberg-movie-analysis/. Accessed 28 Aug. 2024.
  7. Foca, Anna. "The Color Purple." Edited by René Ostberg and Encyclopaedia Britannica. Britannica, 24 Aug. 2024, www.britannica.com/topic/The-Color-Purple. Accessed 27 Aug. 2024.
  8. Frykman, Jonas. "Space for a Man: The Transformation of Masculinity in 20th Century Culture." Reproductive Health Matters, vol. 4, no. 7, 1996, pp. 11-18. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/3775346. Accessed 27 Aug. 2024.
  9. "The Color Purple." Sparknotes, © 2024 SparkNotes, www.sparknotes.com/lit/purple/plot-analysis/. Accessed 28 Aug. 2024.
  10. Dixon, Henry O. "Oppression and Development: Men in the Color Purple." Children's Literature Review, edited by Lawrence J. Trudeau, vol. 198, Farmington Hills, MI, Gale, 2015. Gale Literature Resource Center, link.gale.com/apps/doc/H1420119482/GLS?u=255isot&sid=bookmark-GLS&xid=9ff79195. Accessed 26 Aug. 2024. Originally published in Male Protagonists in Four Novels of Alice Walker, 2007, pp. 47-60.
  11. Heckmann, Chris. "What Is First Person Point of View? Definition and Examples." Studiobinder, ©2024 STUDIOBINDER, 8 Aug. 2021, www.studiobinder.com/blog/what-is-first-person-point-of-view-definition/. Accessed 26 Aug. 2024.
  12. Hirsch, Milla, and Christiana Cino. "The Female VS. Male Gaze." The Fourth Estate, © 2024 TheFourthEstate©, 21 Mar. 2024, thefourthestate.net/17442/opinion/the-female-vs-male-gaze/. Accessed 27 Aug. 2024.
  13. Hite, Molly. "Romance, Marginality, Matrilineage: The Color Purple." The Other Side of the Story: Structures and Strategies of Contemporary Feminist Narratives, Cornell UP, 1989, pp. 103-26. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/10.7591/j.ctt207g66s.7. Accessed 26 Aug. 2024.
  14. Muhammad, Nylah Iqbal. "The Lasting Impact of the Color Purple." Vox Media, © 2024 Vox Media, 25 Dec. 2023, www.vox.com/culture/24011148/the-color-purple-musical. Accessed 27 Aug. 2024.