Power and its price: Female roles and the consequences of gaining agency in Toni Morrison's Beloved and Jane Smiley's A Thousand Acres

Daniel, Kristin Sue

doi:10.31274/etd-180810-2953

Cited by 2 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…In spite of the fact that the odds are stacked against them, Celie and the other characters in "The Colour Purple" find the ability to exercise agency and self-determination, which is a celebration of the triumph of the human spirit in the face of adverse circumstances. While this is going on, "Beloved" investigates the challenges of regaining one's agency and identity in the aftermath of traumatic experiences (Daniel, 2010). It suggests that in order to truly empower oneself, one must address and accept the most negative aspects of one's past.…”

Section: The Feminist Identity In Color Purple By Alice Walkermentioning

confidence: 99%

Realization of Feminist Identity in Toni Morrison's "Beloved" and Alice Walker's "The Color Purple": A Perspective Based on Womanism

Hameed,

Wan Fakhruddin

2024

IJARPED

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This paper delves into the significant yet harrowing past of slavery as portrayed in two landmark novels, "Beloved" by Toni Morrison and "The Color Purple" by Alice Walker. These seminal works explore the intimate and subjective narratives that bring to light the profound struggles faced by Black African women, unveiling their vulnerabilities both from external racial oppression and internal community conflicts. The research employs a qualitative methodology, utilizing content and thematic analysis to examine the depth, complexity, and socio-cultural ramifications embedded within these literary texts. This approach enables a nuanced understanding of how these narratives articulate a feminist identity forged through confrontation with a hostile world, culminating in a profound expression of selfhood. The findings highlight how both novels disrupt traditional slave narratives by centering on the individual's traumatic experiences, their journey to liberation, and the subsequent disintegration of familial and marital ties. These stories not only connect to the legacy of slavery but also reimagine the lives of African women post-emancipation, emphasizing psychological over historical time, focusing predominantly on the internal lives of an impoverished black boy and a fugitive slave. The study concludes with suggestions for further research, proposing an examination of the broader implications of these narratives in contemporary feminist and postcolonial discourse.

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Section: The Feminist Identity In Color Purple By Alice Walkermentioning

confidence: 99%

Realization of Feminist Identity in Toni Morrison's "Beloved" and Alice Walker's "The Color Purple": A Perspective Based on Womanism

Hameed,

Wan Fakhruddin

2024

IJARPED

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“…As a salve, Sethe has to go through all kinds of torture of her master and as a woman is oppressed by her male circumstances. Daniel (2013) in " Power and its Price: Female roles and the consequences of gaining agency in Toni Morrison's Beloved and Jane Smiley's A Thousand Acres" states that " Sethe's young experiences impress upon her the peril she is in not only as a slave, but also as a woman. Even as a girl, Sethe begins to understand how slavery is especially brutal towards mothers".…”

Section: Literature Review Of Normative and Descriptive Feminismmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Metamorphosis of Normative Feminism in Pride and Prejudice as Descriptive Feminism in Beloved: Inevitable Path of a Woman

Siddika¹

2013

MJSS

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Jane Austen in Pride and Prejudice and Toni Morrison in Beloved view normative and descriptive feminism especially through the character analysis of Elizabeth and Sethe. Austen presents Elizabeth through the normative feminist view as a woman with the power to judge the situation, to make opinion and to take the decision according to her understanding and intelligence. In the male-oriented society, she establishes herself as an independent being and challenges the second-rate woman concept. On the other way, Toni Morrison views that Sethe moulded by normative feminist characteristics fells herself as a topic of descriptive feminist concept-woman of inherited identity who has to make herself weak and subordinate to man in every aspect. Having strong determination and capacity of getting freedom, her struggle to stand independently causes her isolation from the male-centred community which leads to her distract mentality and incapability to breathe in this society. This paper aims at presenting Elizabeth as an unequivocal voice and model of normative feminist view to exert woman as equally capable, qualified, respected and important being as man. The paper also aims at showing how Elizabeth with normative feminist quality in Pride and Prejudice has been transfigured as Sethe with descriptive feminism in Beloved, whose struggle to lead an independent self and to exercise her potentiality as woman self is hindered by male mechanism which is an inevitable path of a woman.

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Power and its price: Female roles and the consequences of gaining agency in Toni Morrison's Beloved and Jane Smiley's A Thousand Acres

Cited by 2 publications

References 27 publications

Realization of Feminist Identity in Toni Morrison's "Beloved" and Alice Walker's "The Color Purple": A Perspective Based on Womanism

Realization of Feminist Identity in Toni Morrison's "Beloved" and Alice Walker's "The Color Purple": A Perspective Based on Womanism

The Metamorphosis of Normative Feminism in Pride and Prejudice as Descriptive Feminism in Beloved: Inevitable Path of a Woman

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