Throughout history, the topic of racial and gender discrimination in America has been widely discussed and studied. As Anderson and Collins state, “Sex, gender, race, sexual identity, and class profoundly influence individuals' knowledge, experience, and opportunities” (qtd. in Tahir). It is not difficult to see that historically blacks have been treated differently than whites, from slavery to segregation, the color of people's skin has determined many things they can and cannot do. It can also be seen throughout history that women have been treated as inferior to men. Women were often stereotyped as housewives and did not have the same power and voice as men. By seeing that both race and gender play a role in how people are treated, one can see that historically Black women were some of the most oppressed people in American society. Many authors have tried to bring to light the struggles of black women in society and Alice Walker is one of those writers. Alice Walker was a mid-20th century black woman who experienced racial and gender discrimination and used the characters in her writings to show the oppression black women were experiencing in the mid-to-late 1900s. This can be seen more clearly in his book The Color Purple and in his story "The Flowers". Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayAlice Walker grew up in a time just after the end of the Civil War, and the aftermath of that war was still heavily impacting society. Slavery not only affected the physical state of blacks, but also heavily affected their emotional well-being. Alice Walker states: “Black people have been excluded from the circle of good will for hundreds of years. . . Many of them, like the women who lived in cultures that despised and willfully erased the feminine, would never experience the connection to the land and humanity that was their birthright.” Black people had experienced terrible oppression as slaves. Their physical and emotional pain would last a lifetime and still affect subsequent generations. Although slavery negatively affected both black men and women, history often suggests that black men suffered more than women. Images of black men worked to death, beaten, or lynched dominate people's imagery of slavery. In reality, black women suffered just as much as black men during the years of slavery. Black women were sometimes lynched and beaten, but, more significantly, “enslaved black women were stripped of their humanity.” They were “treated like livestock and used for reproductive purposes to provide offspring (often their masters' offspring) for the market.” This frequent physical abuse often led to the death of the black woman. If it hadn't been a physical death, it would definitely have killed his spirit. Not only were black women raped and abused by their masters, but they were commonly abused by those in their home. Black men saw their masters rape women in their homes, and black slaves followed that pattern. Black males began to act violently and abusively towards women, affecting the physical and psychological state of black female slaves. Alice Walker, born in 1944, grew up in the aftermath of these terrible events. The effects of slavery still lingered, and the oppression black women faced was far from over. Alice Walker's parents “were sharecroppers, and the familyshe endured the oppression of the sharecropping system and witnessed numerous incidents of violent racism.” The oppression and segregation of blacks in America lasted long after the Civil War. Although Alice Walker did not live in a world of slavery, she experienced many of the lingering effects of that earlier time period. One experience of racial oppression that Walker experienced as a child was when a stray bullet fired from her brother's BB gun lodged in her eye, blinding her and "because of her race, she was unable to receive adequate medical care. In many ways, this loss sharpened her powers of observation and opened her eyes to the injustices around her.” This is just one of the many injustices Alice Walker experienced during her life. Not only was she oppressed because of her race, but also because of her gender. Because Alice Walker experienced racial and gender oppression, she made it a theme in her stories to show the oppression that Black women experienced. Alice Walker does not have a pleasant view of America, “she describes the American Society as a 'racist, sexist, and colorist capital society' where white women must fight for their feminism and black men for their rights as human beings, but black women must fight for both their human rights and their rights as women." Walker acknowledges that there is oppression experienced by Black men and all races of women, but uses her writings to show the oppression of those affected in society due to both their race and their gender. Pasi states, “For Walker, African American women suffered triple oppression of gender, race, and class. They have long been 'edged at the corners and described inappropriately'.” Because Alice Walker is black and female, she has seen and experienced oppression of both race and gender. Walker embraces her identity and uses her writing to "celebrate the lives of Black American women by giving voice to the oppressed and voiceless." Alice Walker knew that black women experienced oppression in many different ways. Madsen states that one of the dominant themes in many of Walker's writings is: “Women may remain second-class citizens, but they are no longer silent, invisible second-class citizens. And this is the beginning." Walker knew that black women were severely oppressed, so she chose to give voice to these women's oppression. She used her powerful writings to let her readers know what these Black women endured throughout their lives. In her story The Color Purple, Walker explores the issue of gender violence and discrimination with the black community and describes the oppression black women are experiencing in their own home. Tahir states that the issue of gender plays a significant role in Alice Walker's book The Color Purple. She states, “African American women have been beaten, raped, degraded, and mistreated simply because of their gender. . . Black males used all kinds of violence against their wives, daughters and lovers as a means of oppression.” Walker uses Celie in The Color Purple to show the abuse and oppression found within the black community. Part of the oppression and abuse Celie experiences stems from the fact that she was “repeatedly exposed to sexual harassment. . . her husband prevents her from contacting her sister Nettie, Celie is penniless and financially dependent on her husband Albert." Alice Walker enlightens readers about the many oppressions that Black women have faced. Women are supposed to rely on their husbands for strength and protection, but in Cecil's case, her husband harassed and abused her. She was oppressed and had no easy way out because herhusband supported her financially. Walker does an excellent job of demonstrating the dilemmas that Black women face in their homes. Pasi states that because Walker focuses on the contradictions within the black community, she is well aware that black women are oppressed by males within the community. Pasi continues to say, “Ironically, this is what they fought against, yet they reinforce oppression among themselves. By physically violating the woman, the black man continues the legacy of slavery, hence the slave master relationship between husband and wife.” Walker takes a unique stance on Blackwomen's oppression as she does not simply blame white people for the oppression that Black women are experiencing, but brings to light the dilemmas of oppression and abuse that occur within the Black community . In Alice Walker's stories, women experience both physical and psychological abuse. Tahir states that in The Color Purple, the pain that black women feel is described in great detail, “they were beaten, raped, humiliated and mistreated simply because of their color and gender.” Alice Walker uses the main character Celie to show the psychological and emotional oppression experienced by black women. Not only was Celie sexually abused by both her father and her husband, but she was also traumatized emotionally and psychologically. The rape that Celie experiences “causes Celie to have low self-esteem, low self-worth, nervousness, and disconnection, and makes her appear defenseless against her attacker. 'I don't know how to fight. All I know how to do is stay alive.' Because he considers himself a victim of sexual violence, he does not have the capacity to consider himself a person worthy of respect and love." Because Celie had been raped so many times, she could no longer trust those around her and began to become emotionally dead. Her sole purpose was to be an outlet for the men in her life to satisfy their desires. Pasi states, "Through numerous rapes and beatings, Celie's status is reduced to that of an object." Alice Walker does not hide the brutality suffered by black women. Walker fully demonstrates that these women were affected physically and emotionally. If the oppression black women experienced did not kill them physically, their mental well-being was often near death. Women have been forced to feel inferior, often to the point of feeling as if their humanity has disappeared. Because of the physical and psychological oppression that Black women have endured, there are lasting effects of these traumas on the lives of Black women. Walker shows the emotional effects that Black women of all ages experience due to their history of oppression. Not only does Walker show the emotional pain that Celie endures in The Color Purple, but Walker shows that gender and racial oppression is experienced by children. In Walker's story “The Flowers” ​​ten-year-old Myop sees her world shattered and her innocence taken away when she sees a rotten noose that has killed a man of her race. He knows the historical significance of that noose and will never see the world the same way because of the color of his skin and the history attached to it. Petry says: “So does Myop, ten years old. . . she has her childhood – and, ultimately, her attitude towards herself and her world – destroyed by the harsh social reality of lynching.” Myop is no longer able to mindlessly wander the earth picking flowers and seeing the beauty of the world. Instead, his view of the world will forever be tainted by what he saw that day. Alice Walker does a masterful job of not only enlightening her readers about the oppression experienced by Black women, but also the lasting effects it has on those women. The womenBlack women will never see the world without the history they have endured. Their vision of the beauty of the world is forever altered by the oppression their race and gender have endured. Although it is a very evident theme in Walker's stories, the fact that she depicts the oppression of black women. Some may argue that it actually depicts the power and strength of black women. Pasi says, “Walker is actually celebrating the renewal of the black community; shows how her black women who have achieved self-actualization are able to form new relationships with their former male oppressors and with society, thus creating mutual dependence. It is true that many characters in Walker's stories end up being free, independent women, but that freedom is only realized through the oppression the characters have experienced. In The Color Purple Celie is one of the characters who undergoes this change. Tahir states, “Although Celie, the central character, suffers terribly from the impact of the plight of sexism and racism, she does not give up and was ultimately victorious.” Walker does a masterful job of creating dynamic characters who undergo change in her stories, but the central theme of her writing is bringing to light the oppression that Black women are experiencing. Cutter states, “Walker's female characters achieve psychological integrity when they are able to fight oppression. . .'” The only reason Walker is able to portray the characters in her stories as strong, independent women is because they have endured some of the worst oppression imaginable. The fact that they were able to overcome that oppression is what gives them a sense of purpose and freedom. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Alice Walker has a unique way of presenting the plight of black women in her writings. Alice Walker lived through a time of hardship herself and emphasized and brought to life what many of her gender and race did not have the capacity to say. The oppression and abuse of Black women has made them feel invisible and unimportant for many years. Alice Walker set out to reveal the terrible things black women had experienced in a truthful way. She wrote her stories about the oppression of black women, but she never believed her stories should stop there. Black women were not created to live under oppression. Alice Walker believes that black women have a fighting spirit. In many of Walker's books one can see that "women emerge as strong, powerful, resourceful individuals who achieve individuality in emotional and intellectual community with other women." Alice Walker's goal is not to leave the history of the Black woman in oppression, but her goal is to write stories that bring to light the oppression experienced by Black women to show how it shapes today's culture. A person of a different race or gender will never see the world the same way a Black woman sees it, but Alice Walker intentionally shows the hardships that Black women have endured so that those of a different race and gender can take a moment, while they are reading the story, putting yourself in the shoes of someone who is not like them and trying to understand the experiences they have gone through. No one but a Black woman will see the world the same way Black women see it, but thanks to the writings of Alice Walker, the world is enlightened about the history and pain that will forever be a part of a Black woman's life. Works Cited Bloom, Harold. Alice Walker: Complete Research and Study Guide. Chelsea House, 2000, pp. 7-83.Cox, Sandra. An ethic of reading: Interpretive strategies for American literature."=27685.