Abstract:Alice Walker(1944—) is one of the most outstanding contemporary Afro-American female writers in American literary circle. She is not only a fictionist and poet but also a political activist. Her masterpiece, The Color Purple, which was published in 1982, has won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the American Book Award. In the novel, Alice Walker advocates the ideology of feminist and praises the spirit of those black females who keep fighting against the sexual discrimination as well as the racial oppression. The novel also reveals the definition of “Womanism” presented by Walker and her view on the relationship between black males and black females. The thesis will study Walker’s “Womaism” from an unique perspective— the black males’ perspective , that is to say , to study the importance and content and influences of the “Womanism” by analyzing the influences black males have received and changes they have made due to the black females’ revolt and growth. The male characters will be divided into two types: Mr.___ and Harpo, the awakened males and Alphonso and old Mr.___ , the insusceptible males.

Key words: The Color Purple; Alice Walker; black men; womanism

CONTENTS

Abstract

中文摘要

1.Introduction1

1.1 Introduction to Alice Walker and The Color Purple1

1.2 Literature Review2

  1.2.1 Study Abroad

  1.2.2 Study at Home

2. The Influence of Womanism on the Male Characters in The Color Purple 3

2.1 The Theory of Womanism 3

2.2 The Awakening Black Men4

2.2.1 The Growth of Albert

2.2.2 The Growth of Harpo

2.3 The Insusceptible Black Men8

2.3.1 The Analysis of Alphonso

2.3.2 The Analysis of Old Mr.___

3. Conclusion10

Bibliography12

Acknowledgements .13