TITLE:
A Study on Symbolic Connotations and Metaphorical Implications in The Color Purple
AUTHORS:
Zhiling Wu, Li Wei
KEYWORDS:
The Color Purple, Symbolic Images, Independence, Wholeness
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Literary Study,
Vol.10 No.2,
April
27,
2022
ABSTRACT: The Color Purple written by Alice Walker is a powerful cultural touchstone of modern American literature to indicate a large number of symbolic images with profound meanings. The paper analyzes the rich meanings contained in the symbolic images and metaphors, and strives to comprehensively interpret and deeply understand the themes and ideological connotations of the novel. An interpretation of the symbolic images indicates that: 1) The symbolic images embodied in the novel reflect Alice Walker’s “overall survival” of her womanism, through which Walker points out the way for black women to realize “overall survival”, through black women’s search for independence in family and society; 2) Alice Walker entitled the novel The Color Purple, which reflects her desire to build a harmonious world. The color pink stands for females while blue stands for males; the color purple, a mixture of pink and blue, symbolizes the unity of black men and women to denote that the harmonious coexistence is expected to be the only way for the black to resist racism and obtain happiness in a multi-cultural society.