Racism In Alice Walker's "The Color Purple"

Abstract

Racism is defined as the belief that members of one race are basically superior than members of other races. This research analyzes racial issues in the novel of Alice Walker and to investigate how racist attitudes are experienced by blacks as portrayed in Alice Walker’s The Color Purple also to describe the values of racism. In The Color Purple, racism is defined as a white antagonist against a helpless black person. It is interesting to realize that none of the antagonists in the novel are purely one-sided evil beings. The researcher used genetic stucturalism approach. The researcher also used qualitative method in order to reveal racial issues in this novel. The result of the research found that this novel shows the traces of racism toward black people in America. In this novel the racism act of white is reflected in its relation with black people. Its relation shows up in some aspects; First, white’s prejudice towards black people in order to maintain white supremacy. Second, discrimination and segregation that are constructed by using verbal expression, avoidance, exclusion, physical abuse, and extinction. Third, resistance of black people againts racial discrimination