A Rationale for the African American Man's Destruction in Alice Walker's Third Life of Grange Copeland and The Color Purple and Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God

ECU Author/Contributor (non-ECU co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)

Jeanette Darden (Creator)

Institution

East Carolina University (ECU )

Web Site: http://www.ecu.edu/lib/

Advisor

Reginald Wade Watson

Abstract: The African American man is destroyed physically or psychologically in many literary works because he is disliked and/or because of choices he makes. What is intriguing is that African American women writers Zora Neale Hurston and Alice Walker in particular destroy African American men characters in selected works even though they experienced oppression similar to the African American man as a result of race and sex. In making decisions to destroy their African American men characters physically and psychologically these writers did not discount the goodness that the African American man possessed. In directly and indirectly expressing their rational for destroying the African American man Walker and Hurston both were socially and culturally aware that he must be restored. Hurston and Walker are similar in technique but they both bring their unique stance in their rationale for destroying their African American men characters. It is obvious that both have problems with the behaviors and/or attitudes of the African American man because of the oppression that each writer experienced with African American men personally. Hurston through Their Eyes seems to be more fixed in her perspective of the African American man than Walker. Although both writers see the antagonism in the African American man Hurston seems to believe that African American men are affected by the negative past so much so that it becomes a fixed part of them so they will always possess negative tendencies. Hurston as a writer during the 1920s through the 1950s was more focused on declaring herself and women in general as the most powerful sex but she was aware that we must build up the African American man and she indicated this through Their Eyes. Walker's The Third Life of Grange Copeland and The Color Purple speak highly of Walker's character in reference to the African American man. Even though each text is written years apart Walker did not shift in her perspective. Walker was consistent in her physical or psychological destruction and revival of the African American man. Walker had to ability as a writer to do what her forerunner Hurston could not do through her text Their Eyes. She did not reveal that she was permanently damaged as a woman/writer as a result of her negative personal situations with African American men. She revealed that there was a need for the African American man and her role as a woman and writer was to assist him in his plights. Hurston and Walker cannot be totally condemned as African American women writers for their rationale for destroying the African American man because I believe they were trying to alter others' perspective of the African American man. Their selected works bring awareness or remind the world that African American women today have to prune themselves against the negative and potential negative traits of their sons brothers husbands and/or fathers. The novels also have the ability to bring about conviction in some African American men as they recognize the negative attitudes and behaviors of the African American men characters in these texts and perhaps force the African American man to circumcise his heart and mind so he can increase his love for himself and those around him.

Additional Information

Publication

Thesis

Date: 2013

Keywords

African American studies, Literature, African American men, African American women writers, Destruction, Negative African American men

Subjects

Walker, Alice, 1944- Third life of Grange Copeland--Criticism and interpretation

Walker, Alice, 1944- Color purple--Criticism and interpretation

Hurston, Zora Neale. Their eyes were watching God--Criticism and interpretation

African American men in literature

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