A Victim and a Fighter: Vulnerability and Strength in Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God and Alice Walker’s The Color Purple

The aim of this thesis is to defend the view that a woman can be both a victim and a fighter. Janie, Zora Neale Hurston’s heroine, and Celie, the protagonist of Alice Walker’s The Color Purple, are perfect examples of this ambivalence. Nobody can deny that they are victims, indeed, as young black women, they suffered violence and injustices, but this is not what defines them. They refuse to identify only as victims because they encompass far more than that. They fight for the right to self-definition, for the right to be truly seen, not merely as survivors but as resilient women who improved their lives, who fell and rose again, who embraced their vulnerabilities and drew strength from one another to overcome an enemy that seemed unbeatable. Janie and Celie are not flawless; they do not always have the strength to confront and overcome their oppression. They make mistakes, experience highs and lows, and possess both strengths and weaknesses. Yet, it is precisely these qualities that make them profoundly human and beautiful. Their imperfections and vulnerabilities highlight their humanity, making their stories and struggles deeply relatable and impactful. Let this thesis be a celebration of the strength of black women and their resilience in the face of the myriad adversities they have endured. From the horrors of slavery to ongoing systemic injustices, black women have demonstrated remarkable courage and fortitude. Their stories are not just tales of survival, but powerful narratives of empowerment and transformation. However, emphasizing the strength of black women should not lead us to negate their pain. Therefore, the first section of this paper will examine the oppression that has characterized the history of black women, a history that has too often been minimized and overlooked. It will be explained how, over centuries, black women have been marginalized due to both their skin color and their gender. Additionally, the use of stereotypes for the devaluation and dehumanization of black women will be discussed, and the significant and regrettably still contemporary issue of domestic violence in black households will be addressed. It will be noted that Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston and The Color Purple by Alice Walker are two examples of a representation and denunciation of this violence. Furthermore, it will be emphasized that, as works of denunciation, these novels have faced significant criticism, particularly from the black community. In the second chapter, the extraordinary ways in which these women have responded to and fought against their mistreatment throughout history will be explored. The chapter will detail how black women have battled for their rights and dignity during the Middle Passage, the era of slavery, the Civil War, the Reconstruction era, and the Jim Crow period. This examination will delve into the various strategies and forms of resistance that black women have employed to assert their humanity and challenge the oppressive systems that sought to dehumanize them. The third and fourth chapters will respectively delve into the analysis of the novels Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston and The Color Purple by Alice Walker. These novels were selected for their powerful depiction of the violence endured by black women, as well as their remarkable resilience and courage in the face of oppression. Both authors have endeavored, through their work, to portray the lives of black women in the early and mid-20th century in the southern United States. They have managed to reflect the socio-cultural and historical realities of their time and offer a profound exploration of the intersection of race, gender, and social class. What is more, both Zora Neale Hurston and Alice Walker have finally given voice to black women, challenging the dominant narratives that have historically marginalized and silenced their voices.