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영어

This paper aims to look into how black women form their identities under the harsh conditions of racial and sexual oppressions and how they recover their sound self- realization. For this purpose, I analyzed the female characters of Alice Walker’s The Color Purple having the problem of self-negation or self-hate, and reached the conclusion that those problems could be solved through the recovery of the community. The Color Purple shows an aspect of American society at the beginning of the 20th century. Celie, the heroine, is described as an exclusive possession of her patriarchal step-father as well as her husband. The early part of the novel tells us that Celie is physically and mentally abused by both of them. In the process of the story, however, she becomes to restore her physical and mental strength through the help of her female friends. Walker puts an emphasis on the female relationship and cooperation to achieve their liberty in the male centered society. She asserts their sisterhood as the origin of the sagacity and bravery against double suppression of patriarchy and racism. According to Walker, the real community is built up, not based on the definite boundaries of men and women but the concord and the interaction of them.