Emotional and Physical Breakdowns of Battered and Abused Women

Emotional and Physical Breakdowns of Battered and Abused Women

Arterberry 1
Meagan Arterberry
Freshman English 111,section 004
26 October 2009
What was the Tragedy and Triumph in Alice Walker’s The Color Purple?
Sexually abused by her father, physically abused by her husband, and emotionally abused by both, results in Celie’s behavioral and social issues. In Alice Walker’s The Color Purple, Celie was verbally and sexually abused by her father starting at a very young age. This caused her to have low self-esteem, no self worth, and the inability to form a descent relationship with men. The lack of respect her husband showed towards her made it okay for his children to show total disregards for her as well. To try and prevent from being beaten Celie does as she is told and continues to believe that this is how her life is suppose to be. Although Celie was already affected by several types of abuses brighter days do come for her. Abuse is a never ending epidemic in America and social classes and backgrounds have absolutely nothing to do with it.
One abuse that Celie went through was sexual abuse. The definition that was given about sexual abuse or rape is, “it sometimes must involve violence; other times, lack of consent alone suffices. Still other statutes refer to sexual acts committed against a woman’s will.” (Bourke 8) Another way to determine what rape is “any act called such by a participant or third party.”(Bourke 9) Two main components of sexual abuse are “First, a person has to identify a particular act as sexual. Second, that person must also claim the act is non-consensual, unwanted, or coerced.” (Bourke 9) Most sexual abusers or rapist rape women to feel powerful and to cover up from feeling guilty they use an excuse like, she was asking for it when she put on that tight
Arterberry 2
red dress, putting the blame on someone else. Usually after they finish, they continue about their daily lives and activities as if nothing ever happened. This same action happened with Celie and her father. He...

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