'In modern literature, personal and financial independence are shown to lead to happiness
and mutual/self-respect, whilst lack of independence can lead to unhappiness, bitterness
and frustration'.
Compare the significance of independence in two texts you have studied.
Alice Walker’s The Color Purple and Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire
both include the theme of independence. Where Walker explores independence from a
feminist and neo-colonialist perspective in her emancipation novel of oppressed black
women in twentieth-century southern America, Williams presents how, in a patriarchal
society, female independence is frowned upon and is not necessarily desirable. These
themes are best explored through the characters of Celie and Shug in The Color Purple and
by Blanche and Stella in A Streetcar Named Desire, with the experiences of each character
highlighting different perspectives on independence.
In The Color Purple, Celie is initially presented as an oppressed and frightened girl
who is scared of men, as is highlighted by her statement in the opening letters that “I don’t
even look at mens [...] I look at women, tho, cause I’m not scared of them”. Celie’s initial
submissiveness to men is suggested first by her mistreatment by Pa, who repeatedly rapes
Celie and tells her “You better not never tell nobody but God. It’d kill your mammy”, causing
her to address her diary entries to God for much of the text. However, following the build-up
of tension in the text as a result of the constant oppression faced by Celie throughout her life
at the hands of men, Walker presents the climax of the text in the form of Celie standing up
to Mr___ after discovering that he has been hiding letters written to her from Celie for years.
Celie calls Mr___ a “lowdown dog” and asserts that “Nettie and my children coming home
soon [...] And when she do, all us together gon whup your ass” before leaving for Memphis
with Shug where she creates her own business. Celie’s economic and sexual independence
following this climax leads to a clear shift in her quality of life, with Celie finding a new sense
of peace within herself and those around her. This is highlighted by the end of the text,
where Celie addresses her final letter “Dear God. Dear stars, dear trees, dear sky, dear
peoples. Dear everything. Dear God”, showing that she has made peace with the world and
her situation and thus highlighting how “personal and financial independence” in The Color
Purple “lead to happiness and mutual/self respect”.
This idea is contrasted by Williams in A Streetcar Named Desire by the character of
Blanche, who is presented as alone, mentally deteriorating and desperate for a man to
depend on. Williams highlights Blanche’s independence in her first monologue, where she
accuses Stella of being “In bed with your - Polak” (Stanley) whilst she was forced to deal
with the loss of Belle Reve alone. Blanche’s desperation for a husband to take care of her is
further suggested by her constant lying to her only potential suitor, Mitch, about her past,
claiming that she is younger than Stella despite being “about five years older”, and that she
has “never been more than kissed by a fellow” despite her previous need to prostitute herself
to “pay for - one night’s shelter”. To cope with the loss of her late husband and her
subsequent independence, Blanche develops an alcohol dependency (“Some people rarely
touch [alcohol], but it touches them often”) and engages in “intimacies with strangers [to fill
her] empty heart with”. Blanche’s total mental downfall occurs following Stanley’s rape of her
in the penultimate scene and Stella’s subsequent arrangement for her sister to be sent to a
