Representation of Violence in Alice Walker’s The Color Purple and Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye in line with the New Historicism

Öz

Violence might be seen frequently among African Americans. In fact, violence among Afro-Americans dates back to old slavery times, and it is associated directly with racism, as well. Moreover, during the Jim Crow Era, Afro-Americans experienced unbearable inequalities and discrimination. During their fight against discrimination, they had a lot number of casualties in the American Civil War and the Civil Rights Movement. In particular, being women in the Afro-American community was double jeopardy, as they were both women and black. Consequently, gender-based violence is apparent in The Bluest Eye and The Color Purple, as well. Women characters are severely exposed to violence in these books. In this group, the violence is seen as a common problem; people encounter several challenges and try to survive. Violence is common in both novels; however, the course of events affects the characters differently. The protagonist of The Bluest Eye, Pecola, as a child can only pray to God for the solution to the violence around her, cannot fight against violence, and goes mad at the end; on the other hand, the protagonist of The Color Purple, Celie, struggles against violence, becomes strong, and escapes from violence in the end. Alice Walker’s concept of womanism’s reflection can be seen at the end of The Color Purple in terms of the women’s emancipation. As a matter of fact, with the intention of demonstrating the violence problems more effectively in The Bluest Eye and The Color Purple, the novels are investigated in their social, cultural, historical, or political context within the framework of the new historicism movement. Accordingly, in this study, the purpose is to investigate the gender-based representation of the physical, psychological, and sexual violence in Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye and in Alice Walker’s The Color Purple consistent with the new historicism.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Violence
• The Bluest Eye
• The Color Purple
• Alice Walker
• Toni Morrison
• New Historicism

Yeni Tarihselcilik Doğrultusunda Toni Morrison’un En Mavi Göz ve Alice Walker’ın Renklerden Moru Romanlarında Şiddetin Tasviri

Öz

Afrikan Amerikalılarda şiddet yaygın olarak gözlemlenebilmektedir. Hatta öyle ki, Afro-Amerikanlılarda şiddet, doğrudan ırkçılıkla da bağlantılı olarak, eski kölelik zamanlarına dayanmaktadır. Daha da fazlası, Afrikan Amerikalılar Jim Crow döneminde, dayanılamaz eşitsizlik ve ayrımcılığa maruz kaldılar. Ayrımcılığa karşı mücadeleleri süresince Amerikan İç Savaşında ve Sivil Haklar Hareketinde çok sayıda ölü ve yaralı verdiler. Özellikle, Afro-Amerikan toplumunda kadın olmak, hem kadın oldukları hem de siyah oldukları için çifte tehlike yaratan bir durumdu. Dolayısıyla, toplumsal cinsiyete dayalı şiddet, En Mavi Göz ve Renklerden Moru romanlarında da tüm çıplaklığıyla gözlemlenebilmektedir. Bu kitaplarda kadınlar ciddi bir şekilde şiddete maruz kalmaktadır. Bu toplumlarda şiddet sıradan görülmektedir, insanlar pek çok zorlukla karşılaşmaktadırlar ve hayatta kalmaya çalışmaktadırlar. Şiddet her iki romanda da ortaktır ama olayların gidişatı buna rağmen karakterleri farklı şekillerde etkilemektedir. En Mavi Göz romanının ana karakteri Pecola bir çocuk olarak etrafındaki şiddetin çözümü için yalnızca Tanrı’ya yalvarabilir, şiddetle baş edemez ve sonunda aklını kaybeder, diğer yandan Renklerden Moru romanının ana karakteri Celie şiddete karşı savaşır, güçlenir ve sonunda şiddetten kurtulur. Renklerden Moru romanının sonundaki kadınların özgürleşmesi hususunda Alice Walker’ın Kadıncılık kavramının etkili olduğu görülmektedir. Neticede, En Mavi Göz ve Renklerden Moru romanlarında incelenen şiddet sorunlarını sosyal, kültürel, tarihsel, ya da siyasi bağlamında daha iyi aktarabilmek adına romanlar yeni tarihselcilik akımı kapsamında incelenmiştir. Dolayısıyla, bu çalışmadaki amaç yeni tarihselcilik doğrultusunda Toni Morrison’un En Mavi Göz ve Alice Walker’ın Renklerden Moru romanlarında görülen toplumsal cinsiyete dayalı fiziksel, psikolojik ve cinsel şiddet tasvirlerini incelemektir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Şiddet
• En Mavi Göz
• Renklerden Moru
• Alice Walker
• Toni Morrison
• Yeni Tarihselcilik

Kaynakça

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