The Color Purple has been described by critics as a feminist novel, do you agree?

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The Color Purple has been described by critics as a feminist novel, do you agree?

Alice Walker once told an interviewer, "The black woman is one of America's greatest heroes. . . . She has been oppressed beyond recognition."

Few novels of so recent vintage as 'The Color Purple' has generated as much critical uproar. The Color Purple, the third novel by the Pulitzer Prize winning author Alice Walker created a storm of controversy and deeply divided intellectual opinion. In what has been described as "one of the most successful and controversial books ever written" (Angeli Rasbury), the central character is forced to deal with her incestuous father, an abusive husband, and separation from her sister and children. Several critics claim Alice Walkers depiction of black males is too harsh and one dimensional. "While I know that some black men have raped their daughters, I know that the vast majority have not." (Brown: 1986) Many men attacked the book on political grounds, arguing that the stress on violence and cruelty in the portrayal of the central black male characters threatened the unity of the African - American community in its struggle for civil rights. The novel has been