The portrayal of men in The Colour Purple and Oranges is not fixed therefore, along with the negative representations there many different depictions of men in both novels. In The Colour Purple, Samuel can be seen as positive male character as he is shown to be a sensible and intelligent man who shows respect for women unlike many other characters in the novel. In contrast, Oranges does not seem to have a positive male representation however, Jeanette’s dad is seen to be a passive character. The fact that Jeanette refers to her father as her mother’s “husband” shows that Jeanette’s father is seen to be extremely passive as he is seen as a her mothers possession. Furthermore, lack of emotion in the language highlights his insignificance in Jeanette’s life. Having these alternative representations of male characters suggests the idea that the authors are presenting gender as a variety, where there are no specific qualities set for each gender showing that stereotypical ‘masculine behaviour’ is just a socially acquired characteristic. However, the fact that we hear very little about Samuel and Jeanette’s father in the novels reflects the dominant oppressive values in both protagonists’ society.
In the novels both female narrators, Celie and Jeanette, come from very different countries, races and cultures however, both authors still use similar techniques to portray their female protagonists. At the start of the novels both Celie and Jeanette are presented as young, naïve girls and through the use of first person narration the reader is encouraged to identify and sympathise with the protagonist. In The Colour Purple the language used by Celie in her first letter is blunt and shows Celie’s innocence, “titties” and “pussy”. The fact that in the first letter Celie is being abused by a man instantly shows a patriarchal society where women are seen to be subordinate to men. In comparison, even though Oranges has first person narration, it is a retrospective novel therefore there is an innocent tone coupled with the knowing, mocking voice of an older narrator. In the novels both protagonists, Celie and Jeanette, are on search to find a sense of identity in their oppressive and patriarchal societies..
Within the novels The Colour Purple and Oranges, Sofia and Jeanette’s mother are two female characters who are presented as strong and dominant women. From the introduction of both of these characters it becomes clear that these women are challenging the traditional view of women. “They just be marching, hand in hand, like going to war. She in front a little.” This quote describes Harpo bringing Sofia to see Mr._____. The reference to war in that sentence connotes strength and courage and the fact that in the past women did not fight in wars shows that Sofia is breaking the mould and challenging the stereotypes of women. Furthermore, Sofia is “in front a little” reinforces the idea that Sofia is taking the traditionally masculine role. Similarly, in Oranges “My father used to watch the wrestling, my mother used to wrestle; it didn’t matter what” is the introductory sentence to Jeanette’s mother. Once more, a woman is being a associated with a traditionally masculine responsibilities showing that Jeanette’s mother is strong, mentally and physically. However, even though these two characters are portrayed as self sufficient women, it could be argued that the fact that Sofia and Jeanette’s mother can, on many occasions, be seen in a comical light shows that the idea of women taking on a strong, dominant roles is laughable as patriarchy remains the dominant ideology.
Furthermore, the fact that in both novels emotional and sexual salvation for women is found in other women shows that men cannot provide that kind of affection.
The fact that Sofia and Jeanette’s mother are shown to be strong, dominant women shows that both author’s are going against typical gender representations. The idea of subversion of gender roles in both of these novels is of great importance as many characters in The Color Purple and Oranges challenge typical gender roles reinforced by their society.
Men in The Color Purple are only redeemed through becoming less masculine or taking on activities usually associated with women, for example when Mr._____ starts to change he begins to sew. “Mr._____ is busy patterning a shirt for folks to wear with my pants.”
The use of fairytales in Oranges reinforces the fact that Winterson challenges gender roles as all the heroines in the tales reject conventional roles. For example, in the chapter “Leviticus” the tale about the prince who sought perfection portrays a strong, independent woman who refuses to marry the prince.
The introduction to the relationship of Sofia and Harpo shows the reversal of the fixed stereotype which are continued by other couples in the novel, that a man should dominate the woman. Harpo is seen as the passive partner of the relationship.
Sofia's sisters are describes as “big strong healthy girls”. The words “big” and “strong” are two mono-syllabic, common and simple words. This reflects the simplicity of the sisters in terms of education. Moreover, the use of language here emphasises their physical power in terms of strength and dominance as both words have very powerful and masculine connotations. Furthermore, Walker compares the attributes of the sisters to "amazons", reflecting how Sofia's sisters are turning around the appearance of women being the inferior race by adopting masculine traits.
In conclusion, The Colour Purple and Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit are two novels which present the two genders as variety, where there are no specific qualities assigned to each gender. However, although the representation of men as oppressors dominates, men are also shown to have different, positive qualities. Furthermore, women characters are presented as symbols of hope in deeply patriarchal societies by possessing strong, dominant qualities. By challenging these traditional representations of men and women, it shows that there is hope for change and we can move away from fixed gender roles expected by society.
