The male dominance allows a certain double standard whereby the men are able to make their own rules. Tashi’s Father has many wives, ‘Catherine became friends with her husband’s other wives,’ and this makes for comparison between Tashi’s Father and Mr___, who marries Celie but sleeps with and is in love with Shug. Here we see how the underlying social structures in America and Africa appear similar, making the Olinka more realistic.
‘The Color Purple’ is set during a time of European imperialism, and so when we see the English moving through Africa we see this as very much realistic as a way of destroying Olinka heritage. It highlights the oppression of black people throughout the world and our lack of surprise in how the Olinka tribe is spoiled by the European rubber industry coming to the area makes the sub-plot realistic.
Male dominance is highlighted in Olinka by the high value of having a son rather than a daughter. Sons were considered more valuable and we see this in Letter 64, Nettie writes ‘since she already has five boy children she can now do whatever she wants. She has become an honorary man.’ This links in with the whole patriarchal nature of the time. Women in America were considered the property of men, such as when Fonso gives Celie to Mr___ without her consultation. Therefore the presentation of Olinka in this sense appears realistic. You have to be a man to gain respect and women with respect are considered an ‘honorary man’ by Nettie.
The Olinka tribe can be described as a microcosm of the bigger picture, making the sub-plot realistic and extremely important in enhancing the reader’s knowledge of the wider picture. It is a microcosm of black people’s oppression. This perhaps best highlighted by the English moving in to Olinka and then making the people ‘pay rent’ for their own land and ‘they must pay water tax’, as described by Nettie in Letter 65. The complete disregard for the rights of the people seems a fitting microcosm for the bigger picture and white people’s attitude towards black people. However Nettie perhaps presents this realistically in that the Olinka men had sold its own people to slavery. As a microcosm of the wider picture this almost shows that certain black people contributed to their own downfall during slavery and this presents a more balanced view. This could be the opinion of Nettie, as in Letter 57 as she writes, ‘sold in to slavery their strongest folks’ and asks ’Why did they sell us?’. Perhaps Alice Walker is using Nettie here as a way of balancing the argument and educating the reader in order to advance the themes in the novel.
The women in the Olinka tribe are praised for hard work and keeping neat production fields, such as in Letter 64 where Nettie writes ‘her fields are praised for their cleanliness, productivity and general attractiveness.’ This is a realistic presentation as it highlights women’s significance at the time. It also brings comparison to America and Kate’s praise of Celie in Letter 12, ‘You keep a clean house.’ Whilst this shows praise for women, it really only highlights them as housewives and gives them little significance in society.
The presentation of spirituality and religion in Olinka is interesting in that the people have certain symbols on which they worship. The roof leaf is at the centre of their religion and is seen as a God. In Letter
61 Nettie writes ‘The roof leaf became the thing they worship.’ The people of the tribe need religion as a form of unity it seems. This is enhanced by rituals such as the Olinka funeral, whereby the dead are buried under a tree, which is also seen as a symbol of God. This is shown in Letter 72, ‘We buried Corrine in the Olinka way, wrapped in barkcloth under a large tree.’ There appears to be an extra spirituality in Olinka than in America. We see Celie lose her faith in God when she concludes God ‘must be sleep’ in Letter 68, and Celie’s Mother is buried without a marker, thus making contrast between the respect given in death in Olinka and America. Like Celie’s Mother, Corrine was American, and they received very contrasting burials due to where they died. The Olinka tribe perhaps shows a more realistic view of the spirituality and culture of black people of the time, in that their faith has not been crushed in the way Celie’s has, although in time the road and the English occupiers prove to have such an effect on the Olinka village.
The diet of the people of Olinka is presented realistically in that it consists of natural ingredients, expected from a tribal village. Their food consists of ‘groundnuts’, ‘yam’ and ‘palm wine’ to drink. The people also enjoy meat, and Nettie comments on this in Letter 61, ‘They love meat. All the people in this village.’ Meat is also seen as a way of bargaining; realistic in that the Olinka tribe would not have money. ‘If you want them to do something big, you talk about a barbecue.’ Nettie passes comment on the teeth of the people in Olinka, describing them as ‘the strongest, cleanest, whitest teeth’ compared to the English teeth, ‘blackish with decay.’ This is to be expected as the English were more advanced and therefore had more processed, sugary foods, such as pies. Whereas the natural ingredients used in Africa and the Olinka, make for a healthier diet and stronger teeth.
The story of Olinka makes a useful contribution to ‘The Color Purple’ as a whole. It allows Alice Walker to bring in more complicated themes and expand our knowledge and understanding. This is done through Nettie, and the education she receives in the novel is transferred to us during the Olinka sub-plot. An example of this is in Letter 57, when Nettie educates the reader and Celie on slavery, ‘Today the people of Africa – having murdered or sold into slavery their strongest folks – are riddled by disease and sunk in spiritual and physical confusion.’ Perhaps Alice Walker also uses Nettie in the sub-plot to bring in her own interpretations of the suffering and slavery of black people of the time. The Olinka sub-plot contributes importantly to the novel simply as a microcosm for the bigger picture. Through the events in Olinka, Alice Walker can globalize the themes, and widen our understanding. A major theme of the Olinka sub-plot is ignorance to understanding. The reader, as well as Nettie, begin to understand the wider picture of all themes presented in ‘The Color Purple’. We can relate this to Celie’s life in America and the oppression suffered by Sofia under the white police, and also the physical and mental oppression of Celie by Mr___ and Fonso.
In conclusion the Olinka sub-plot is essential in increasing our understanding, as well as allowing the novel to develop. It also presents Alice Walker with the chance to use plot devices such as the death of Corrine and Nettie’s sighting of Sofia in Letter 55, which speed up the progress of the novel and its storyline. The people and structure of the Olinka tribe is presented realistically in a time of struggle for the black community and women. It is also presented realistically considering the move from peaceful African tribal villages, to discontent caused by European imperealism which happened at the time.
