Annie Daley

American Literature
4-23-14

The Effects of Domestic Violence in the American South Between

1910-1940, and One Young Woman’s Journey to Navigate It

Domestic violence has always plagued mankind, in different forms and with

different reactions from communities over the years. In her book The Color Purple, Alice

Walker explores the effect that domestic violence has on women. Celie, an African

American woman living in the south in the early to mid twentieth century, is abused as a

child by her father before she marries Mr. _____, who beats and isolates her in a time

when southern authorities were unlikely provide assistance (Peck). After suffering Mr.

_____’s abuse for years, Celie finds empowerment through her friend and lover Shug

Avery, who provides Celie with love and support and teaches her to value herself.

Regardless of Celie’s happy ending, the traumas from her childhood and her marriage

beset her throughout the novel. Abuse from a parental figure or spouse can lead to poor

self-esteem, acute loneliness, and a loss of power to abusers, and authorities in the South

were historically unhelpful towards victims of domestic abuse. An understanding of the

vulnerability of abuse victims resulting from poor self-esteem illustrates how the sexual

and emotional abuse Celie suffered at the hands of her father made her vulnerable to

spousal abuse and how, alone and devoid of confidence and love, Celie was vulnerable to

Shug Avery’s positive influences and ended up enjoying protection and love from Shug.

Authorities in the South in the early twentieth century provided very little aid to

incest victims, which scared children, leaving them with disastrous physiological effects
Annie Daley
American Literature
4-23-14
and often without an understanding of the cause of those emotions. In her book Domestic

Tyranny: The Making of American Social Policy against Family Violence from Colonial

Times to the Present, Elizabeth Peck argues the South was a hostile environment for

victims of domestic abuse to seek help and that, while there was some help for physically

abused wives, very little protection was available against incest (Peck). This lack of

protection likely led to many children remaining trapped in abusive situations without

escape options. Peck continues, asserting protection for victims of incest was even

faultier for African Americans—it was biased, and many were scared to seek help (Peck).

This may have led to more sexual abuse being committed against African American

children than admitted and more children suffering the disastrous consequences of it than

reported. The sexual abuse that the American south was so reluctant to protect its

children from had devastating effects on children. In their journal article, “Physiological

Effects of Childhood Sexual Abuse,” M. Rus and A. B. Galbeaza attest that many people

did not recognize abuse in their youth because they accepted it as normal, but it could

still have appalling psychological effects lives (Rus). If people did not identify the trauma

the suffered in their youth, they could have trouble understanding the cause of their

emotions. Rus and Galbeaza proceed to assert the terrible consequences of childhood

abuse—inability to learn or focus in school, distrust of men, and low self-esteem in

sexual situations, which could include being dissatisfied with sex. Women, they contend,

could suffer from low self-value as a result of their childhood sexual abuse (Rus). Low-

self value, depression, and anxiety combined with an unawareness of the cause of these

mental states could possibly lead to self-blame for what women may consider defects in

their character.
Annie Daley
American Literature
4-23-14
 The hostility of southern authorities towards helping African American incest

victims and the physiological toll the abuse took on the victims provide new insight into

Celie’s trapped position by revealing the emotional consequences Celie suffered be

consequential of her abuse and that a plea for help would have been unanswered. In the

first line of the novel, Pa threatens Celie that she “better not never tell nobody but God,”

that he raped her, adding that “it’d kill your mammy” (Walker, 1). The threat may have

helped silence Celie, but given the bias against African Americans in the Southern

judicial system, it is very unlikely that Celie would have found protection if she had

reported him (Peck). Pa’s threats and southern authorities kept Celie trapped for years.

Celie accepts this incestuous relationship as normal because Pa keeps Celie her isolated;

and she does not know other men. Like many people who do not perceive their abuse,

Celie still suffers the mental consequences (Rus). Celie hates the abuse, but gives no

notion that she could legally ask for help. Several years into her sexual abuse, Celie

narrates physical abuse when Pa beats her for flirting with a boy. Celie claims she did

not, adding she “don’t even look at men,” but that she “look at women, tho, cause I’m not

scared of them” (Walker, 5). This fear of men, as Rus and Galbeaza claim, is not

uncommon among female victims of childhood sexual assault (Rus), and contributes to

Pa’s power over her, which he exerts by pulling Celie out of school during her first

pregnancy. Celie enjoys school, but like many young victims of sexual assault (Rus),

struggles with it, and when Pa forces her to leave, Celie sadly notes that “he never care

that I love it,” (Walker, 9), but Pa displays his power by depriving her of an education

and calling her stupid, one of many ways in which Pa uses emotional abuse to shame

Celie, never acknowledging that it was his abuse that stopped her from doing well in
Annie Daley
American Literature
4-23-14
school (Rus). Celie eventually marries Mr. _____ and escapes Pa, but his abuse affects

Celie well into her abusive marriage.

Spousal abuse gave women a feeling of intense loneliness, which in turn opened them

up to further abuse and left women feeling worthless and with low self-esteem, which

made them vulnerable to outside influences. In her article "Alienation and Domestic

Abuse: How Abused Women Cope with Loneliness,” Ami Arocack stresses the

prevalence of domestic violence in society and asserts that one of abuse’s largest

consequences is loneliness, which she defines as "the adverse and painful experience of

not belonging, not feeling connected to others or valued by them" (Arocack 334).

Loneliness and abuse would appear to be a dangerous cycle—the lonelier a person, the

less likely they would seem to seek help for their domestic situation and the less worth

they would feel of love, without anyone to give it to them. Debra Umberson, Kristin

Anderson, Jennifer Glick, and Adam Sharpiro claim other emotional effects of domestic

abuse in their article “Domestic Violence, Personal Control, and Gender.” Asserting that

people abuse because they feel they have lost control over themselves and so want to

control others, they contend that the loss of control victims experience can have

devastating effects, including bad self-esteem (Umberson). These consequences further

support low self-worth as an effect of loss of personal control. It is common knowledge

that low self-esteem makes people vulnerable to outside influences.

An understanding of the debilitating roles power that struggles and loneliness play in

abusive situations and the low self-esteem Celie already suffered from due to her

childhood abuse sheds light on Mr. _____’s ability to control Celie by providing insight

into the ways in which Celie’s loneliness and lack of control over herself added to her
Annie Daley
American Literature
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suffering. Shortly after her marriage to Mr. ____, Celie describes her abuse in front of the

children and the way in which she closes herself off to pain, noting “I make myself

wood,” and adding that “that’s how I know trees fear man” (Walker, 22). A tree may be

surrounded by other trees in a forest, but they stand apart from each other, rarely

touching, and so Celie’s metaphor describes her isolation. Like many abused women, she

is alone, with no one to help her (Arocack). Effects of her childhood abuse are apparent

in Celie’s marriage to Mr. _____. Entering the marriage with low self-esteem, Celie

never thinks to question the abuse she receives from her husband. Consequences of the

abuse are also seen in Celie and Mr. _____’s sex life, which Celie, not uncommonly for

victims of incest, takes absolutely no pleasure in (Rus). Whether this is due to her abuse

or homosexuality is not revealed, but the latter may be stemming from her abuse and a

fear of men. Explaining to Shug when Shug tells Celie about sex, Celie agrees that she

feels like Mr. _____ is “going to the toilet on” (Walker, 77) her. Like many abusers who

strive to take control from their victims, (Umberson), Mr. _____ has total control over

Celie’s sex life, and demonstrates his power by not acknowledging that she is worthy of

enjoying sex. Mr. _____’s indifference to Celie’s feelings also displays her loneliness—

she has no one in her home who loves her. Mr. _____ further isolates Celie by hiding

Nettie’s letters, which would have brought Celie great comfort throughout her difficult

marriage. Mr. _____’s concealment of the letters only heightens Celie’s loneliness by

nullifying Nettie as a valuable source of support and comfort for Celie. With her self-

esteem so low from years of abuse from both Mr. _____ and Pa, Celie is very vulnerable

to an outside influence.

Annie Daley
American Literature
4-23-14
 The vulnerability Celie experienced from years of abuse and low self-esteem shed

light on Shug’s ability to influence Celie and transform her view of herself from

worthless to someone worth protecting and empower Celie through protection and love.

Celie’s initial reaction to seeing a picture of Shug Avery was self-critical; demonstrating

her low self-esteem resulting from her abuse (Umberson), she remarks that Shug is “bout

ten thousand times prettier than me” (Walker, 6) but she idolizes Shug from then on,

striving to imitate her. Celie explains her reverence of Shug while trying to select fabric

for a dress, explaining that she “think what color Shug Avery would wear” because Shug

is “like a queen” (Walker, 20). By likening Shug to a queen, Celie envisions not only a

role model, but a confident, regal, woman. Vulnerable to outside influences and lacking

confidence herself (Umberson), Celie is drawn to Shug’s abundance of it. Imagining

Shug, Celie reflects that she would “just be thankful to lay eyes on her” (Walker, 25) and

feels as though “my heart gon fly out of my mouth” (Walker, 53) when she meets her.

Over time, Celie nurses Shug back to health and the two kindle a close friendship, which

turns into romance. When Shug dedicates a song to Celie, Celie, incredibly touched,

remarks that it is the “first time somebody made something and name it after me”

(Walker, 73). When Shug met Celie, she had no confidence and no sense of self-worth

(Umberson, Rus), but Shug helps Celie learn to value herself, providing protection from

an abusive husband as well as emotional support. When Shug is healthy enough to leave

Mr. _____’s house, Celie finally confesses the abusive nature of her marriage, prompting

Shug to promise to stay until Mr. _____stops hitting Celie. Shug’s protection means

Celie is no longer alone, and without that loneliness, Mr. _____ has much less control

over her (Arocack). When Shug, whom Celie comes to love, comes home one Christmas
Annie Daley
American Literature
4-23-14
married, she consoles a heart-broken Celie, telling her “if you was my wife, she say, I’d

cover you with kisses stead of licks, and work hard for you too” (Walker, 109). As their

relationship blooms into romance despite their husbands, Celie confides in Shug about

her rape, and Shug’s reaction prompts Celie to note that she had previously felt “No one

ever love me” (Walker, 112) before, but Shug does. Shug further displays that love by

insisting that Celie accompany her when she leaves Mr. _____’s house, despite Mr.

_____’s emotionally abusive protest, and helping Celie set up a clothing business.

Empowered by Shug and her time away from Mr. _____, Celie returns to her husband

and takes back her personal control, telling an apologetic Mr. _____ “let’s be friends”

(283).

Domestic abuse is a problem that is still frighteningly prevalent in society. Celie’s

experience, however, demonstrates not only the appalling effects of domestic violence,

but also the power of one person’s choice to intervene, changing a life.

Word Count: 2,000 words

Annie Daley
American Literature
4-23-14
 Works Cited

Arokach, Ami. "Alienation and Domestic Abuse: How Abused Women Cope with

Loneliness." Journal of Marriage and Family 67.2 (2006): 327-40. Digital file.

Beybee, Jay S. "Domestic Violence Clause." Encyclopedia of the American Constitution.

Ed. Leonard W. Levy and Kenneth L. Karst. 2nd ed. Vol. 2. Detroit: Macmillan

Reference USA, 200. 803-04. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 6 May 2014.

Gigson-Davis, Christina M., et al. "Employment and the Risk of Domestic Abuse among

Low-Income Women." Journal of Marriage and Family 67.5 (2005): 1149-68.

ProQuest Central K12. Web. 23 May 2014.

"How domestic abuse hurts kids." Parents 69.11 (1994): n. pag. ProQuest Central. Web.

4 May 2014.

Peck, Elizabeth. Domestic Tyranny: THe Making of American Social Policy against

Family Violence from Colonial Times to the Present. New York: Oxford

University Press, 2994. Print.

Quinlivan, J. A., and S. F. Evans. "Impact of domestic violence and dry abuse in

pregnancy on maternal attachment and infant temperament in teenage mothers in

the setting of best clinical practice." Archives of Women's Mental Health: 191-99.

ProQuest Central K12. Web. 23 May 2014.

Rus, M., and A. B. Galbeaza. "SYCHOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF CHILD SEXUAL

ABUSE." Contemporary Readings in Law and Social Justice 5.2: 499-510.

JSTOR. Web. 8 May 2014.

<http://search.proquest.com/docview/1475143678?accountid=30488>.
Annie Daley
American Literature
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Umberson, Debra, et al. "Domestic Violence, Personal Control, and Gender." Journal of

Marriage and Family 60.2 (1998): 442-52. JSTOR. Web. 6 May 2014.

US Const. art. IV, sec. 4. Print.

Annie Daley
American Literature
4-23-14