Alice Walker’s Works

Alice Walker is one of the extraordinary writers, born in Eatonton, Georgia in the United States of America. She worked as a Lecturer, social worker, and a teacher before becoming a distinguished international writer of the 20th century. Walker excelled in poems, essays, stories, and novel writing. She was also a robust and candid activist on a range of issues. In Georgia, Alice Walker participated in Civil rights movement by encouraging the poor people in rural areas to register as voters. She went to Mississippi where she initiated voter registration as well. While in Mississippi, Alice Walker married a Jewish man called Mel Leventhal who was working in a movement of civil rights in Mississippi. Walker started teaching history in Mississippi and later joined Jackson State University as a lecturer. While working at Jackson State University, Alice Walker published her first work of poetry. She also began her first novel “The Third Life of Grange Copeland” and published it in 1970. She continued with her writing work and consequently won both a Pulitzer Prize and national book award for her novel “The Color Purple” (“Alice Walker | Biography and Awards | PBS”). Therefore, this essay will review Alice Walker’s works.
Most of Alice Walker’s work focuses on the tussles of African Americans. Her work provides views which are against the societies that are violent, sexist, and racist (Alice Walker Books – Biography and List of Works – Author of ‘A Poem Traveled down My Arm'”). Alice Walker also concentrates on the responsibilities of females of color in culture and history.

She supports unpopular and unconventional opinions as a stuff of principle which earns her respect in the open-minded political community. Being an open bisexual, Alice Walker sympathizes with people of all ethnicities, races, and sexualities. Though neither of Alice Walker’s prior volumes of poems, short stories, and novels has been overlooked, they haven’t been acknowledged at the same level of attention. She becomes a “Womanist” because of her strong stand on the matter of gender. Walker finds herself as a person who appreciates female’s character, emotions, and culture. In all her work, Walker ensures that her stance is reflected. Alice Walker’s work does not only focus on black women but all humanity. Fox-Alston lauded Walker that she has a repute as an incendiary writer who writes concerning blacks in precise, but all humankind in general. “Meridian” the second novel that Alice Walker published is the best for the civil rights movement. The novel is important in teaching literature courses and some history of America. In the novel “The Color Purple” men are portrayed as weak, stupid, and pathetic though some readers may object Walker’s general perspective. For example, in the review of the color purple, Charles Larson says “I wouldn’t go as far as to say that all the male characters in the novel ‘The color purple’ are all villains, but the truth is fairly close to that” (“Alice Walker”). Walker emphasizes more on women and therefore, this is a fault in her works.
Walker’s vision encompasses the notion of reformation and nous of optimism even in misery. The characters of Alice Walker’s short stories and novels suffered ruthless effects of racism and sexism. Walker’s economic and political issues gave a chance to a delighted celebration of humanoid spirit. In Walker’s collection “living by the word,” it is evident that people have the ability to live in beauty and spiritual health. Though they may be uneducated, poor, and black, their inner identities can bud. Alice Walker concentrated on how black women were being underrated and abused. However, Noel Perrin held that those interests cover all creation. Walker wonders if spiritual wholeness, love, and creativity have an opportunity to win human heart among political forces determined on destroying the earth with toxic chemicals and atomic weapons. Walker tries to explore this issue via essays and journal entries that deal with racism in China, Native Americans, smoking, a lonely horse in the novel and film version of “The Color Purple.” In Walker’s fourth novel “The Temple of my Familiar,” she uses characters some of whom feature in “The Color Purple.” The novel received critics and also defenders in equal measure. The tale is complex and multifaceted. The tales of the six main characters in the novel spread through many years in humanoid history. However, the characters also concur in current time North Carolina. Though each of her characters is looking for their real place in society, history, the world, and their true identity, their past poses an obstacle. The main themes in the novel “The Temple of My Familiar” are art, female friendship, black people history, racism, and the history of white and male oppression. According to Alice Walker, at one time, males and females used to live separately. Females enjoyed a peaceful life living with animals, but males separated them from animals as they claimed ownership over them. This novel and much of Walker’s work, seem complex but eventually give a whole picture. Since the novel has features of historical narrative, a myth, a spiritual teaching, and a fable, these makes it difficult to describe the novel in one word.
Walker’s poems were writing style particularly the dialogue is rigid and didactic. But for her collected poems, everything we know, earthling poems, her blue body, received high praise from a publisher’s weekly reviewer. The “Possessing the secret of joy,” Alice walker’s fifth novel received much praise from critics. The novel explores the culture of female genital mutilation in certain Asian, African and Middle Eastern societies. Charles R. Larson noted that the explanation of the editing itself and its result is graphic sufficient to make one joke, but is the effort of an impassioned artist, thoughtful, somewhat than a sensationalist. Walker had much concern about the worldwide issue of feminine genital mutilation and hence forced her to explore on the matter in both the book and film. Alice walker’s sixth novel “By the light of my father’s smile” also focuses on feminine sexuality. The story is narrated in flashback, and the main characters are a wife and a husband. The heart of the story dominates sexuality though the husband becomes violent after realizing that their daughter is involved in sexuality. The novel tries to damage the culture that suppresses female’s sexuality. Almost all walker’s characters are a two-dimensional stereotype. Though Alice Walker received much criticism of her work, her reputation remains secure. She proceeds with writing various novels, and poems. Walker writes about her own social and political struggle. She returns to poetry where she writes a collection “Absolute Trust in the Goodness of the Earth.” Later, she publishes her seventh novel named “Now is the time to open your heart.” The novel, portrays Kate, as a prosperous African American writer. Kate tries to understand new meaning while she approaches sixty. The novel is criticized by many claiming that she started the novel skeptically, fearing a new age ramble. However, Venessa Bush praises the novel citing that it is a vision like a novel that integrates the spiritual and political consciousness and demonstrative style for which Alice Walker is recognized and appreciated (“Alice Walker”).
Therefore, Alice Walker’s works include poems, essays, stories and novel writing. Her work faced criticism and praises in equal measure from different reviewers. Her reputation remains reserved. Alice Walker’s work concentrates on women oppression and the fight for their freedom. She presents the history of America and how black women were deprived. Eventually, women find their way to freedom and become economically, spiritually, and socially stable. Therefore the essay reviews the Walker’s work using articles which critically analyze her work.
Works Cited
“Alice Walker Books – Biography and List of Works – Author of ‘A Poem Traveled Down My Arm’.” Biblio.com | Used Books and Rare Books from Antiquarian Booksellers, www.biblio.com/alice-walker/author/248.
“Alice Walker | Biography and Awards | PBS.” American Masters, www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/alice-walker-biography-and-awards/2894/.
“Alice Walker.” Poetry Foundation, www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poets/detail/alice-walker.