Interpretation of Celie's Trauma in The Color Purple from the Perspective of Trauma Theory

Abstract

Alice Walker is a contemporary African American writer and her award-winning work "The Color Purple" maps the traumatic memory of African Americans. It describes the history of a woman changing from being humble to being independent. The heroine Celie suffered various traumas during her whole life, namely domestic violence trauma, isolation trauma and gender trauma, etc. In the end, she gained a new life through self-redemption and the help of others, eventually realizing the transformation of her life. From the perspective of trauma theory, we will focus on the process how the protagonist faces trauma, overcomes trauma and becomes a “woman warrior”.