MOTHERHOOD TAKEN AWAY: THE TRAUMA OF SUBORDINATION IN ‘THE COLOUR PURPLE’ AND ‘SEA OF POPPIES’

ABSTRACT

Slavery in America created an upsurge of racial discrimination. This demoralizing practice forced many generations of black “slave” Americans to endure, or more specifically suffer the extortions of white people. They were dehumanized as the very essential criteria for survival in society was eliminated from their lives or even from their dreams. Their identity, their self respect suffered for they were viewed as the “properties” of white people. America gradually became a powerful country but they forgot to thank the black hands whose excessive toil had built the country. In The Color Purple, the touchy as well as realistic magnum opus of Alice Walker various shades of black life have been brought into the forefront. The subordination of a black female in that suffocating racist and patriarchal society is one of them. The main aspect of this paper is the similarity of Celie of The Color Purple and Deeti of the novel Sea of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh. Indian history is different in a way from the black Americans not just because of the British colonialism but also because of the age old caste system which divides the basic qualities of humanity. In India caste system has declared many people as low standard and only having the right to serve higher caste people as slaves. Though Deeti is not a lower caste in the novel but her unplanned elopement with the “untouchable” Kalua established their position as the same. In both the cases woman is the category who suffers the most as they are believed to be physically and financially dependent on men. How both Celie and Deeti lose their claim on motherhood under this circumstance and social atmosphere will be the basic topic of the paper.

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