Mix Match (fe)Males

In The Color Purple by Alice Walker, a theme indicated so far is the disruption between gender roles.  Society portrays males to be masculine and robust; while females to be fragile and weak.  Furthermore, Celie actually plays her gender role right.  She is delicate and weak overall.  Celie appears to be the silenced figure, who we are starting to see emerge from the shadows gradually.  However, we witness a clash between the traditional male or female gender roles of some other characters.  Sofia’s strength and Harpo’s insecurity are major examples of such disparity between a character’s gender and the traits he or she displays.  “Some womens can’t be beat.  Sofia one of them” (Walker 63).  Celie is astounded by such strength in a female character.  She seems rather a bit jealous her because Sofia has the power and ability she desires for herself.  On the other hand, we witness Harpo with a delicate and feminine character, “Harpo sitting out on the steps, crying like his heart gon break” (Walker 62).  The disruption between gender roles can cause conflicts such as that Harpo’s insecurity lead to his attempt to beat Sofia, which apparently backfired at him.  Also, Shug’s abnormal role of female resistance to male domination caused her to be labeled a tramp. Gender roles are complex in the novel, and Walker emphasizes this disruption.