Volume : III, Issue : V, May - 2013

Racism in Alice Walker�s The Temple of My Familiar

D. Ramya, J. Priya

Abstract :

African–American literature is the writing by the people of Africa and they descended to America. Alice Walker, like the other writers in the African American literature wrote about their sufferings as slaves in America. In the novel The Temple of My Familiar, racism in the society is depicted. It makes the reader, to travel through the countries of Africa and also into the streets of America. Racism and slave trade made the black people depressed. Mostly all the characters in the novel experience slavery in one form or the other. The experience of their ancestors like that of Jesus, Carlotta’s father, Ola – Fanny’s father too gives a clear picture of slavery. The women characters like Lissie, Zede, encountered racism and the cruelty meted out to them. Zede the seamstress, experienced loneliness and suffered a lot all her life. She was the woman who had no peace from her childhood. She was sold into slavery in her childhood. Even though she suffered a lot she was able to overcome all the sufferings. Her parents also worked as slaves in plantations. She spent her entire life in poverty and her life was comfortable only after Arvedya entered her life.  Besides racism, a psychological study on the three pairs about their relationship is beautifully woven by the author. The link she ings for the ‘thousands of incarnations’ of Lissie makes the novel an ‘Epic’. Miss.Lissie’s stories remind the readers of other stories, myths and fables. Many myths like the ancient goddess Isis, Zeus, the king of gods is also mentioned in the novel.

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Article: Download PDF   DOI : 10.36106/ijar  

Cite This Article:

D. Ramya, J. Priya Racism in Alice Walker�s The Temple of My Familiar Indian Journal of Applied Research, Vol.III, Issue.V May 2013

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