Despite Their Cultural Differences Essay

Despite Their Cultural Differences, Do Jeanette From ‘Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit’ & Celie From ‘The Colour Purple’ Both Share The Same Struggle?  The cultural differences of the two characters are numerous and the implications far reaching. The austere but comfortable working class security of ‘Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit’, contrasts greatly with the urban squalor of ‘The Colour Purple.’ Even though there is such a massive social divide the two women share many similar struggles. Both women are struggling against the imposition and enforcement of belief systems and intolerant judgements upon them. In Jeanette’s life her mother mainly imposes her controlling and stifling religious views upon her. She feels press – ganged to the extent that ‘I had been brought in to join her in a tag match against the Rest of the World.’ The entirety of Jeanette’s early life is a moulding process, where she is forced to endure the influence of ‘enemies’ including ‘The Devil (in his many forms), Next Door, Sex (in its many forms), and slugs.’ Celie’s initial struggle takes on a much more chilling and darker tone. Her perspective comes from her being made to accept the role of a victim. Her stepfather tears away her basic human rights as he abuses her, ‘He start to choke me, saying you better shut up and git used to it.’ It is a constant challenge to achieve the recognition by others that she has nothing in her present, miserable existence.  Ã¢â‚¬ËœWhy don’t you look decent? Put on something! But what I’m sposed to put on? I don’t have nothing.’ One challenge faced by Celie is how to access a decent education, and further her basic skills. As she is seen as little more than a servant, her family believes that there is little need for her to further herself and grow.  Ã¢â‚¬ËœThe first time I got big Pa, took me out of school, He never care that I love it.’ In the initial section of ‘Colour Purple,’ the writing skills of Celie are very poor and reflect the poor education she has received. The entire opening diary entries are littered with colloquialisms and miss spellings, ‘Left me to see after the others. He never have a kine word to say to me.’ This often leads to the impression that the words of Celie are coming from an intelligent mind that does not quite have the tools to express itself properly. Later on in the novel, influenced by reading her sister’s letters and her own determination to succeed, she develops a much more fluid and sharper style, ‘Even thought you had the trees with you, the whole Earth. The stars. But look at you. When Shug left, happiness desert.’ It is still not writing of an educated woman, but a woman who is beginning to analyse her situation. The struggle of Jeanette’s education is never one that is based on literary or language deficiencies. From a young age she is encouraged to have a firm grasp of The Bible. Jeanette’s initial keeping away from school limits her to her mother for a source of information. This leads to Jeanette having a bizarre view on the world from a young age.  Ã¢â‚¬ËœMy favourite was Number 16, the Buzule of Carpathian.’  As Celie has been at the mercy of such extreme sexist views for the beginning of her life, and Jeanette at the mercy of religious ones, they both struggle not pass their misguided views on to others. When Celie is not successful in refraining from doing so, it has a profound impact upon Sofia. The insecurity and inadequacy of Celie forces her to offer advice to Harpo, which leads to domestic violence. Celie has become so use to ritualised violence that the promotion of it actually becomes a strange form of advice. Only the pathetic nature of her advice save s her friendship with Sofia. ‘She stood their a long time, like what I said took the wind out of her sails. She mad before sad now.’  Jeanette struggles not to pass on her misguided and often inappropriate religious views while at school. Her teachers are alarmed by religious maturity and obsessive views, ‘That’s not the point you have been talking about Hell to young minds.’ Her unintentional preaching of her mothers dogma scares the children, and marks her out for abuse, ‘And why, and this is perhaps more serious, do you terrorize, yes, terrorize the other children. This criticism eventually leads to the developing of awareness that she not teach her mother’s dogma.