To What Extent Do You Agree That Mariam and Celie Are Victims Rather Than Victors in ‘a Thousand Splendid Suns’ and ‘the Color Purple’?

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Celie from ‘The Color Purple’ and Mariam from ‘A Thousand Splendid Suns’ suffer torment and abuse, both in physical and verbal form. They struggle to defend themselves against their abusers and simply attempt to endure the hardships of their life, which highly suggests that they are essentially victims for a large part of their stories. However, both women stand up to their husbands and put an end to their abuse, which could support the idea that they both become victors. Both female protagonists essentially find physical and emotional empowerment, either by leaving the negative environment and building a life for themselves, or by getting rid of the main factor of negativity, emphasising the sense of victory. Celie’s victorious lifestyle continues through to the end of the novel but Mariam’s victory is short-lived, suggesting that only Celie is truly a victor. Celie’s letters are addressed to “God” for most of the novel. It could be argued that upon reading the letters, the reader becomes the recipient, therefore “God”. This may emphasize the readers’ sense of responsibility and sympathy for Celie, for it may appear that she is trusting the reader to understand her problems. For a short while, Celie’s letters begin with “Dear Nettie”, because Celie learned that her sister, Nettie, was still alive. This implies that Celie wrote to God because she had no-one else to turn to, thus giving the impression that the letters were a form of escapism and release for Celie. It could be argued that Celie’s faith in God falters slightly towards this part of the book, for after the Nettie saga, Celie expresses how she was taught to see God as “a white bearded man”, which seems to have felt unnatural to her. Once Celie learns of Pantheism from Shug, she seems more comfortable with the idea of God, for she addresses the last letter of the novel "Dear God. Dear stars, dear trees,

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