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Similarities between Celie and Blanche - Coggle Diagram
Similarities between Celie and Blanche
Both are victims of sexual abuse
Blanche: exploits herself and arguably is traumatised from her past of having to go down that path to survive.
The tipping point for Blanche was when she got sexually abused by Stanley. He does this to destroy her remaining dignity.
Celie: gets sexually abused from a young age. She believes it is normal and she doesn't know any better.
Both woman experience sex as a reminder of their powerlessness.
Both struggle with self-worth
Blanche: Blames herself for her past and tries to hide it as she fears the exposure will make her unlovable.
Blanche also relies on male validation to feel worthy of anything
Chinese lantern and the metaphor of the moth shows how fragile and hidden she feels she has to be.
Blanche never gains self-worth- shows that it can all be destroyed by the lack of support and abuse
Celie: views herself as ugly and useless as she is taught that her body is only for men to exploit.
The silence of Celie and blanche emphasise the internal guilt they feel that does not belong to them
Celie depends of work and obedience, believing that being useful is the only way to justify her existence.
Celie slowly builds her self worth through female relationships and self-expression.
Both live in patriarchal societies that silence them
In both texts, the men decide what is true and what is false.
Blanche: Stanley is viewed as masculine and strong whereas blanche is viewed as unstable, so when she accuses him of rape, she immediately gets shut down.
She gets punished for her sexuality and honesty.
To survive, blanche relies on men, making her very vulnerable to exploitation.
Blanche is punished for failing to meet ideals of purity, whereas men's sexual acts get treated like an accomplishment.
Celie: She is denied the right from speaking from the very start and is threatened.
She learns that resistance leads to more violence so uses obedience as a survival mechanism.
Celie works for no money- patriarchy shows that without income women cannot escape
Celie at the start also has no support from women as her mother dies and she is cut off from her sister. Without solidarity, women voices are easier to ignore.
Both seeking love and safety
Blanche: experiences loosing her family home and traumatised from her husband's suicide makes her crave male validation for support.
Blanche uses a fantasy to construct illusions to hide her vulnerability.
Blanche never finds love or support, hence why her ending is not safe.
Celie: Accepts the sexual abuse she is getting. It drives their desire for love as a form of refuge.
Celie believes marriage will provide safety, but after being with Shug, she gets a different point of view.
Celie finds self-love and independence, hence why she lives safely.