· “ast” (Walker, 180).
· “yall” (Walker, 222).
· “aint” (Walker 209).
· “The man us knowed as Pa is dead,” (Walker 244).
· “Dear God,” (Walker 114).
· “What us gon sell?” (Walker 245).
· “…I git a postcard…” (Walker 259).
The Color Purple is a novel that is written very similar to that of a journal or a diary. Suppressed African Americans inhibited the rural south during the early 1900s and that is clearly evident throughout Walker’s tale by her use of informal diction and southern slang. Whenever Celie writes a letter, aside from the ones she addresses to Nettie, she begins with “Dear God”. This biblical allusion displays the African Americans' strong religious foundation during these times. The words Celie uses on a daily basis in her letters such as “aint”, “yall”, and “ast” characterize her as an outspoken and determined young southern woman trying to overcome the suppression of men. Diction by definition is how the word choices of an author establish tone and characterization. Walker’s colloquial diction contributes to the story’s overall tone of simplistic passion and eminently illustrates the characters’ southern aura.
I agree with you in the way you interpreted Walker's use of "Dear God," in her novel. How it acts as a biblical allusion was a very good point. I personally saw it as a way to open Celie's mind to the audience, because of the fact that any kind of prayer is a very personal experience, it really helped the reader get full insight into Celie's thoughts and feelings. It just gave the novel a more intimate view of the narrator.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the diction really did characterize Celie. It showed so much about not just Celie's personality but her education and her emotions. The informal diction gave me a strong sense of who Celie is as a character. Alice Walker did a great job of including a lot of details about the novel and the characters through such short simple diction.
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