Representations of Black Women's Anger: Alice Walker's The Color Purple and Sapphire's Push

Black women's anger has historically been dismissed as irrational, a stereotype that obscures its deep roots in the intersecting oppressions of race, gender, and class. Centering on Alice Walker’s The Color Purple and Sapphire’s Push, this study reframes rage as a mechanism for survival, resistance and empowerment. Grounded in Black feminist thought, the analysis traces how Celie and Precious navigate their trauma. Initially forced into silence, both protagonists eventually turn to writing to process their pain, break cycles of abuse and take back control of their own stories.. The thesis also compares these literary works with their cinematic adaptations directed by Steven Spielberg and Lee Daniels. This cross-medium approach examines how the transition to film alters the portrayal of anger, often turning inner pain into highly visual drama. By bringing these texts into dialogue, the thesis emphasizes the political weight of Black female anger, arguing that recognizing it is a necessary step in dismantling stereotypes and transforming private suffering into a collective demand for justice.