Denial of Performance: A Study of Gender Performativity and Resistance in The Color Purple and Their Eyes Were Watching God

The present paper will attempt a comparative study of the two female characters, Celie from The Color Purple (1982) by Alice Walker and Janie from Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937) by Zora Neale Hurston, through the lens of gender performativity, a concept by Judith Butler. Butler argues that gender should not be seen as something constant or given. Rather, it is a performance that is imposed upon us by narrative heterosexuality. Celie and Janie initially fulfilled the patriarchal expectations of their gender by performing various gender roles expected of them. Gradually, as their journey progressed, they resisted and rejected the roles assigned to them, such as an obedient wife, caring mother, and a woman who does all the household work. On the one hand, Celie rejects the role of a subservient wife after achieving financial independence by setting up a pants business. On the other hand, Janie fights for autonomy through her rejection of the control of her husband over her. There are numerous scenes in both novels that illustrate how gender performance is enforced upon them and is eventually rejected by both. By analysing the characters of both the protagonists through the lens of gender performativity, this paper will elaborate upon how those two women reasserted their autonomy and identity by resisting what was expected of them because of their gender.