Unveiling Confessional Mode In Women's Writing Through Alice Walker's The Color Purple

Abstract

Gender equality is a phenomenon which has been universally discussed but remains unachieved till date. While it is crucial to recognize that men and women are inherently different, not only anatomically but also in their ways of thinking and expressing, the differencing should be realized but not to make it a basis for creating male-dominant hegemonies. Thus, the goal of the socio-political institutions should be equity, not just equality. But that is seldom the practicalities as the patriarchal institutions have suppressed the voices of women and marginalized their viewpoints. A notable example of this marginalization is the difference in their writing styles. While male writings are often free and open in content and opinions, female writings must either be bold enough to challenge societal norms and authentic or censored and restrained to fit within the constraints imposed on women's expression. This is where the confessional writing mode becomes significant, as it enables women to express themselves without fear of censorship. My research will explore the predominance of confessional writing in women's literature through Alice Walker's epistolary novel The Color Purple.