Male Protagonists in Four Novels of Alice Walker

This book examines the way in which major male characters, through their violent, abusive, sadistic or reformed behavior, contribute to either the destruction of development of female protagonists in four of Alice Walker’s early novels: The Third life of Grange Copeland, Meridian, The Color Purple, and The Temple of My Familiar. These men are capable of both good and evil, and in all four novels the major male characters experience enlightenment and eventually contribute to the development of the female protagonists in the novels. Further, the book examines some reasons why African-American men may be abusive to women of similar racial descent, also showing how African-American men, like those in these novels, may be able to transcend these negative causes and contribute to wholesome and profitable relationships with both women and other males.