A AUTO-REPRESENTAÇÃO DE CELIE EM THE COLOR PURPLE

Abstract

This work aims to analyze Celie’s auto-representation in The Color Purple, by Alice Walker, written in 1982, by analyzing the context of the use of the pronouns “I” and “me” which refer to the character. An analysis of the ideational profile (HALLIDAY & MATTHIESSEN, 2004) of Celie was carried out from a discursive perspective, looking at the Processes in which Celie is involved. Additionally, the Model of Analysis of the Source Text (ST) (NORD, 2016) guided the analysis of intra and extra textual factors that surround text production. For the selection and compilation of data, the software AntConc 3.5.7 and Word Office 2016 we were used. The analyses followed the parameters of the Ideational Metafunction that is part of the Experiential Function, which is realized by the Transitivity System of clauses. Results indicate that the character’s ideational profile is constituted by actions that modify the external world; by introspection; by the way she relates to other characters; by being the speaker herself; and by her behaviors. Thus, the pattern that was found in the sets of letters indicated a predominance of the Material Processes, both in the first set of 10 letters and in the last 10 letters, corresponding to 26% and 60% of the total, respectively; in the set of 10 intermediary letters, the preponderance was of the Mental Processes, corresponding to 43% of the total, and containing a greater percentage than the Material Processes, corresponding to 25% of the total. In summary, Celie has participated more as an agent in the speech, namely, she is represented as a dynamic and an active character in the novel.