The Third Life of Grange Copeland

Alice Walker attempts to show in the novel the oppression and brutality, that the black women of early twentieth century America had to endure. The murder and suicide rates of black American women have always been well documented and disproportionately high. (V: Pg53). Walker attempts to highlight this fact in the novel by the graphic illumination of the murder of Mem and the suicide of Margaret. The effect that the hardships of every day life had on the women is perhaps best highlighted by the death of Margaret.

She realises that she can not survive without the support of a man, and her only option is to take her own life and that of her baby's as well. This could be interpreted as an insane and murderous act, but in a society that cares little for black people and even less for black women, Walker is perhaps trying to explain that there is no alternative and that it is American and black society in particular which are the cause of this insanity.

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The insanities that Walker refers to are also exhibited in the relationships between the men and the women.

As H. L Gates maintains, the women stay with the men although they are "...existing in a numb state, deadened, and insensible to a life beyond degradation and poverty... "(V: Pg47). It could be interpreted that this is the insanity that the author intends to portray. Walker believes that the women in the novel and perhaps all black women are insane to stay in such relationships and for their own and children's benefit they should try to escape this captivity.

Walker seems to realise that in real life this is highly unlikely and by controlling the outcome in the novel, she could be attempting to show that the only alternative is death.

The insanity of continuing in a relationship where one is constantly beaten, humiliated and abused could also be coupled with the sense of loyalty that Walker believes black women exhibit. The women's loyalty to their children is one of the most redeeming features of a harrowing and tragic story. By committing suicide and infanticide, Margaret could, in a certain sense be showing an intense loyalty to both of her offspring. Whilst ignoring the moral implications, taking the baby's life could be construed as ultimately saving it from a probable life of degradation and hardship.

The act of taking her own life also frees Brownfield from any responsibilities that he might have or feel towards his family, thus giving him the opportunity to escape from the poverty and racism that was endemic in the southern states of America. Mem's loyalty to her children is explored at great length throughout the novel. She stays with Brownfield, perhaps through a macabre sense of loyalty to him, but mostly because he is the only breadwinner in the family and the only one capable of supporting them.

Her intense hatred of him is not questioned in the novel and neither are her fierce loyalties towards the children. Mem constantly tries to protect them from the brutality of Brownfield's behaviour, by putting herself in the way of his attacks and deflecting his anger towards her as he begins to exert sadistic tendencies towards the children. She attempts to ensure the children's well-being by trying to provide a home for them to live in, where the baby, Ruth, ".. will grow up in 'lectricity and gas heat! ". (XI: Pg88). Mem is willing to undergo brutal treatment by Brownfield in order to achieve this aim.

The extremes that she does go to, show her determination to succeed, but as with all attempts by the female characters in the novel to break free, there is always tragedy. Mem's murder could be seen as another brutal act by a particularly brutal man. Mem, however, seems to be aware that eventually Brownfield will murder her. He has threatened to do so many times and she moves forwards towards her fate without faltering and makes no attempt to protect herself. This could be seen as the ultimate in loyalty and perhaps even a personal triumph over him.

By giving up her own life she is able to free her children from the restrictions and terrors that life with Brownfield would hold. Walker's view of the triumphs of black women is shown throughout the novel, as she attempts to intimate to the reader that there are many things that could be considered as triumphs, although they ultimately end in tragedy. Overshadowed by the tragic sequence of events, the triumphs could be seen as only small ones, but taken together they show that progress and enlightenment is gradually being won by the efforts of a small band of determined black women.

Margaret manages to obtain a bizarre equality with Grange, matching and exceeding his behaviour for drinking and carousing, which was normally the domain of the men. Mem begins to assert more control over her family's fortunes, as she manages for a short time to enable the family to live in relatively comfortable surroundings. Walker goes to great lengths to show that Mem is defeated by the scheming of Brownfield and not through any lack of skill or know-how on her part. Ruth is the most successful and liberated of all the women in the novel.

Through her experiences with her father and grandfather, Ruth is now able to determine the effects of the intransigence and brutality of black men towards black women and alternatively the caring and warmth of a male figure in her life. It is Ruth who is the ultimate triumph of the novel and is perhaps in Walker's view the black woman of the future. She is compassionate, determined, educated and experienced, capable of exploring the world and making her own judgements as to what she finds there. (V: Pg47)

In 'The Third Life of Grange Copeland', Alice Walker does indeed explore the "...oppressions, the insanities, the loyalties and the triumphs of black women. " The women are portrayed throughout the novel as being an underclass lower than that of the black population as a whole. That the women succeed in certain respects is shown by Walker as a testament to their own skill and endeavour. Although the successes are eventually obliterated by the disasters and tragedies of the women's situation, this does not diminish the fact that Walker shows that it is possible for black women to achieve independence and equality through their own efforts.

Alice Walker, amongst other authors has been accused of stereotyping her characters and the roles they play. (X: Pg 298) The type of novel where black boy meets black girl, black boy beats black girl, has been construed by some critics, as unhelpful in the struggle for the overall emancipation and equality that the black people of America desire. (III: Pg1) But Walker manages to show, through her portrayal of black men and women, that her 'womanist' theory does hold true. If black men and women are to obtain equality then they need to work together and not against each other.