《敞开你的心扉》的妇女主义解读

Introduction 

0.1 Alice Walker and Now Is the Time to Open Your Heart 
As a reputable Afro-American female writer, Alice Walker has established her reputation in contemporary American literary world. She has published a large number of literary works which  include  essays,  poetry  and  novels.  She  shows  her  great  concern  and  sympathy  for Afro-American  women’s  miseries  under  racial  and  sexual  oppressions.  In  1983,  her masterpiece The Color Purple won Pulitzer Prize. She coined the term “womanism” in her In Search  of  Our  Mother’s  Gardens  (1983).  Walker’s  unique  writing  style  and  her  sense  of responsibility  to  speak  for  African  American  women  are  inseparable  with  her  growth background. In 1944, Walker was born in the south of Georgia. She was the youngest of eight children in her family. Her father worked in a sharecropping farm and her mother worked as a maid. The  ancestors  of  her  family  were  slaves  under  the  brutal  sharecropping  system.  They  were forced  to  work  on  the  farm  and  pick  cottons.  Her  brother’s  mischief  caused  her  blindness when  she  was  eight  years  old,  and  her  parents  did  not  care  her  much  after  that  accident. Walker attributed that accident to patriarchy, and his father’s brutality was served as a model in her later writing. She persisted in working hard and succeeded in entering Spelman College with scholarship. At that time, the American Civil Rights Movement reached its climax and Walker decided to dedicate herself to the political movement to fight for racial equality. The movement  had  a  great  influence  on  Walker’s  writing  and  after  that  she  began  to  denounce racism and sexism in her novels. 
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0.2 Literature Review 
So far, critical response to Now Is the Time to Open Your Heart is limited and there is a dearth  of  secondary  sources.  Positive  reviews  have  been  garnered  by  some  critics.  Susan McHenry,  a  founding  editor  of  Black  Issues  Book  Review,  praises  “Walker’s  invocation  to open your heart”, (McHenry, 2004:44), finding a rich rewarding journey of her own through reading this book. She considers the story is helpful for people to extricate themselves from midlife predicament. For McHenry, an additional impressive merit lies in “Walker’s embrace of the vagaries of human nature, self-deprecating humor and profound philosophical insights” (McHenry,  2004:  44).  Vanessa  Bush  issues  with  the  assertion  that  this  dreamlike  novel incorporates  the  political  and  spiritual  consciousness  and  emotional  styles,  expressing  the author’s contemplation of the world’s status (Bush, 2003: 358). Negative reviews counterweigh the praise to this novel. Wendy Weil in his brief article argues,  “Walker  still  lyrically  evokes  place  and  mood,  the  underlying  smug  peachiness,  the unconvincing  experiences,  and  the  idiosyncratic  thinking  make  this  more  a  self-indulgent fantasy  than  an  intellectually  provocative  tale”  (Weil,  2003:  1422).  Kakutani,  the  chief reviewer of New York Times, suggests that the novel is no more than “a cloying collection of New Age homilies, multicultural pieties, hung like politically correct Christmas ornaments on tortuous  journey  from  self-congratulation”  (Kakutani,  2004:  16).  Basically,  most  reviews about this book are brief illustrations and comments rather than analyze its deep meaning and literary value. In addition to the short reviews above-mentioned in some magazines, Gerri Bates, makes an elaborate analysis of the themes and contents. Through Gerri Bates’ analysis, “this literary work  focuses  on  the  major  themes  of  ancestor  reverence,  cleansing,  and  mediation,  and  the minor themes of environmentalism, dreams, spirituality, and instruction” (Bates, 2005: 168). It  is  because  of  the  themes  the  novel  conveys  that  the  story  embodies  the  philosophy  and spirituality of New Age that “encompasses the universality of nature and human spirit” (Bates, 2005:172). New Age principles emphasizes mediation which “Kate embraces as a vehicles to understand her inner world, talks with the female deity, and comprehends the physical world around  her”  (Bates,  2005:  173).  As  Walker  puts  it  in  an  interview  of  2007,  the  aim  of meditation is to open the heart which this novel basically concerns about. In addition, Gerri Bates  convinces  that  Walker’s  emphasis  on  nature exactly coincides with  the  belief  of  New Age  believers  who  attach  much  importance  to  the  ecological  responsibility,  holding  that people should honor and respect nature. 
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Chapter One Relationships between White and Colored 

Viewed  historically,  the  relationship  between  the  colored  and  white  is  never  fair. Although  slavery  has  been  abolished  more  than  100  years,  discrimination  against  colored people is deeply rooted in modern society. According to Walker, people all over the world, no matter what color they are, should enjoy the same right. In the novel Now Is the Time to Open Your  Heart,  racism  causes  agonies  to  colored  people  which  in  turn  results  in  abnormal personality of white people as well. Walker proposes the idea of womanism to advocate equal rights among different races so as to establish a harmonious society. 

1.1 White and Colored as Victims of Racism 
After  the  first  European  immigrants  settled  in  America,  the  Negro  slaves  were  largely trafficked  there,  and  they  lived  miserable  lives  under  the  supervision of cruel salve owners. The  prosperity  of  American  today  is  inseparable  from  black  people’s  contribution.  But  the treatments  that  black  people  have  received  are  not  commensurate  with  what  they  have contributed, and their statuses have been debased. Meanwhile, white people also are victims of racism, being convicted by their own conscience for their brutal behaviors.  Racism has existed throughout human history with a general belief that on the basis of one race, abilities and characteristics they possess are superior to other groups. In America, black people as the biggest minority race have been striving for their rights since they were trafficked  and  shipped  to  America. 
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1.2 Pursuit of Harmony between White and Colored 
Achieving fairness among different races is never easy, but with persistent endeavor and attempts, solutions can be finally found. Walker’s womanism theory is a theory based on love and  understanding.  In  the  novel,  characters  from  different  races  build  harmonious relationships  by  showing  mutual  love  and  understanding,  and  remembrance  of  the  past  and ancestors enables them to become more confident to see their true selves and more respectful to other ethnic groups. Mutual  love  and  understanding  is  a  foundation  of  building  harmonious  relationships between  white  people  and  colored  people.  In  the  novel,  characters  show  sympathy  toward others’  past  experiences  and  sufferings.  Through  circle  talking,  they  know  that  not  only  the colored  are  victims  of  racism,  white  people  cannot  evade  the  dilemma  either.  In  fact,  some white people also bear tremendous psychological torment while conducting the brutal action to colored people.  Rick is a representative white who is tortured by guiltiness of racism and trafficking drug to  the  blacks.  He  lived  in  a  community  that  excluded  black  people  so  that  he  cannot  make friends  with  black  people  and  enjoyed  relationships  with  the  black  woman  he  liked.  In  the process of seeking treatment, Kate, Lalika and Shaman Armano offer Rick great help, being sincere  listeners  and  friendly  partners,  exchanging  each  other’s  puzzles  and  feelings.  When Lailka listens to Rick’s talking, she shows her sympathy to black people, but at the same time, she comforts Rick that it is unsurprising of black people’s addiction to drugs, because they are eager to “feel normal, the way they used to feel. They can still remember that feeling, like a sense of home within, and they keep trying to get back to it”. “Sometimes I feel like if I can’t get back to the wholeness of myself I’d rather be dead” (Walker, 2004:147). Kate’s words “I see you” saves Rick from devastation and helps him to finally find root of his inner problems.  
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Chapter Three Relationships between Man and Nature ....... 43 
3.1 Ecological Crisis in Modern Society ............ 43 
3.1.1 Ecological Crisis from Anthropocentrism ............ 43 
3.1.2 Ecological Crisis under Eurocentrism ......... 45 
3.2 Pursuit of Harmony between Man and Nature ...... 47 
3.2.1 Destruction of Suppressive Ideology .......... 47 
3.2.2 Dissemination of Grandmother Spirit ......... 51 
3.2.3 Integration of Man and Nature ........... 52 

Chapter Three Relationships between Man and Nature      

As a womanist, Alice Walker calls for the unity of all creatures on the earth. Her works are not only pervaded with problems between race and gender, but also pay great attention to environmental issues and show her respect and love for the Mother Earth. As Walker believes that environmental issues are parallel to the issues of racism and sexism, so she highlights the significance of establishing harmonious relationship between man and nature. In Now Is the Time  to  Open  Your  Heart,  the  protagonist  Kate  has  experienced  two  journeys  to  nature, getting away from western culture’s constraint and receiving the spiritual salvation in nature. Other characters also get physical and psychological redemption through exploring nature, in which  they  fight  against  the  constraints  and  oppressions  and  enjoy  the  harmonious  state  of man and nature.   

3.1 Ecological Crisis in Modern Society 
In  the  novel,  Walker  shows  her  worry  and  concern  about  the  fate  of  man  and  nature. Nature has been damaged badly due to the relentless exploitation by human beings for serving the  development  of  modern  society.  The  cruel  acts  that  Walker  depicts,  such  as  wars, revolution, violence not only damage nature, but also bring humans in a deep crisis.  
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conclusion

As  a  worshipper  of  nature,  Walker  emphasizes  the  significance  of  establishing  a harmonious relationship between man and nature. Walker displays her ideal via the practice of womanism in the novel. Walker criticizes the anthropocentrism and Eurocentrism, which are the  vital  causes  of  environment  damage.  By  destructing  the  suppressive  ideology,  pursuing Grandmother  Spirit,  Kate  and  Yolo  actively  go  into  nature  and  open  their  hearts,  and  thus finally achieve self-salvation. By going into nature, they realize its pacifying effect. Only in the vast nature, can they see how trivial personal conflicts are, and only when man and nature exist harmoniously, can people achieve prosperity and happiness.   To sum up, through the interpretation of Now Is the Time to Open Your Heart from the perspective  of  womanism,  this  thesis  shows  Walker’s  ideal  of  establishing  a  harmonious world,  in  which  white  people  and  colored  people,  men  and  women,  man  and  nature harmoniously coexist. It will not only spread the theory of womanism, but also instill more energy to those who suffer from spiritual crisis due to racism, sexism and ecological problems. By highlighting the significance and necessity of love, unity and mutual understanding, this thesis hopes to help people to see a more hopeful future when people of different genders and ethnic groups live happily in a harmonious world and a beautiful peaceful nature, as Walker dreams of in womanism and describes in Now Is the Time to Open Your Heart. 
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