Black challenges to white economic dominance

A post-slavery culture
After the abolition of slavery, the social and economic structure of life for African-Americans in the rural South remained largely unaltered. Although no longer slaves,
many black people remained on the land, working as sharecroppers. They grew crops but the land they worked was still owned by their former white slave masters.
Following the African-American migration to the Northern states in 1915, the black sharecroppers who stayed in the South became more isolated from white society.
Schools, churches and housing were segregated and there were few opportunities for blacks to make a living from anything other than sharecropping.
However some entrepreneurial African-Americans were able to establish themselves as businessmen. In The Color Purple, increasing black prosperity signifies the
developing sense of pride in personal - and corporate – identity for its black characters.

Economic enterprise
Walker creates two African-American characters who own property and run prosperous farms and a dry goods store. Both challenge the social norms of the early part
of the twentieth century in the rural South:
Celie’s stepfather, Alphonso (Pa) runs a dry goods store that eventually enables him to build a comfortable house on a large acreage of land
His friend Albert (Celie’s husband) also owns property and land, which provides employment for his son Harpo and living space for an extended family.
Although both men are successful within their own community, Walker also illustrates the savagery of racial prejudice with the revelation that Celie’s natural father, the
original owner of the store, was lynched by a white racist mob. Lynching was prevalent in the South from the 1880s to the 1930s and Celie’s father was killed because
his business was seen as an economic threat to white-run enterprises, taking away black custom from white stores. It is ironic therefore that a black man (Fonso)
benefits and later a black woman (Celie) will, when the successful enterprise ‘Folkspants’ is based there.

Folkspants and freedom

Celie not only breaks free from gender stereotypes when she leaves Albert and establishes ‘Folkspants’, making unisex clothing for men and women, but also achieves
a level of economic independence which is uncharacteristic for women in African-American society of the time.
Having never ‘worn the trousers’ in a relationship before (trousers or breeches historically being associated with male attire), she now literally manufactures garments
that signify this autonomy. Her flourishing business enables her to become wealthy which, alongside her property, provides the financial security she’s never previously
had. Thus wearing and making trousers symbolises Celie’s liberation from patriarchy and sexism, as well as illustrating her increasing self-confidence.