Oppression Of African Americans In Alice Walker's Meridian

A full understanding of a society's current condition only occurs if a thorough comprehension of the society's past is recognized. Alice Walker, in her novel Meridian, specifically utilizes references to Native American history to help depict African American life in the South during the civil rights movement. The text makes reference to the Native American past to effectively present its relationship to the position of African Americans during this time period and to better understand that position. The novel accomplishes this by comparing Native and African American sentiments of nature, relating the prevalent racism directed toward both groups, and by raising questions about who is guilty of oppression. For Native Americans land was the physical embodiment of their freedom. As Europeans conquered increasingly amounts of the Americas, the independence of Native Americans was proportionally being
Besides, you told me how surprised you were to find that some of them had the nerve to fight for the South in the Civil War. That ought to make up for those few black soldiers who rode against Indians in the Western cavalry."
"I never said either side was innocent or guilty, just ignorant. They've been a part of it, we've been a part of it, everybody's been a part of it for a long time, (48-49). As the text brings the issue of the oppressed oppressing others to the surface, a better understanding of African Americans during the nineteen sixties can be realized. Native and African Americans share many similarities, even how members of both parties persecuted the other, as the quote above shows. But, these two races are not identical, especially if violence has been directed at one another. By using the concept that those who have been oppressed are still in a position to oppress others, the text challenges conventional ideas of who is a victim and who is a