1. Ayesha Bordiwala
Professor Trisha Brady
English 201 Sec 074
December 12, 2014
The Strength of Forgiveness
Alice Walker was born on February 9th, 1944 in Eatonton, Georgia (Walker
Biography). She is an author, poet, social activist and a Pulitzer Prize winner in fiction
(Walker Biography). She graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in New York City in
1965, which also marks the publishing year of her first short story (Walker Biography).
Walker’s writing is highly influenced by the racially divided south where she was raised,
slavery, the civil rights movement and tension amongst the black community. Meridian,
one of Walker’s well-known novels, is a story about a young women’s coming of age
through the country’s most radical periods, the civil rights era. The theme that is
exemplified in Meridian, expresses that in order to move on, one must forgive. The
author makes use of literary elements to support her claim.
Meridian takes place during the 1950’s through the 1970’s in various locations
such as Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and New York City many of which occurred
during the height of the Civil Rights era. Shortly after the end of the Civil War, the
United States adopted the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, which outlawed the
practice of slavery (Racial Segregation in the American South: Jim Crow Laws).
However, the abolition of slavery resulted in racial discrimination and injustice that were
upheld legally by laws restricting the rights of blacks. (Racial Segregation in the

2. American South: Jim Crow Laws) Furthermore, racial integration was frowned upon and
often resulted in violence. The time frame and locations chosen are crucial to Walker’s
claim because of their historical importance.
The main character in the novel is Meridian Hill. Meridian is also the protagonist.
She can be described as curious, bold and a social nurturer. Her confrontations with her
personal history, family history, and racial history influence the way she lives (Coming to
Voice in Alice Walker's Meridian: Speaking Out For The Revolution). Meridian resents
her teen pregnancy, and like her mother, resents the fact that “no one allows her to
acknowledge her negative feelings” (Coming to Voice in Alice Walker's Meridian:
Speaking Out For The Revolution). Meridian brings forward not only the main characters
problems, but also the characters surrounding her. Mrs. Hill, Lynne Rabinowitz and
Truman Held are characters that we read the most about (after Meridian) therefore, they
play a large role in forming the novels narrative. Mrs. Hill is Meridian’s mother, with
whom she does not share a healthy relationship. Mrs. Hill loses her independence due to
society’s pressures of marriage and having a child (Walker 42). Mrs. Hill does not
forgive her children, her husband or her community for stealing her serenity and
shattering her emerging self (Walker 43). Lynne is a foreign student at Saxon College, a
member of the civil rights movement and later Truman’s wife. Lynne comes from a
white, privileged background (Walker 167). Her parents never forgive her for being a
part of the black activist group, let alone being with Truman (Walker 167). Her
relationship with Truman symbolizes the racial tension in the south. Lynne remains an
outsider to the black community and suffers consequences because of the danger she
attracts. Truman Held is a member of the civil rights movement, Meridian’s former love

3. and Lynne’s husband. He is emotionally unstable because he is drawn to both Meridian
and Lynne, but cannot remain loyal to either. His marriage with Lynne slowly dies. He
cannot seem to forgive her because he finds her guilty of being white, a crime she pays
for when she gets raped by Tommy Odds who loses his arm because he is seen with her
(Walker 140). The characters in the novel are essential because they resemble real
people, making it easier for the reader to understand the author’s claim and make a
definite connection to the story.
In Meridian, we come across characters that struggle to forgive those who have
caused them anger or pain. It is true what Alice Walker expresses in her novel; in order to
move on, one must forgive. Quite often, we are reluctant in letting go of our anger or pain
and forgiving others because we feel that they have committed injustice and they are no
longer capable of doing good. Forgiveness requires us to view our wrongdoers as those
whose intentions and worth are not defined by a foolish decision. Only then, we will be
able to move forward.

4. Bibliography
"Racial Segregation in the American South: Jim Crow Laws." Prejudice in the Modern
World Reference Library. Ed. Kelly Rudd, Richard Hanes, and Sarah Hermsen. Vol. 2.
Detroit: UXL, 2007. 333-357. Global Issues In Context. Web. 24 Nov. 2014.
http://find.galegroup.com/gic/infomark.do?&idigest=fb720fd31d9036c1ed2d1f3a0500fcc
2&type=retrieve&tabID=T001&prodId=GIC&docId=CX2831400031&source=gale&use
rGroupName=itsbtrial&version=1.0
"Alice Malsenior Walker." Bio. A&E Television Networks, 2014. Web. 24 Nov. 2014.
http://www.biography.com/people/alice-walker-9521939#synopsis
Walker, Alice. Meridian. San Diego: Harvest Brace Jovanovich, 1976. Print. 24 Nov.
2014.
Pifer, Lynn. “Coming to Voice in Alice Walker's Meridian: Speaking Out For The
Revolution.” Rev. of Meridian by Alice Walker. African American Review; March 1992
Vol. 26 Issue 1, Pg 77. Print. 24 Nov. 2014.