Stages of Resistance in Alice Walker's Meridian
             In this compelling novel by Alice Walker, Meridian, the main character, grows up through the eyes of the reader. The author shows us the emotional, physical, and psychological stages of resistance that Meridian goes through during the height of the civil rights movement. In fact, if one looks at the life of Alice Walker, the author of the novel, similarities undeniably exist between the two women.
             First let us examine the early signs of resistance in Meridian. One of the first obvious examples of Meridian's individuality is when she rejects religion at a very young age despite her mother's devout Christian beliefs.
             In school, she is unable to finish a speech because she knows that there is no truth in the words she speaks. "Meridian was trying to explain to her mother that for the first time she really listened to what she was saying, knew she didn't believe it, and was so distracted by this revelation that she could not make the rest of her speech." (Walker, 121) This passage reveals the intellect that overpowers her emotion developing in Meridian. Yet another example is how Meridian is able to be a nonconformist when she gives up family life and motherhood when she has the opportunity to attend college. Her feelings are well explained in this passage.
             "When she gave him away she did so with a
             light heart. She did not look back, believing
             she had saved a small person's life."
             Although Meridian feels it will be best for the child as well as for herself, this decision causes great disturbance within her because of her mother's disapproval. The reader sees Meridian enter college after she has made all of these decisions, and she has also volunteered to work for voter registration, a decision that foreshadows further resistance throughout the novel.
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