The Color Purple by Alice Walker
1. Celie, the protagonist of the novel, has lived a long, hard life. Celie wrote letters to God and her sister, Nettie, where she allowed herself to pour her heart out. Ever since she was a young girl, the man she believes to be her father, known as Pa or Alphonso, has abused her physically, verbally, and sexually. Celie even gave birth to two babies that were his, but he gave them to a young couple. Celie’s father wants to sexually be with Nettie, Celie’s sister, but Celie won’t let him because she loves Nettie so much. Time passes and Alphonso marries Celie off to Mr.__ ( the story never reveals Mr.’s last name). Nettie also goes and stays with Celie. Mr.__ likes Nettie and wants to be intimate with her, but she refuses. Therefore, Mr.__ kicks the only person Celie loves out of the house. Celie feels lonely and becomes even more submissive, since she feels as though she has nothing to look forward to in life. However, everything changes when Mr.__ brings his old lover, Shug Avery, to the house. While Celie spends time with Shug, Nettie joins a young couple to go to Africa. The couple are Samuel and Corrine who adopted Celie’s children, Olivia and Albert. Shug Avery becomes a mentor to Celie and her lover as well. Celie falls in love with Shug, and Shug does so too. At the climax of the story, Celie finally stands up to for herself and leaves with Shug Avery to Memphis. Celie has the courage to do so because she found out that Albert (Mr.__) has been keeping all of Nettie’s letters form Celie. Celie is furious since Albert deprived Celie of having contact with the one person she cares for. Celie begins to reconstruct her life alongside Avery by opening a pants store and dreams of the day she will be reunited with her sister.
2. The novel, The Color Purple, illustrates a picture that shows that a positive outcome can come out of a horrendous situation. Celie, for as long as she could remember, has been beaten and raped multiple times by those who should be caring for her. For example, Alphonso raped Celie and impregnanted her twice. Also, her husband would often beat Celie for the slightest reason. Despite all of Celie’s hardships and torment, she surpassed all of the anger and rage. She forgave those who did her wrong. As an example, after Celie left Albert to go to Memphis, she came back only to find Albert a changed man. Celie found some difficulty in believing this positive change, however, it was because of this change that helped her forgive the man she once wished vengeance upon. By forgiving Alphonso and Albert, she was able to let go of all the anger and hurt she felt, and by letting go she was able to look forward to new life filled with love and hope, not fear and emptiness.
3. Because the Color Purple has been banned in many schools and public libraries, it peaked my interest. There must be a reason as to why it is often banned in schools. Adults often think that teenagers cannot handle discussions about death, rape, sexual intercourse, and physical abuse. On the contrary, these are topics that need to be discussed more often and in depth as well. Therefore, I decided to a book that I probably won't read in a classroom. A good friend of mine directed me to this novel and described the main plot. I was very interested to see what would happen to the protagonist of this novel. However, I really admired the fact that the author does not “sugarcoat” any of the topics discussed in the novel, because in real life, nobody is going to that. When I started reading this publication, I kept on reading because I wanted to know what would happen to Celie. This work of fiction is rare as it is one of the few writings that speaks the whole truth of sad situations.
4. As I said before, I really admired how realistic this novel is. For example, Celie’s behavior after being raped is quite normal among victims. Celie didn’t magically heal over a short period of time. She kept to herself and avoided making eye contact with Pa. Also, Celie spoke very little. This type of behavior is synonymous with many other victims. For instance, according to the Rape Crisis organization, a few psychological effects of rape are lowered self-esteem, emotional numbness, and feeling alone. Though it’s sad to read about Celie’s harsh life, it did, however, educate me on how a person who has experienced rape may feel. By learning this, it will enable me to be more sensitive and understanding if I am ever encounter a person in a similar situation of Celie’s. Also, this book does an astounding job of painting the prejudice and discrimination females faced during the early 1900’s. In fact, being a black women in that society was very harsh for a few reasons. To begin with, the white people frowned upon black women for their color and in the black community, women were seen as inferior to men. For example, in the narrative on page 204, Albert tells Celie, “ You black, you pore, you ugly, you a woman.” In is this quote, readers can get a sense of how useless or inferior women, especially black women, were perceived in this society.
5. The general tone of this novel is honest, lonely, and somber. On page one, it states, “ He never had a kine word to say to me. Just say You gonna do what your mammy wouldn’t.” Already on the first page readers can note the position that the protagonist faces and as a result the sad tone of the novel. Also, on page five, it is written, “ He beat me today cause he say i winked at a boy in church. i may have got somethin in my eye but i didn’t wink.” Celie gets beaten for simple offenses or misunderstandings, which causes her to be more cautious of her actions and to live in fear of what Pa may do to her. As a result, Celie is sad to live in such a nerve-wrecking environment. On another quote on page 73, it expresses, “One day she say to me, ‘Well, Miss Celie, I believe it time for me to go.’ I don’t say nothing. Feel like I felt Nettie left.” The previous quote, among many others shows how lonely Celie may feel because the people she loves may leave her for a certain period of time. Such as Nettie or Shug Avery. Overall, these quotes show how honest the tone of the story is. Since this story is written in letters to God or Nettie, Celie is going to write the truth. These letters may be the equivalent of a journal. It’s a place for Celie to spill out all of her feelings.
6.
There are many literary elements that are presented in the novel.
- For example, metaphors are a common sight. On page twenty-two, Celie says, “ I make myself wood. I say to myself, Celie, you a tree.” Readers can tell form this passage that Celie refrains from showing any emotion. She chooses to not feel anything because the pain she would feel would be to much for her.
- The author also includes similes. As an example, on page twenty-six, Celie says, “ Questions be running back and forth through my mind. Feel like snakes. I pray for strength, bite the insides of my jaws.” In this passage, the audience understands that Celie is afraid to speak her mind because of the traumatic experiences she has gone through. Both of these quotes support the sad and lonely tone the narrative possesses.
- Among the many types of figurative language the author includes in the story, Alice Walker includes symbols. God is a symbol of hope and salvation. Celie writes letters directed towards God. On the first page, it reads, “ You better not never tell anybody but God. It’d kill your mammy.” God is the only one as to whom Celie can confide her feelings to.
- Shug Avery was more than a friend to Celie, she was a mentor. She taught Celie to stand up for herself. Also, she protected Celie from Albert: “ I won’t leave, she say, until I know Albert won’t even think about beating you (page 74).” Shug was the person that saved Celie from her submissive behavior.
- The color purple is an allusion to God, not God himself, but the creations he gave us. In the novel, Shug Avery shows Celie that God wants us to enjoy all of the things he has provided us with. She even says, “ I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don’t notice it (page 191).” When Celie hears this, she begins to understand that she must enjoy the gifts God provided her with and love what she got, which was a precursor to defending herself against Albert. Later on, when Celie leaves Albert to go Memphis, Celie begins a business dedicated to selling pants.
- Pants have always been something that only me wore, signifying power and independence. Celie wears and makes pants, thus illustrating her new found identity as an independent, free woman. She even states, “ I got love, I got work, I got money, friends and time (page 213).”
- In the beginning of the story, Celie refers to Albert as Mr.__ because she is afraid of him and finds him to be mysterious. Mr.__ has great power over Celie since he often beats her and she’s afraid of that. It is not until later in the novel that she starts to call him Albert because she no longer sees him as a powerful force capable of harming her. “…but he begin to be somebody I can talk to (page 275).”
- Sewing in the Color Purple sends a message that if women really wanted to, they can be productive. Celie sews pants and sells them. She opened her own business and became economically independent. Just as Celie said, “…happy. I got love, I got work, I got money. (213).” We can see that with enough hard work and endurance, you do something that is positive and productive. Letters are what make up the novel.
- Letters are a motif and it represents communication. Communication was crucial in this story as two loving sisters have so much to tell, but no one to tell it to. Therefore, their outlet was spilling their feelings out on paper. Celie begins by writing “Dear God”, but she then changes it to “Dear Nettie.” Celie clearly loves her sister, Nettie. She continues to write to Nettie even though she hasn’t seen her in over 30 years.
- The author’s choice of words also participate in creating the plot of the story. Most of the novel is written in slang or informal language. For example, on page ten, it says, “ I feel bad sometime Nettie done pass me in learnin.” Readers can infer that black people weren’t educated back then, only a few such as Nettie were. Celie’s language also paints the setting of the story. The way she says “done pass me” and words such as “y’all” may show in what part of the country she is in, which is the south. The author uses a lot of imagery. On the first page it reads, “
Overall, the literary elements presented in the novel helped draw the setting, plot, and the details that go on in Celie’s mind. By doing so, the audience can better understand Celie’s personality.
7. There is direct and indirect characterization that is included in the novel. The author uses direct characterization in some cases. For example, on page 205, Celie declares, “ I’m pore, I’m black, I may be ugly and can’t cook, a voice to say to everything listening. but I’m here.” It is here where a reader can get a sense of the physical description of Celie, though it is not positive, we do know that Celie is a poor, black woman that is willing to do something with her life. Another example of direct characterization was in the text, “ You got to fight to fight them, Celie, she say. I can’t do it for you (page 21).” We observe the quiet and timid character of Celie. Celie wasn’t a fighter at all in the beginning of the story and many of the people around her knew that. Indirect characterization plays a role in this story. “ Beat her, I say (35).” Celie tells Harpo, her stepson, to beat his wife. This is a sneaky way showing how much Celie really wants to be free, but doesn’t have the courage to do so. She is too submissive and shy. Another way of showing indirect characterization was in the passage, “Sometime he still be looking at Nettie, but I always git in his light (5).” By reading this passage, we can tell that Celie is a brave and caring person. She always protects her little sister, no matter what. As a whole person, Celie is a poor, black woman, but that won’t stop her from pushing forward. She is also compassionate and caring. However, for most of the book, she does wish she has greater courage to stand up to Albert.
8. The author’s syntax and diction changes as it goes from character to character. The two main examples are Celie and Nettie. Celie speaks in slang, informal, and simple sentences. For example, on page 109, it reads, “Mr.__come git me to take care of his children. He never ast nothing about myself.” As you can see, Celie speaks and writes in an informal way. She frequently uses words such as sat, gonna, and git. Readers can tell that she hasn’t gotten far in her education. Celie seldom uses contractions and complex sentences. Nettie, on the other hand, speaks in more complex and grammatically correct sentences. She speaks a more formal manner. For example, on page 143, it’s written, “ Once in the boat we were entertained by the songs of our boatmen as they tried to out paddle each other to the shore.” Notice the difference in structure. Nettie’s sentences flow easily as they are written correctly and are more descriptive. The audience can infer that Nettie went farther in her education than her sister lie. Throughout the entire novel, readers may notice that there are no quotation marks, which illustrates the lack of education many black people during the early 1900’s had.
9. Celie is a dynamic and a round character. In the beginning of the story, Celie is a very quiet, submissive woman. However, as the story progresses, she learns to speak out more often. It is this change that allows her to finally stand up to Albert. She goes from being quiet to transforming into a brave woman. Also, Celie has many characteristics to her. She was quiet, clever, and shy. However, Celie is also strong and has endurance. Even though her life may be tough, she is strong enough to keeping moving forward and can withstand pain, such as physical and verbal abuse.
10. “ But I don’t think us feel old at all. And us so happy. Matter of fact, I think this the youngest us ever felt.” -page 289
I can’t really relate to what Celie is referring to in this passage. I never had to suffer such harsh circumstances and I hope I never do. Even though the Color Purple is a great novel, I didn’t feel as though I met person; it was more that I read the character. Due to the circumstantial and setting differences, I could not bring myself to comprehend Celie’s feelings since I never felt them myself.
11. “Yeah, It. God ain’t a he or a she, nut a It. Don’t look like nothing, she say. It ain’t a picture show. It ain’t something you can look at apart from anything else, including yourself. I believe God is everything, say Shug. Everything that is or ever will be. And when you can feel that, and be happy to feel that, you’ve found it.”-page 190.
I did feel as though I learned from Shug Avery and connected to her, because she reminds of my grandfather: strong-minded, tough, and a fighter. However, I learned a lot from Avery’s quote on page 190, “You come into the world with God. But only them that search for it inside find it.” This quote really left an impact on me because it was something my grandfather used to say. He used to say that God doesn’t come to you, you come to it. In the quote written above, it describes how God is neither woman, nor man, it doesn’t look like anything. Avery states that God is everywhere. It can be those trees in your backyard, or the grass on the lawn. However, it’s up to you to connect yourself to God. Shug Avery may live a life full of smoking, drinking, and sexual intercourse, but that isn’t going to stop her from being with God. In this sense, I saw Avery remind me more about my grandfather. My grandpa would commit wrong actions as a young man. However, he would always go to church and pray. For me, I think of God as a synonym of Hope, and Avery taught me to find Hope that aligners within me and to grasp onto it.
