The Color Purple: A Novel

Although I saw the movie numerous times, I’m glad I read the book. The movie did a great job of capturing the story, but the book gave me some information I hadn’t known. This is the great, American, novel. It tracks every day people’s hardships, joys, growth and development.

“...have you ever found God in church? I never did. I just found a bunch of folks hoping for him to show. Any God I ever felt in church I brought in with me. And I think all the other folks did too. They come to church to share God, not find God.”This was our February pick for the #classicsbuddyread so I was happy to finally read this one. I saw the play a couple years ago and loved it, and this book has been on my list ever since. This is not an easy read, but it sure is an important one. It breaks your heart right from the beginning, but Walker does work in some snark and a bit of wit to help lighten it just a little throughout. There are so many strong female characters in here, the resilience of these women is phenomenal. Celie is the focal character and she has been through so much, but keeps on going with the hope of seeing her sister Nettie again one day. Shug Avery is another character that has been through it, but she plays a critical role in helping Celie with so many things that I cannot list them all here. She had one of my favorite quotes in the book however, as she was helping Celie with her doubts about her faith. Sofia, I have a special place for her in my heart, as she was one of the best characters I have read. Another one that was resilient, but she brought the wit and sarcasm that I just connected with and loved. Nettie had her own storyline, and it was equally as heartbreaking, but I was glad with how it was all resolved in the end for both she and Celie.This is done in an epistolary format, and it worked so well given the tough subjects covered in this novel. This has moved to my all time favorites list, and I hope that you add it to your list if you have not read it yet.

The Color Purple by Alice Walker captures the journey of Celie, a poor black girl, from age fourteen well into adulthood. Rather than chapters, the novel is broken up and written as multiple letters to God. Celie, the main character, writes about her life this way because after her Pa sexually abused her, he said, “You better not tell nobody but God. It’d kill your mammy,” (1). After two pregnancies at the hand of her father, Celie is married off to a man who degrades and beats her. The novel transitions from letters to God to letters to Celie’s sister Nettie, who joined a family on a missionary in Africa. This shift also reveals a shift in Celie’s mindset, who throughout the novel discovers herself and her religious beliefs. Celie’s life improves as she finds examples in other black women, such as learning to stand up for herself and seeing her own self worth.When I first started reading, I found it difficult, both stylistically and morally. Since the first letters are written when Celie is very young, the sentence fragments are hard to piece together, as seen on page 2 when Celie says, “She ast me bout the first one Whose is it?” However as the novel progresses and Celie ages, the letters are easier to understand and become deeper content wise. Within the first page, there is blunt description of sexual abuse, which reoccurred many times throughout the book. The casual discussion of abuse was hard to get used to, however it succeeded in getting the point across that life for black women in the early 1900s was anything but easy. I liked being able to read a story from a perspective that I have never encountered before. Celie’s progression from hardships to independence and strength was inspiring. I felt that the ending was satisfying, and that I could be happy knowing that Celie found peace in her later life.Alice Walker achieved her goal in inspiring others to carve their own path in life. For example, the novel has two strong female characters who helped teach Celie to be independent. A character named Sophia hit back whenever her husband Harpo hit her. She refused to take a beating from a man, and inspired Celie to stand up for herself. Another character named Shug protected Celie from her abusive husband, which gave Celie the courage to speak up in front of him. At one point Celie describes these women by saying, “You know Shug will fight...She live her life and be herself no matter what,” (253). At the end of the novel, Celie is last seen happy and not being abused by any men. This shows that she took her life into her own hands and made the changes necessary to live a happy life. Although she was born into a poor home and was married off to an abusive man without consent, Celie in the end carved her own path and found strength in others. The novel also shows Celie’s intellectual progression by the syntax becoming more complex towards the end. The reader find Celie contemplating deeper topics rather than just stating the events of her day through fragmented sentences.

Celie comes from a very poor family & her mother is very during her last two pregnancies. Being the oldest of the girls, she has to do most all the work around the house, cooking, cleaning, laundry & helping with her younger sisters & brothers. Her Pa doesn’t like her either & the only one she’s close to is her younger sister. As Celie’s mother gets sicker & sicker, her Pa begins visiting her room when she’s 14 y.o.to fill the needs her mother is no longer able to provide. Her mother passes away. Celie has 2 children by him, a daughter & a son before he tires of her & forces her into marriage to a man who beats & abuses her. Her father marries another young girl & Celia gets her younger sister, Nettie, to come live with her & continue her schooling. The man Celie marries is in love with another woman, Shug Avery, & is out late most nights & sometimes several days but he expects Celie to wait on him & his kids from a previous marriage & they don’t respect Celie ant more than her husband does. Celie is still trying to figure out how she feels about God & she writes a lot of letters to God expressing her emotions & doubts. This story covers the hardships & abuse of Celie & many of the people of color she knows. It doesn’t sugar coat the racism involved in their lives & the disadvantages as a result of this predjudice that carries over even in today’s world. Of course, black women were even less appreciated, treated as property & had a much more difficult time than even men of color. It’s a very moving story overall & very well written.