Summary of The Color Purple

2639 Words6 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The color purple by alice walker review essay

Alice Walker's The Color Purple is a touching story of one African American woman's journey through abuse and oppression to finding her own voice and self-worth as well as definite place in the world around her. The novel is written in an epistolary format and has a very confessional and emotionally raw tone. Through using this format, Walker has more freedom to weave an impressive network of heartfelt themes and colorful characters, in addition to displaying her talents for delivering to her readers an addictive and suspenseful plot.

The story opens with a hideous sexual crime against Celie, the fourteen-year-old protagonist of The Color Purple. Having being raped by Pa, the man that she knows as her father, she becomes pregnant twice and bears him two incestuous children. Pa, who has consistently abused Celie over the years, is ashamed and enraged at the birth of their children, and takes them and kills them while Celie is sleeping. Celie is told "You better not tell nobody but God. It'd kill your mammy" (Walker 1). This tragic incident ruins Celie's child-bearing ability permanently and introduces her as the submissive, obedient, and abused character that she is through-out the majority of the story. After her mother dies and leaves her alone with her father on their rural Georgian farm, her only source of hope, comfort and security comes from her younger sister Nettie. Soon afterwards, Pa has a discussion with a widowed man in town who has interest in marrying Nettie. Pa, who has incestuous interest in Nettie, says that she is too young in order to keep her for himself. However, he convinces the man to marry Celie, saying "She ugly...but she ain't no stranger to hard work. And she clean. And God done fixed her. You ca...

... middle of paper ...

... lover and motherly-figure that Celie takes refuge in. By the end of the story, Shug is entirely in love with Celie and settles down to live with her.

Walker does and impressive job with the characters in The Color Purple. Through making them all round and dynamic, it is easier to connect and relate to their situations and decisions. The plot is laid out through the first person view and is therefore very personal and touching, as the story is told through Celie’,s eyes and heart. Although the epistolary format, time gaps and the lack of definite setting can make the novel confusing at times, Walker’,s choice to write in the manner does help to make the story more believable and personal, much like reading a diary. Beautifully imagined and deeply compassionate, The Color Purple is a successful novel rich in passion, pain, inspiration, and an indomitable love of life.

Show More
Related

  • Literary Analysis On The Color Purple

    2116 Words  | 5 Pages

    Alice Walker’s love of Zora Neale Hurston is well known. She was the only one who went looking for Hurston’s grave. She describes her journey to get to the unmarked grave in her book, In Search of Our Mother’s Gardens. During that journey, Walker started to feel as if Hurston is family to her, an aunt. “By this time, I am, of course, completely into being Zora’s niece… Besides, as far as I’m concerned, she is my aunt – and that of all black people as well” (Ong). Walker’s book, The Color Purple, was influenced by Hurston and her works. Walker was greatly influenced by Hurston and her book The Color Purple has similarities to Hurston’s book Their Eyes Were Watching God.

    Read More

  • Redemption in Alice Walker's Color Purple

    1209 Words  | 3 Pages

    Alice Walker grew up in rural Georgia in the mid 1900s as the daughter of two poor sharecroppers.  Throughout her life, she has been forced to face and overcome arduous lessons of life.  Once she managed to transfer the struggles of her life into a book, she instantaneously became a world-renowned author and Pulitzer Prize winner.  The Color Purple is a riveting novel about the struggle between redemption and revenge according to Dinitia Smith.  The novel takes place rural Georgia, starting in the early 1900s over a period of 30 years.  Albert, also known as Mr._____, and his son Harpo must prevail over their evil acts towards other people, especially women.  Albert and Harpo wrong many people throughout their lives.  To be redeemed, they must first learn to love others, then reflect upon their mistakes, and finally become courageous enough to take responsibility for their actions.  In The Color Purple, Alice Walker effectively develops Albert and Harpo through redemption using love, reflection, and responsibility.

    Read More

  • Strength Grown by Celie

    1005 Words  | 3 Pages

    Within The Color Purple by Alice Walker, women are treated as inferior to men therefore they must obey them. Through the strength and wisdoms Celie gains from other women, she learns to overcome her oppression and realize her self worth as a woman. The women she has met throughout her life, and the woman she protected since young, are the people that helped her become a strong independent woman. Sofia and Shug were there for Celie when she needed someone to look up to and depend on. Nettie was able to push Celie to become a more educated, independent person. The main source of conflict in this book is Celie’s struggle with becoming an independent woman who needs not to rely on a man. Throughout the book we see her grow as a person and become independent in many ways through her experiences with the powerful women in her life.

    Read More

  • Relationships In The Color Purple

    2923 Words  | 6 Pages

    ...lank and even her own father. Shug Avery saw her true beauty that beauty that she was never able to see. Shug constantly told her in order to help her gain condifence and embrace the beauty that she has. This type of sisterhood is important because Shug was able to be a great friend by supporting her and constantly showing Celie the real beauty that she has always had. Sisterhood is able to make one another realize and see things that are often ignored.

    Read More

  • The Colour Purple - Spirituality & Religion

    1459 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the preface to ‘the Colour Purple’ Walker identifies her religious development as the inspiration for her novel and labels religion and spirituality as the principle themes in the book. There are a number of principle characters who complete this journey however in many instances the religious element of the novel is overshadowed by other prominent themes such as personal development, female relationships and racial issues. These must be taken into consideration when assessing Walker’s success in delivering her theological message to her readers.

    Read More

  • Comparison of Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God and Walker's Color Purple

    2372 Words  | 5 Pages

    Walker, Alice. The Color Purple. Harcourt Bruce Jovanovich, Publishers. New York, San Diego, London, 1992

    Read More

  • Alice Walker's Color Purple - Historical and Political Insight

    718 Words  | 2 Pages

    Alice Walker’s writings were greatly influenced by the political and societal happenings around her during the 1960s and 1970s. She not only wrote about events that were taking place, she participated in them as well. Her devoted time and energy into society is very evident in her works. The Color Purple, one of Walker’s most prized novels, sends out a social message that concerns women’s struggle for freedom in a society where they are viewed as inferior to men. The events that happened during and previous to her writing of The Color Purple had a tremendous impact on the standpoint of the novel.

    Read More

  • Literary Analysis: The Color Purple

    1382 Words  | 3 Pages

    Alice Walker, "The Color Purple." ENGL 3060 Modern and Contemporary Literature, a book of 2003. Web. The Web. The Web.

    Read More

  • The Color Purple Analysis

    2090 Words  | 5 Pages

    The Color Purple depicts the struggle within the life of the female protagonist, Celie. Celie, a clear victim of abuse, narrates the story through a collection of writings that starts with her confession of “Dear God.” Celie’s story encompasses around her life and the characters that breaks the common gender depiction. The story heavily addresses the subject of social and behavioral standards for either men and women. It raises an issues on traditional marital subjects, family patriarchy, and social topics. In a traditional take of the family structure, the man often exhibits the dominant male figure head with the final say. The father provides the money and security for the wife and children as well as claim authority over the family. He becomes very work oriented and cares for the children only in times of need. On the other hand, the woman acts to be passive and pleases her husband. She plays a major role in raising and educating the children in every way possible. Often times, the woman takes a small part in maintaining a profession; although, she holds responsibility for all house work. The societal perspective of the patriarchal family system relies so heavily on gender roles that it becomes an expectation and the regulated norm. The Color Purple disrupts this gender norm by introducing characters that faces marital issues due to being the opposite of the typical gender role. Because they embody the opposite gender’s likely attributes, it becomes a questioning issue that leads to striving to live up to social norms or dealing with society disapproval. Within the progression of the novel, the women possess a sense of empowerment while as the men accept how things are in the world. The introducti...

    Read More

  • The Color Purple by Alice Walker

    1054 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Color Purple by Alice Walker is a 1982 story about the life struggles of a young African American woman named Celie. The novel takes the reader through several main topics including the poor treatment of African American women, domestic abuse, family relationships, and also religion. The story takes place mostly in rural Georgia in the early 1900’s and demonstrates the difficult life of sharecropper families. Specifically, how life was endured from the perspective of an African American woman. The Color Purple is written in the form of letters that Celie narrates explaining the events that took place at certain points in her life.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Oppression In The Color Purple

    1414 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the book “The Color Purple” the writer Alice Walker illustrates a story of bravery, struggle and oppression. The main character in the book, Celie, is shown as a submissive woman with no intention of changing. Celie turns into a strong independent woman at the end of the novel, but first she faces some very large obstacles. Walker, from the beginning, illustrates what the story will contain: “You better not never tell nobody but God. It’d kill your mommy.”

    Read More

  • The Power of Female Friendship in The Color Purple by Alice Walker

    648 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout The Color Purple, Alice Walker conveys the importance and the power of female friendship in all forms. It shapes and forms the strong bond of female companionship as means of refuge from oppression, male dominance and a world full of violence perpetrated against women which the female protagonists wish to break free from. Walker constantly reminds the reader of the gruelling pursuit of identity that all are in search for, both in Africa and America. For females to gain equal recognition as individuals who deserve fair and just treatment in a patriarchal society where, as Albert states “Men suppose to wear the pants” in society. In conclusion, not only leading Celies personal growth as an independent woman but also to the extraordinary establishment of a female solidarity network within the novel.

    Read More

  • Female Empowerment In The Color Purple By Alice Walker

    1840 Words  | 4 Pages

    The progression of civil rights for black women that existed throughout the twentieth century mirrors the development Celie makes from a verbally debilitated girl to an adamant young woman. The expression of racism and sexism that evidenced itself during the postmodern era presented Walker with an opportunity to compose a novel that reveals her strong animosity toward discrimination. Without these outlets, Walker would not have had the ability to create a novel with such in-depth insights into the lifestyle of an immensely oppressed woman. The novel The Color Purple by Alice Walker is the story of a poor, young black girl, growing up in rural Georgia in the early twentieth century.

    Read More

  • Celie's Transformation in Alice Walker's Color Purple

    1051 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Color Purple follows Celie's transformation from an ugly duckling into a beautiful swan. What is remarkable is the fact that this transformation does not merely compose the plot of the novel, it also dominates the layout of the pages. The book's chapters are not written in a typical fashion as each chapter is a letter written from Celie to God, Celie to her sister Nettie, or Nellie to Celie. Alice Walker utilized this method of storytelling to give the reader a very personal glimpse into Celie's mind and soul. The writer gets a feel for Celie through her writing style- she uses specific phrasing to express herself and, over time, her mechanical writing skills improve greatly. We see Celie's thought process as she makes decisions and then writes about them. This powerful narration is the main driving force behind the words.

    Read More

  • The Sociological Criticism of Alice Walker

    1447 Words  | 3 Pages

    One of the most popular works by Walker was, The Color Purple. In this Alice Walker story, the reader meets a girl named Celie. In this novel, Walker takes the reader on a journey through much of Celie’s life. While taking the reader through this tale, Walker draws attention to a number of social aspects during this time period. Through Cilie’s life, Walker brings to light the abuse and mistreatment of African American women from 1910 through the 1940’s. “Women were also regarded as less important than men-both Black and white Black women doubly disadvantage. Black women of the era were often treated as slaves or as property” (Tavormina page 2...

    Read More

More about Summary of The Color Purple

Open Document