Summary of The Color Purple

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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...

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... 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.

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