Symbolism In Alice Walker's The Color Purple

The worst form of identity theft is stealing one’s right to sew themselves into a unique masterpiece. People who attempt to mold others into their idea of whom the other should become, instead of letting them evolve into their own, they steal an essential seam in the knitting together of one’s life. By the needles of setting, characterization, and symbols, Alice Walker’s The Color Purple, presents to us a society based on objectifying and defining “colored” women and the main character’s reaction to these efforts, in the form of a quilt.

The Color Purple measures the years 1909-1949. By way of the needle of historical setting, in which society is built upon male supremacy, light is shed on the abuse and objectification of women—more

especially African-American—during the time period that the novel displays. Walkers’ use of the protagonist Celie’s own voice and point-of-view, however undeveloped it may be, allows the work to convey the history of black women in the rural South in a sympathetic, realistic, firsthand account. The historical setting cross-stitches itself into characterization showcasing Celie having very little exposure to education or the outside world; Celie lives most of her life very isolated and ignorant.
The author characterizes each individual in the novel in a contrasting manner. At the beginning of The Color Purple, Celie submits herself to Alphonso, the abusive man she knew as Pa, her forced and detached husband, Mr., and all male figures that come into her life. Other woman come into her life and seek to lead Celie into breaking the boundaries of traditional male and female gender roles in this time. For example, the reader first meets Nettie, Celie’s sister. Nettie is intelligent and strong. She is determined to run away and break the mold “Pa” has set for all his so called “daughters" along with the box every other man has put her in. Nettie is the first stitch that differs from the common standard of women in Celie’s life. Following, we come to find Sofia, Mr.'s son Harpo’s wife. Sofia does not tolerate being looked down because she is a woman. This is troubling to Harpo who has only ever known Celie to obey and instantly answer her husband’s will. Mr. (Albert) suggests his son to beat Sofia and, out of jealousy of Sofia’s strength, Celie gives the same advice. Harpo indeed does listen and Sofia responds by fighting back. The next strong-willed woman seam sewn into Celie’s mind is Shug Avery. Shug is the most pertinent independent-woman figure in the novel. She does everything Celie believes to be impossible: controlling Albert, living her dream, being loved by Celie, and loving Celie herself. Shug is a vivacious character who teaches Celie to stand on her own two feet, to quilt, to love and be loved, all the while overcoming misery and disappointment. Characterization is also a needle that uses the stitching of Nettie, Sofia, and Shug Avery to convey Alice Walker’s next seam pattern, symbols.
Throughout the novel, brighter colors are indicators of the liberation of various character experiences.

Walker uses color to signify renewals at several points in the novel. All her clothing choices are drab, contrasting with the colors later in the plot where Celie and Sofia use bright yellow fabric to make a quilt symbolizing happiness. Also during this craftsman time, Celie comes to notice the wonders God has created such as “the color purple.” The color purple signifies all the royalties of the world formed by God. Celie has no concept of the happiness of the color purple when the story line starts. Shug teaches Celie to live outside of the box that men have set for her. Shug is the color purple personified, which is how Alice Walker knits together symbolism and characterization. Shug is both red, full of life, and blue, representing hardships and things she has overcome. These colors blended create purple. The colors described bleed into the core of the novel and weaves itself into the narrative’s most essential symbol,

quilting.
In general, The Color Purple symbolizes the power women can gain from productively channeling their creativity.

Like a patchwork quilt, the community of love that surrounds Celie at the end of the novel incorporates men and women who are bonded by family and friendship. Readers can perceive the entire book to be somewhat of a quilt. With the literary devices acting as the sewing needles, the seams being the places Celie’s mind and body travel and overcome, the color representing the fabric and the changing stages of Celie’s life, and the strong woman figures in the main character’s world that mold her into her own woman being the stitches that hold the quilt together and essentially begin the quilt. By the end of the novel we find Celie to be her own seamstress, the director of her own life. She no longer let’s any male control her. By breaking the mold that was originally set for her, Celie not only changes the men’s attitude around her, but the reader sees society and the treatment of women to be changing for the better. Celie stole back her right to find herself. She learned how to “stop and smell the roses.” She took back what was rightfully hers and established the finishing hems of her personality and life

herself.