The Color Purple Alice Walker Analysis

Born on February 9, 1994, Alice Walker has become an intricate part of literature and notable for her depictions on African American and feministic cultural issues. She is most notable for her novel “The Color Purple, [which] was awarded the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award in 1983” (Whitted) and she “was inducted into the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame in 2001” (Whitted). Walker’s career as a poet and novelist began “during the latter years of the Black Arts Movement” (Whitted) and she tends to delve into the “multidimensional kinships among women and embraces the redemptive power of social and political revolution” (Whitted).

Within Alice Walker’s novel The Color Purple, the audience is introduced to the story’s protagonist, Celie.

Shug Avery’s significance in Celie’s life is that she becomes a catalyst who assists with Celie’s metamorphosis into an independent woman. Celie’s first confrontation with Shug is the night that no one within the rural Georgia community would take Shug in. In the novel, the first depiction of Shug’s care of Celie is seen when Shug announces to Celie that she would be leaving Mr. ______’s home. Celie becomes upset and admits, “He beat me when you not here… For being me and not you” (Walker 74-75). Shug lets Celie know that, “I won’t leave…until Albert won’t even think about beating you” (Walker 75). This significant event between Celie and Shug opens the door to Celie’s discovery of her sexuality and the opportunity to experience physical love for the first time. According to Shanyn Fiske, “Celie’s relationship with Shug Avery helps her come to terms with her sexual identity and further emphasizes that human beings are not manipulated by distant, external gods but are capable of shaping their identities through responsive interactions with others”(152). Shug is important to Celie in that Shug is very much like a sister to her. She is her support and friend much like Nettie was and it is the bond between Celie and Nettie that “although Celie hasn’t heard from Nettie for years, she cherishes with the hope that Nettie is still alive and they can meet again

Celie’s development through these significant factors and events in her life allowed her to grow stronger and turn her life into what she wanted out of it. The novel, itself, is a work of art that can be utilized as an example of empowering oneself to find his or her own self-identity by overcoming personal oppressions and authorities that may be preventing one’s true potential as an individual. Alice Walker’s characterization of Celie is not only reminiscent of the hardship of many women during the early 1900’s, but an adventure of self-discovery through the closeness of personal relationships and the opportunities for personal gain through them. Celie’s metamorphosis can be compared to that of a caterpillar. Like the caterpillar, Celie begins grounded and limited to her options; however, through her evolution, she becomes free like a butterfly in the