The Color Purple Research Paper

In The Color Purple, there is another meaning for love. While the dictionary definition is not false, it does not fit into the theme of the book. The correct definition for love according to the book would be a selfish desire to be around someone who treats you right and allows you to have freedom. Do not be dependent on those who do not give you your freedom. Instead, find love out of the friendships that you have. The Color Purple is about a girl named Celie who is only a young teenager when she is taken and separated from her sister, Nettie. The Color Purple begins with Celie’s first diary entry that she writes at the age of fourteen. She describes her sexual assault experiences and is dependent on the men that treat her extremely poorly.

Celie has never stood up for herself, nor has she ever expressed her feelings. The author, Alice Walker, describes how Celie “ain’t never struck a living thing” (Walker 41). In this scene, Sofia, Celie’s friend and step-daughter, has just found out that Celie had made her husband beat her up because of Celie’s jealousy that Sofia is fairly independent. The two go on to explain why Celie did what she had done and Sofia then asks if Celie has ever stood up for herself. Celie has never violently touched anybody. While using violence isn’t always the only way to defend yourself, it is one way, a way that Celie has never used. As a reader, we are provided many example of how Celie does not stand up for herself, and in this scene she mentions how she has not stood up for herself before. Celie reveals to Shug Avery, the woman who shows Celie what love is, that Mr.____ (or at this point known as Albert) has been beating her when Shug is not around. She says, “He beat me when you not here.” (Walker 74). She also says that he beats her for “being me and not you [Shug].” (Walker 75). This is an impeccable example of how Celie is not standing up for herself. She never tells Albert that she can only be herself and just lets him continue to beat her whenever he is not satisfied. Celie has never truly stood up for herself at this point in the book; however, she has

However, Celie is not the only person to blame for the hatefulness that is bestowed upon her. There are specific details in the book that show that Celie was not able to control the hate. For instance, it happens on page one when Celie was being raped and when she cried, she was choked. She had no control over the situation. She has never been allowed to stand up for herself, but even she were to have the opportunity, she most likely would not have taken it. Later in the book, Celie stands up to Albert when he begins to verbally abuse her. The scene goes as follows: “You’ll be back, he say...You too scared to open your mouth to people...And nobody crazy or backward enough to want to marry you, neither...Any more letters come? I ast. He say, What? You heard me, I say. Any more letters from Nettie come? If they did, he say, I wouldn’t give ’em to you...I curse you, I say. What that mean? he say. I say, Until you do right be me, everything you touch will crumble. He laugh...Look at you. You black, you pore, you ugly, you a woman. Goddam, he say, you nothing at all. Every lick you hit me you will suffer twice, I say. Then I say, You better stop talking because all I’m telling you ain’t coming just from me. Look like when I open my mouth the air rush in and shape words” (Walker 215-216). Celie stood up for herself knowing this was a