Narrated by Celie, a young girl from Georgia in Americas Southland, who writes letters to God. Celie is being beaten and raped by Alphonso, the man she believes is her biological father. Celie gives birth to two children by Alphonso, both of whom are taken away and, she believes, killed by him.
Celie, and her sister Nettie discover that a man called Mr. wants to marry Nettie, but Alphonso vetoes the plan, instead giving Celie - whom he considers the ugly woman - to Mr. The marriage is difficult, and Celie continues to be unhappy, especially after Nettie, having run away from Alphonso, takes refuge in their home, and Mr. attempts to rape Nettie, causing her to flee. Hearing nothing from Nettie after her flight, Celie believes that her sister is dead.
Mr. has a mistress, a lounge singer named Shug, and Celie becomes fascinated by a photograph of her. His sister Kate, tries to convince Celie that she should defend herself, rather than submitting to the abuse. When Mr.s adult son Harpo becomes involved with a woman called Sofia, Celie is amazed at Sofia's insistence on being treated as an equal, despite Harpo's failed attempt to beat her into submission. Sofia eventually gives up on Harpo, leaving and taking her children with her
When Shug falls ill, she comes to live with the complicated family, and Celie, initially treated poorly by the woman, eventually befriends her, after taking charge of her care. She becomes entranced, experiencing sexual attraction to Shug.
Shug takes up permanent residence when she finds out that Mr beats Celie when she is not there. The two women begin an intimate relationship.
Sofia returns and gets into an altercation with the mayor, having rejected his wife's request that she come to work for them as a maid. Sofia is charged and sentenced to work as the mayors maid for 12 years.
By this point Shug and Celie are sexually involved, and helps Celie to discover that Mr. had been keeping letters from Nettie from her for years. Celie reads the letters.
Nettie had befriended a missionary couple, Samuel and Corrine, who have two adopted children. The family works in a mission in Africa, where Nettie eventually becomes disillusioned with the experience. Combined with the fact that Corrine, noting her childrens resemblance to Nettie, begins to believe that Samuel and Nettie have had a past relationship, and are the childrens biological parents. Confronting Samuel, Nettie discovers that the children are in fact her niece and nephew, Celie's children that Alphonso has taken away from her.
She confesses this to the couple, and is reconciled with Corrine, who has fallen ill, eventually dying. Nettie and Samuel marry, and eventually return to the US. When Celie discovers the fact of her childrens survival, she confronts Alphonso, and he admits the truth, and that he is Celie and Nettie's stepfather, and not their biological father as they had believed.
Having left Mr., Celie lives and works for a time in Tennessee, eventually returning to Georgia after learning that Mr is up to his old tricks, and that Alphonso has died.
Celie and Mr are reconciled, and come to terms with each other, each finally finding pleasure in the other. Upon Netties return to the US, Celie enjoys an emotional reunion with her sister, and her long lost children.
This book is an incredibly powerful tale, telling the story that was repeated so many times in the southern states of the US, where racism and sexism led to many black women being treated as property, beaten and raped, and frequently the victims of incest. It speaks to an experience that many women today cannot fathom tolerating, that of being subjugated to a mans basest animal desires, and punished when she does not submit.
The title, and its importance within the story, are key to this experience. When Celie is beaten, the bruises make her face the colour of "eggplant", and her experience of her own sexual organs, also the titular colour, is one of suffering and shame. It is Shug that teaches Celie to see the beauty in everything, even "the colour purple".
Publishing Details
- Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
- Publisher: Mariner Books; 1 edition (November 1, 2006)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0156031825
- ISBN-13: 978-0156031820
- Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.3 x 0.8 inches
Search Tags
100 Walker, Alice,|d1944-
245 The color purple /|cAlice Walker.
650 African American women|vFiction.
650 Adult child sexual abuse victims|vFiction.
650 Abused wives|vFiction.
650 Sisters|vFiction.
651 Southern States|vFiction.
655 Epistolary fiction.
655 Domestic fiction.
830 Pulitzer Prize in letters.|pFiction.|f1983.
Links
Wikipedia - The Color Purple
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