"The Color Purple and Independence"

In Alice Walker’s “The Color Purple” the story was reminiscent of Janie in Zora Neale Hurston’s “Their Eyes Were Watching God.” The character Janie in “Their Eyes Were Watching God” could be seen throughout the book. Celie, the main character, is a round character because she comes full circle towards the end of the story.

In the beginning of the book Celie was a child who birthed two children by her father. Her first was a boy whom she called Adam and the second was a girl named Olivia. As soon as Celie gave birth her father took her children away from her. She did not know if they were dead or alive. Celie was a child and was very submissive.

In an article Piecing the patchwork self: a reading of walker's the color purple it explains the title of the book “The color purple is continually equated with suffering and pain. Sophia's swollen, beaten face is described as the color of "eggplant."”

Her father gave her away to an older man to help the man raise his children, she was a child bride. Again, Celie was submissive and did as her husband told her. Celie’s husband beat her and was unfaithful to her. Celie’s husband did not love her. One day when the oldest child, Harpo, was married he asked Celie how to control his defiant bride. Celie told him to beat her “Beat her I say.” (38)

This shocked me as I thought how could Celie want another woman beaten? But, this was the only way that Celie was raised and Celie was jealous of Sofia and her independence with Harpo her stepson. When Sofia confronts Celie, Celie says “I say it cause I’m a fool, I say. I say it cause I’m jealous of you. I say it cause you do what I can’t. Fight.” (42) Celie only knew submission throughout most of her life and she was jealous of Sofia and her independence.

When Celie grew older she was still submissive until she met a woman that her husband called “Shug.” Celie’s husband moved his mistress “Shug” into his house with his wife. But, Celie and Shug grew close and Shug gave Celie confidence in herself and helped Celie to eventually leave her husband.

The first time that Celie thought to leave her husband she changed her mind as her husband looked disapprovingly at her. Celie wanted to leave with Shug. Years later Shug came back to visit Celie and her husband. Celie’s independence finally grew strong and she left her husband this time with Shug.

In the article “Piecing the patchwork self: a reading of walker's the color purple” describes Celie as growing up in the book “Celie's growing self-awareness and assertion are accompanied by the novel's formal expansion as it integrates Celie's letters to God with accounts of other characters' lives.”

At the end of the book Celie’s father died and she inherited her father’s house. Celie was finally joined with her sister Nettie who did missionary work in Africa and where she found Celie’s children. At the end of the book Celie became an independent woman who owned property.

Works Cited

Walker, Alice. “The Color Purple”
Pocket Books, a division of Simon & Shuster, Inc.
New York, New York, 1982

Piecing the patchwork self: a reading of walker's the color purple. (Alice Walker)(Critical essay).
The Explicator 66.3 (Spring 2008): p150(4). (1382 words) Reading Level (Lexile): 1430. Shanyn Fiske. 66.3 (Spring 2008): p150(4). (1382 words) Reading Level (Lexile): 1430.