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The Color Purple
  • Rated 0 stars

The Color Purple (1982) (edit title/settings)

by Alice Walker (Author) (edit contributors)

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Description edit see section history

Celie is a poor black woman whose letters tell the story of 20 years of her life, beginning at age 14 when she is being abused and raped by her father and attempting to protect her sister from the same fate, and continuing over the course of her marriage to "Mister," a brutal man who... read more

Summary edit see section history

The Color Purple is by American author Alice Walker. It recieved the 1983 Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award and was adapted into a film and musical of the same name. The title of the book is taken from a discussion between two of the main characters Celie and Shug Avery about... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)

The Color Purple is by American author Alice Walker. It recieved the 1983 Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award and was adapted into a film and musical of the same name. The title of the book is taken from a discussion between two of the main characters Celie and Shug Avery about faith. Shug says "I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don't notice it." Shug then replies to Celies question what if this happens. "Then he creates something else people will see because God just wants to be loved" (Wikkipedia)


The book is told through a series of letters and diary entried. It opens with a young Celie addressing God. She is raped and impregnated twice by a man who she believes to be her father. She sees her mother beaten and fears for your younger sister Nettie's life. She and her mother both give birth on the same day. He takes the mother's baby and kills it. Celie's baby she sells to a couple in town. The man whom she thinks is her father after refusing to sell her sister Nettie to a widow named Mr. Albert in turns sells Celle.

Mr. Albert (known as Mr._) is a very abusive man both physically and mentally. He beats her, taunts her, and forces her to cook clean and tend to his unruly kids. Meanwhile Mr. Albert lust after Nettie still. After he tries to seduce Nettie and fails her forces her to leave. She goes to the home of a Pastor and promises her sister to write. But as time goes on this promise seems to go broken. So Celie assumes that her sister has died.

In the story one of Mr. Alberts son's Harpo falls in love with and marries a strong independent women named Sophia. Sofia amazes Celie with her strength even physically to fight Harpo back when he attempts to beat her and treat her inferrior. Something Celie would never have the nerve of the courage to do!

Mr. Albert's mistress Shug Avery comes to live with them because she is ill. "I hear she got that nasty women's disease!" (taken from the movie). At first Shug has little respect for Celie "you sho is ugly!" But Celie is taken with Shug from the very first moment she lays eyes on her. Eventually a sexual relationship takes place and Celie's confidence and self worth is boosted because of Shug. Shug stays in the house for a while to protect Celie from Mr. Alberts abuse.

Sophia gets fed up with Harpo and leaves him, taking the kids with her. When she returns to town and visits Harpo's new night club she becomes involved in a physical altercation with Harpo's new girlfriend Squeak. When in town the mayors wife asks Sofia to work as her maid. When Sophia tells the woman "Hell no!" the mayor slaps Sofia. She returns the blow and is arrested for assaluting a white man. Sofia is beaten severly and sent to jail. She is later on sentenced for twelve years to serve as the mayor's maid.

Shug marries a man named Grady. Shug and Celie become lovers. One night Shug tells Celie about the mysterious letters in a trunk she sees in Alberts room. They find out that he has been hiding Nettie's letters over the years. Nettie's letters discuss her travels to Africa with a missionary couple Samuel and Corrine. They have Celie's children Olivia and Adam.

Corrine gets ill. She is suspicious that Nettie is the real kids mom because of the resemblance. Samuel tells the story of how they are adopted and Nettie discovers she is there aunt. She also discovers that Alphonso was not her and Celies real father. There real father owned a store and because of that he was lynched by angry white men who thought he was uppity. Corrine dies. Samuel and Nettie fall in love and marry.

Celie confronts Alphonso who confirms the story. Celie now has empowerment. She tells off Mr. Albert for all the years of wrong doing and hell he has put her through. Shug, Celie, and Squeak (Mary Agnes) move to Tennesse. Celie opens a business sewing pants encouraged by her lover Shug. She returns home and finds Mr. Albert has now changed for the better and her father has died and left her all his land. So she moves back and relocates her business.

Shug leaves her and runs off with a younger lover. Celie and Mr. Albert discover a bond through sewing. Nettie and Samuel will soon be returning to America. Her son is now in love with an African women by the name of Tashi who takes a part in a painful ritual and scars her face. Adam in turn scares his face and they marry. Odd but strangely endearing.

Celie is now independent. A Quote I remember said if Shug came back she'd be happy. If she didn't she'd be okay. A P P LA U DS! Well said! In the end Celie and Albert reconsile. Shug comes back. Sofia and Harpo remarry. Nettie and Samuel return with the children and Celie and Nettie are happily reunited.

Good book. Good story. Although watching the movie was a little more exciting than reading the book this time. I give this book eight a half stars. What I liked about the book was how Celie found strength and empowerment and stood up for herself after all the years of abuse. She begin to value her self and love herself and in turn she found a rebirth in her spirituality. I think at one point in the book she was about to turn from God. I liked how she came to peace with the men in her life that had hurt her. I also liked how Squeak like Celie stepped outside of her quiet shell and gained a back bone. Doing this review makes me wanna go and watch the movie now.. I like the happy endings all around for the characters.

I liked the characters. I thought they were strong and well written. They came across very well partrayed on the screen. The plot was also strong and had few plot holes. Well this is not a big complaint of the book It did tend to get a little long winded in the middle about all the African customs. My mind tended to wonder somewhat toward the end. Although the book was good it was NOT a very easy read.

While the chapters were short and easy in the beggining the letters recieved tended to make them drag toward the middle and the end. Like I said much more fun to watch then actually read. All in all I would honestly say if you watch the movie that would be enough unless you REALLY REALLY want to read this book. I would recommend if if you have the time on your hands!

Characters edit see section history

  • Celie: Protagonist and narrator. The story is told from her perspective and unfolds as letters that she writes to God.
  • Shug Avery: Celie's intimate friend in the story, ex-girlfriend of Mister_____ .
  • Mister_______ (Albert): Husband of Celie and ex-lover of Shug Avery.
  • Nettie: Celie's sister who ends up as a missionary in Africa when she accompanies the husband and wife who took her in.
  • Sofia: Harpo's wife. Built big for a woman and is incredibly independent.
  • Harpo: Mister ______'s son. Owns a bar with live entertainment and is married to Sofia.
  • Samuel: Corrine's husband who is a preacher. He is a kind man.
  • Corrine: Missionary married to Samuel. She cares for her family deeply.
  • Olivia: Celie's daughter that was taken away from her at birth. Was adopted by the missionaries.
  • Adam: Celie's son that was taken away from her at birth. Was adopted by the missionaries.
  • Tashi: Girl of the Olinka tribe who wants to be educated.
  • Grady: Shug's husband who no one really likes.
  • Mary Agnes: Harpo's girlfriend, wants to be a singer
  • Henrietta: Sofia's youngest child, has sickle-cell anemia
  • Shug Avery: Shug is a black woman, an entertainer, who gave up her kids and went out into the world to sing and drink and enjoy her life. But there is depth to this woman who shows kindness and love to Celie.
  • Joseph: Man of the Olinka tribe who helps the missionaries settle in
  • Swain: Add a description of this character.
  • Alphonso: Celie's father.
  • Germaine: A nineteen year old man that Shug Avery meets
  • Theodosia: main character
  • Annie Julia: Mister's first wife
  • Catherine: Tashi's mother
  • Tobias
  • Kate
  • Eleanor Jane: White daughter of the family Sofia works for
  • Carrie
  • Hodges
Show all 27 characters
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Quotes edit see section history

  • “Just cause I love her don't take away none of her rights.”
    Celie
  • “Who am I to tell her who to love? My job just to love her good and true myself.”
    Celie
  • “Take off they pants, I say, and men look like frogs to me. No matter how you kiss 'em, as far as I'm concern, frogs is what they stay.”
    Celie
  • “Well, I say, if words could kill, I'd be in the ambulance.”
    Celie
  • “I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don't notice it.”
    Shug
  • “"She say, all my life I had to fight. I had to fight my daddy. I had to fight my brothers. I had to fight my cousins and my uncles. A girl child ain't safe in a family full of men. But I never thought I'd have to fight in my own house. She let out her breath. I loves Harpo, she say. God knows I do. But I'll kill him dead before I let him beat me. Now if you want a dead son-in-law you just keep advising him like you doing. She put her hand on her hip. I used to hunt game with a bow and arrow, she say."”
  • “She say, Celie, tell the truth, have you ever found God in church? I never did. I just found a bunch of folks hoping for him to show. Any God I ever felt in church I brought in with me. And I think all the other folks did too. They come to church to share God, not to find him.”
    Narrator
  • “God is different to us now, after all these years in Africa. More spirit than ever before, and more internal. Most people think he has to look like something or someone-a roofleaf or Christ-but we don't. And not being tied to what God looks like, frees us.”
    Shug
  • “Here us is, I thought, two old fools left over from love, keeping each other company under the stars.”
    Narrator
  • “The news always sound crazy. People fussing and fighting and pointing fingers at other people, and never even looking for no peace.”
    Celie
  • “Dear God: i am fourteen years old. I have always been a good girl. Maybe you can give me a sign letting me know what is happening to me...”
    Celie
  • ““I think she mine. My heart say she mine. But I don’t know she mine. If she mine, her name Olivia.””
    Celie
  • “She under my daddy thumb. Naw, she under my daddy foot.”
    Sofia
Show all 13 quotes from this book

Setting & Locations edit see section history

Organizations edit see section history

First Sentence edit see section history

You better not never tell nobody but God.

Table of Contents edit see section history

Series of letters written by Celie and Nettie; no chapters or sections

Themes & Symbolism edit see section history

  • letters: The letters are a significant source of power for Celie. Because nothing else in her world makes sense, composing her observations in letter form helps her to cope.
  • female sexuality: Sex or sexual expression is a dominant theme as well. Celie was never fully connected to her sexuality until Shug came into her life. Her crude language regarding sex and body part was representative of her lack of education and knowledge. Shug, by contrast, seemed secure and open about her own sexuality. Despite the differences, they both struggle with love and acceptance within their family and community circles.
  • God and nature: Celie and her sister both, independently of one another, shed the conventional image of God as an old white man, for a bodiless, omnipresent God - It, rather than He - who only wishes for his people to admire his creation and take pleasure in it.

Series & Lists edit see section history

This is book 189 of 194 in Shelfari Most Popular (December 2010). (authoritative list)

Preceded by The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari, and followed by Girl with a Pearl Earring.

This is book 197 of 195 in Shelfari Most Popular (December 2011). (authoritative list)

Preceded by Jonathan Livingston Seagull, and followed by The Pact.

This book is in Guardian 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read. (authoritative list)
This is book 193 of 195 in Shelfari Most Popular (June 2011). (authoritative list)

Followed by Pretties.

This book is in Books to Read in 2011. (community list)
This is book 17 of 98 in ALA's Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books: 2000-2009. (authoritative list)

Preceded by Forever..., and followed by Go Ask Alice.

This is book 16 of 214 in Best English-Language Fiction of the 20th Century. (authoritative list)

Preceded by A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, and followed by Beloved.

This is book 272 of 1272 in 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die. (authoritative list)

Preceded by A Boy's Own Story, and followed by Wittgenstein's Nephew.

This is book 182 of 195 in Shelfari Most Popular (June 2010). (authoritative list)

Preceded by Girl with a Pearl Earring, and followed by The Tales of Beedle the Bard.

This is book 83 of 95 in Telegraph Top 100 Books, 2008. (authoritative list)

Preceded by Cloud Atlas, and followed by The Remains of the Day.

This is book 18 of 96 in Waterstone's Top 100 Books of the 20th Century. (authoritative list)

Preceded by Winnie-the-Pooh, and followed by The Hobbit.

This is book 136 of 196 in BBC 'Big Read' Top 200 Novels, 2003. (authoritative list)

Preceded by Wyrd Sisters, and followed by Hogfather.

This is book 1983 of 83 in Pulitzer Prize Winners - Fiction. (authoritative list)

Preceded by Rabbit Is Rich, and followed by Ironweed.

This book is in Book Lust by Nancy Pearl. (authoritative list)
This is book 99 of 96 in Newsweek's Top 100 Books: The Meta-List. (authoritative list)

Preceded by Eminent Victorians, and followed by The Second World War.

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

  1. Alice Walker (Author) - Alice Walker was born in Eatonton, Georgia. She was loved by her parents and lived in a rural area of Georgia. She learned to appreciate music, and she appreciated nature because her mother was fond of gardening. As a child, she was accidentally shot in the eye with a BB gun by her brother. She later had an operation that made damage less noticeable. Before the surgery, she was blind on her right eye. In High School, she was Homecoming Queen. Alice Walker's greatest work is considered to be The Color Purple.

First Edition edit see section history

Original Language: English
Publisher: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich
Country: Add the country of publication.
Publication Date: June 1982
ISBN: 9780151191536
Page Count: 245

Awards edit see section history

Classification edit see section history

  • Library of Congress: PS3573.A425
  • Dewey: 813.54

Notes for Parents edit see section history

Reading Level: Adults

Language and sex

More Books Like This edit see section history

   
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Books That Cite This Book edit see section history

   
  • Breaking the Sound Barrier

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