Book Review: The Color Purple, A Story About the Strggles Black Women in America

About the Author

Alice walker is a popular African American writer who wrote many famous novels and essays. Her work mainly dealt with race and gender oppression. One of the most renowned works is this novel which won a national book award and a Pulitzer award for fiction. Her books have been translated into many different languages. Some of her other works are possessing the secret of joy, in love and trouble, and living by the world.

Introduction

The book is an epistolary novel where it is told in letter form- in which Alice Walker traces the gradual progress of the main protagonist, Celie, a poor black woman who abused, raped, and separated from them only beloved sister, Nettie. The book is set in the South in an unnamed country in Africa during 1930- 1940. The book stands strong in the exploration of hardships faced by black women in those times and how she fights them back using her faith, creativity, and relationships.

Book Summary

The book starts with Celie’s letter where we see how the person she believes to as her father, Alphonso, rapes her and threatens her to not tell that to anybody. He tells her how God is the only one who can she tell, this is she started writing letters to God. As the story goes further we can see how he has impregnated Celie twice and given her babies to someone. Celie’s only concern in her family is her smart sister, Nettie. She always fears how her father will use her also one day. Later in the novel, Celie ends up marrying an older man, Albert as her father declines him to marry Nettie.

Albert is not just an older man but also has many children who disrespect Celie a lot but she tries her best. Albert abuses her verbally and physically and is shown in love with a singer Shug Avery, who he couldn’t marry. 

Nettie comes to stay with Celie and tries to reject Albert’s attention which makes him angry and throws her out of the house. Before leaving she promises to write to Celie daily. Celie goes as a missionary among the Olinka tribe to stay with Samuel and Corrine who might have adopted Celie’s kids.    

Whereas Celie’s world turns upside down when Albert brings Shug home. She was sick and Celie tries her best to help and heal her. This leads to good friendships with them which confuses their whole family. This friendship leaves her developing feelings for Shug who tells her about sexual pleasures. They together find Nettie’s letter which Albert was hiding out of revenge. Celie leaves him with Shug. Later, Celie holds control over her life and visits Georgia where Albert and she become friends.

In the end, Celie discovers that Alphonso was not their biological father and feels relieved. After his death, they both inherit his house and land. Shug leaves Celie and comes back after some time to be again with her and on other hand, Nettie comes back with Olivia and Adam, Celie’s biological children, and the family reunites. 

Some Famous Quotes from Novel

• “Girl, you oughta bash Mister’s head open and think about heaven later,”

• “But I don’t know how to fight, all I know how to do is stay alive”

• “I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don't notice it. People think pleasing God is all God cares about. But any fool living in the world can see it always trying to please us back.”

• “People think pleasing God is all God cares about. But any fool living in the world can see it always trying to please us back.”

The Color Purple is a motivational novel that doesn’t just show how Celie deals with and stands strong in facing all the hardships of life but also spreads the message of accepting and loving yourself in true ways. The book celebrates the black identity as well as the community. 

The growth of all the women characters despite living in such a patriarchal world is tremendous. The novel depicts the racial and gender oppression faced by Africans. 

After numerous rapes and violence, the happy ending gives readers a sense of calmness.

Ratings- 5/5

Written by Kirti Garg

Edited by Kritika Sharma