FIRST IMPRESSIONS-JASMINE SALAMAT

By: Jasmine Salamat


              Even though I have read a limited amount of pages of the novel “The Color Purple” by Alice Walker, I have found a deep desire to continue. This book captivated my attention and now I am eager to read more. I enjoy the style of the book because of its uniqueness of being written in the format of a diary of a young girl, in the United States. She is going through a lot of issues, therefore is seeking for God’s assistance.

                There are many characters that have been revealed throughout the course of the first twenty pages of the novel. However, to me there are two specific characters that stand out. As mentioned before, the book is composed of private letters in which Celie has written to God. Celie is not just an ordinary 14 year old girl, as she faces many challenges. I would say that she is so strong yet vulnerable at the same time. Strength is demonstrated through Celie because she has dealt with the death of her mother and had to take her place in the family. Having to take care and nourish a family at such a young age is a great responsibility. To make matters worse, she is pregnant with her second child because her father sexually abuses her. This is where her vulnerability takes place because Celie never stopped her father from what he did and let him do whatever he desired. “He start to choke me, saying You better shut up and git used to it.”(Walker 1) reveals that Celie has let her father take advantage of her by not saying anything and listening to his commands.  I hope to see Celie’s character progress to being only strong and will stand up for her rights.

                Another character that I found important was Kate. She was the sister of Mr._____ whom Celie’s father made her marry. Kate was an interesting character to me because I feel that she did what Celie couldn’t do. She stands up for what she believes and states what she thinks is right.  Kate depicts pure strength and just. I greatly enjoyed the part where she encourages Celie to do the same. One way this is demonstrated was when she demanded Mr._____ to buy Celie new clothes. Celie did not think it was necessary, however, Kate says “It’s all right, Celie. You deserve more than this.” (Walker 21). Kate characterizes strength again by forcing Harpo, one of the oldest boys, to get water from the spring instead of Celie. Harpo explained how women work and he’s a man. Kate did not accept that and demanded him to get the water. From that moment on, Mr.____ had a private conversation with Kate which left her in tears. Kate’s visit ends there but leaves Celie saying “You got to fight them, Celie… I can’t do it for you. You got to fight them for yourself.” (Walker 21) Kate makes me feel elated and gives me hope for Celie, because she showcased how to take a stand for your rights.

There are an abundant amount of themes for this novel however; as I began to read more throughout the book, I thought the major themes would have to be courage and strength. I believe what Celie is going through right now in the novel is brutal, unfortunate, and gruesome way of living that no one should go through. I am hoping that eventually as the book progresses it shows Celie and her journey of gaining the confidence and strength in herself to live a better life which she deserves. Alice Walker wants to show what people truly experience in their lives and how it’s just not right.

The overall tone of the piece is the attitude of the writer. Alice Walker expresses herself through Celie, the protagonist and narrator of the novel. I believe Celie is unhappy with her life right now as she expresses all the faults that she has faced. Alice walker wants the readers to feel sympathetic and makes us feel sorry for all the unfortunate events that are happening to her. Therefore, there is a negative and depressing tone that is being set thus far.

I am very curious as to what’s going to happen in the end with Celie and all those around her. It’s intriguing to think of all the possible outcomes that might happen, and the character developments that may evolve. I have read so little, but excited to read what has yet to be discovered!

FIRST IMPRESSIONS- KAWSALYA NANTHAKUMAR

By: Kawsalya Nanthakumar

“The Color Purple” by Alice Walker, is a novel that captured my attention after only reading the first few pages.  As much was not explained in detail yet, I was engaged and I am curious on what is yet to come. However, with the knowledge that I have gained from what I have read, there is a lot to say about the novel.

Thus far, around eight characters have been introduced. Out of these characters, there are a few that caught my attention. Celie, the predominant character in the novel, is one among them. From what I have read, Celie is living a tough, painful and sorrowful life. The first few pages in the novel, reveals that she is a young fourteen year old girl, whose mother had passed away. When she says “Just say You gonna do what your mammy wouldn’t. First he put his thing up gainst my hip and sort of wiggle it around … saying You better Shut up and git used to it” (Walker 1), I understood that Celie was being sexually abused by her father. Despite the fact that this is the most disgusting thing a father could do to his daughter, it furthermore depicts the extremely difficult life she is living.

 Another character that I believe is significant is Mr.____. He was introduced as Nettie’s boyfriend, who Celie wanted Nettie to marry. However, their father thought Nettie was too young, and made Celie marry him. What comes to my attention is his name. Why is it Mr.____? I believe that there may be certain significance for that. When Celie explains about Mr.____’s children she says “The girls hair ain’t been combed since their mammy died” (Walker 1), shows that Mr.____ has not taken care of his children. This represents that he is very lazy and may have disregarded his children from his life.

The final character that I found very interesting is Shug Avery. She was described as a beautiful woman, rouge face and hair like a tail. From the moment she was mentioned till the end of the first twenty pages, she seemed to be an anonymous character. There was not anything mentioned about who she is and where she may be. When Kate, Mr.____’s sister, said  “he just brought her here, dropped her, and kept right on running after Shug Avery” (Walker 20), she exposes a little about who Shug Avery is, as Kate says that her brother would go after her even though he already had a wife. Shug Avery is a very mysterious character. I am most certainly looking forward to reading more, about these three characters, but also discovering more about the other characters yet to develop.

“The Color Purple” takes place in Africa as mentioned on the back cover of the book. It was evident that the novel took place in Africa in several ways. Such as when Celie talks about her lack of education, the way water was retrieved (a well or spring), and the kind of transportation they used, a wagon. The setting of the novel suits the story well as I have read other novels, such as “Chanda’s Secrets”, which take the same setting, and have a similar storyline as “The Color Purple.”

After reading the first section of this novel, I have an idea of what some potential themes may be. As soon as I realized that Celie was being sexually abused by her father, I immediately thought of theme of fear. If I was in her position, I would be beyond terrified, as I would not know what to do. On top of living with a father like that, not having a mother to tell your issues to would make me feel as if I was stranded alone on an island.  Another possible theme could be the lack of freedom for women. Celie, her mother, and Nettie all are treated with no respect and have no say in any decision. For example, Nettie liked Mr.___, but Celie was forced to marry him because of Nettie’s age. The decision was primarily made by their father and Mr.____, and they had never asked Celie or Nettie how they felt about it or what they truly wanted. In a sense, women were like slaves to men as they followed their orders, and fed them food and took care of their children. As the novel progresses, I would like to see these themes expand, an also unveil new themes.

The tone of a novel is mainly the speaker’s attitude. In this novel, the speaker is Celie, who is Alice Walker. As Celie uses words that make me feel angry, mournful, and gloomy, it is clear that the tone of the novel is negative. Seeing that the tone of the novel may or may not change, I wonder if the novel continues to be negative or changes as the story develops.

After reading the first twenty pages, I have taken a lot from the novel, and am expecting a lot from it as what I read was greatly interesting. I look forward to learn more about the characters, discover more themes, and finding out what the novel is all about.

First Impressions - Sabeana Uthayakumaran

By: Sabeana Uthayakumaran 

"The Color Purple" written by Alice Walker is a novel unlike any other I have read before. By reading the first few pages, my initial thought was that this book will be a challenging and tedious read because of the weak spelling and vocabulary that Celie utilizes. However, further in the novel the story captures my attention causing me to have many thoughts and points of views on each character and the story line.

            Throughout the first twenty pages of the novel, most characters that play an important role have been introduced. This novel consists of private letters written for God by the protagonist, Celie. This shows that Celie will be writing with complete honestly since she had written these letters for her, and God’s eyes only. Celie is portrayed as an unfortunate fourteen year old who is facing sexual abuse from her own father. Celie is told to keep silent about all of what her father has done to her, which was displayed when he told her to “shut up and git used to it”(Walker 1). Celie is shown as an inferior woman that is afraid to stand up for her rights. When Celie states “A girl at church say you git big if you bleed every month. I don’t bleed no more”(Walker 5), it shows how Celie is only fourteen years old and is already pregnant with her second child. She let her father take advantage of her and did not speak up to be left alone because of being so terrified of the outcome. The father of Celie has also been looking at Nettie, Celie’s younger sister, in an inappropriate way as well. Celie’s father has gruesome intentions and is most definitely not worthy of being a father to Celie and Nettie. Soon after, a character that is unidentified named “Mr.______”, becomes an important role in Celie’s life. Mr.______ had shown interest in the younger sister Nettie, however ends up marrying Celie due to her fathers command. Mr.______ seems that he has no interest in Celie, although chooses to marry her because there isn't any negative affect to it. She would just do him justice for sexual convenience.  From what I have read, Celie wants an education and has the desire to succeed in life. Mr.______ does not seem worthy of her and her ambitions due to his lack of interest and seems to have bad intentions.

         As mentioned before, Celie lives in South Africa. If I were Celie, I would pack my bags and get away from her father as soon as I would be able to. However, this isn't the case for Celie. Celie is a young individual who lives in South Africa and unfortunately not financially independent. This demonstrates that she cannot do as she wills and desires, because she has nothing and no where to run to. The setting of this story is realistic according to the way of life in Africa. Therefore, it gives the story a realistic touch and a reassurance that these events actually occur in real life. The setting has me engaged in the book due to the fact that I constantly have in mind that this is possibly happening to someone else. Furthermore, this aspect of the story helps readers connect to the world and gives more vivid interpretation on what will happen later in the novel.

        The author, Alice Walker, had already showcased the vulnerability of woman throughout the beginning of the story line very effectively. As of now, Celie is in a challenging position. She has been sexually harassed and is forced to keep quiet or face severe consequences. Celie is also now in a relationship that she is unhappy with and has no contact with her own beloved daughter, Olivia. I believe that Alice Walker will try to portray the struggles many females are forced to face by showing Celie’s journey throughout her life. Celie gave up many hopes and dreams she had for herself, and hopefully she moves past the obstacles to show how she can be independent and is not an object.

         Celie being the narrator of the novel causes us to feel sympathetic towards her because she is depicting her side and view of the story. Celie dealing with tragic events gives readers a negative view of the story because of what she explains that occurs in her life. This causes readers to feel angry and irritated because of her feeling lonely and upset. This novel will give the audience a negative tone due to the fact that characters in the novel are not respecting Celie’s rights as a human. All in all, I believe this novel is so far engaging and will have me go through various emotions reading about Celie’s journey in life.  

First Impressions- Jeffrey Pan

By: Jeffrey Pan

The Color Purple is a novel written by Alice Walker. It focuses on the events and life of Celie, an African American woman living in the United States in a time of sexism and racism. This topic interested me as the reader gets to see through the perspective of a person living through this situation, instead of the perspective of a historian, or omniscient narrator. I compared the perspective Celie to my perspective in modern times and discovered major differences in way of life, gender roles, and overall human rights. This interests me more as I  get to experience an extremely different lifestyle.

Instead of chapters, the novel is separated into letters to God, which I found quite interesting. This makes the novel feel like a diary, and conveys a sentimental mood. Celie is the protagonist as well as the narrator, so it is told in first person. The speaker’s attitude, or tone in the novel appears to be very confessional and direct, maybe even blunt. I did not enjoy the tone very much as it becomes quite boring at times. Celie is completely honest and straightforward with her opinions in her letters, which again makes the novel feel like a diary. Though many novels are written in third person, I did not find it unusual to find this book written in this perspective and format, because I just recently finished Flowers For Algernon, a novel that is also in first person perspective, and has similar formatting.

At the very beginning of the novel, the reader gets a clear idea of the context, as we are exposed to the physical and sexual assaulting of Celie by her father. I understand the author’s idea of putting something so dramatic in the first few pages, to grab our attention and keep us reading, as well as introducing the type of harsh treatment Celie had to endure on a regular basis. This captured my attention and made me think about the gender roles the people in this time period had. I was somewhat disturbed by the language used, because of how blunt and direct it was, but it gave me a clear perspective of the pain and suffering Celie goes through.

One of the first things that caught my attention was the language used; the spelling was a bit off, some of the grammar was wrong, and slang was used. For example, Celie does not use quotation marks to show dialogue, but instead writes “He/She say”  The use of these mechanics helped me further understand the setting and context of the novel, because we learn that Celie is uneducated. The language and grammar was quite confusing and difficult to read at first, but was intriguing nonetheless. Though the usage of these mechanics is creative, I found that some parts were quite disappointing and frustrating to read, because of Celie’s limited ability to narrate her own life.

The protagonist of The Color Purple is Celie. She appears to be a very passive and submissive character. This is demonstrated when she is physically and sexually abused by her father, and later husband, but does nothing to stop this. I believe she does this because she is scared that she will be punished further for standing up for herself. At first I began to question her passiveness, but then felt sympathetic for her as I realized her situation at that time period. I believe her abusive upbringing affects her character greatly, and I predict that the story will focus on her development into a stronger, more confident character.

Mr.____, Celie’s abusive husband appears to be an important character. Though they are married, he does not treat Celie like a human being. This is demonstrated when he looks at Celie “like he looking at the earth.” I dislike his characteristics, as he treats his own wife like a slave. Though he is a negative influence on Celie at the moment, I believe that he will play a great role in her development as a character.  I was confused at first about his name, but I have to come to the conclusion that Celie wrote his name as Mr. ____ to demonstrate that his real name is not important, but to symbolize something greater, not just one specific man.

Shug Avery appears to be Celie’s character foil, she is pretty, confident and well-dressed, unlike Celie. She is also the character the leads me to believe that Celie’s future will change. My first impression of Shug is positive, and I believe that Shug will have a great influence over Celie, and that Ceie will change for the better.

After reading the first twenty pages of the novel, I look forward to the development of Celie as a character. I hope she becomes more independent and confident about herself. I am also anticipating the effect of gender roles on the characters in their society, as well as the development in conflict between Mr.___ and Celie. In conclusion, the creative plot has me interested and I will continue reading the novel with a positive attitude.