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.
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