Response to Jasmine's First Impression Journal- Jeffrey Pan

Hi Jasmine, I was interested when I was reading about your first impressions of The Color Purple. Your opinions and thoughts on  the first few pages of the novel has given me new perspective and insight different aspects of the book. There are very few things missing, but there are some details and aspects of the novel that you can expand on.

Your first impression journal is well organized, logical, and very easy to follow, I did not have any confusion with the ordering of your paragraphs. You gave your insight on Kate, a character that did not stand out to me until now. You gave good reasons and evidence to support your opinion on how she is a strong and just character. I understand your impression of Celie and I have a similar opinion of her. I liked how you mentioned that she is in fact a strong character; I am interested in how she develops as a character and hope you are too.

I found a few problems with your work, mainly on what you did not talk about. Firstly, you didn’t speak much on the subject matter and setting of the novel. I believe that these aspects play a great role in understanding the novel, so you could be more informative when it comes to talking about this these particular aspects of the novel. Also, I think you were a bit confused about what tone meant, because you gave us the definition of tone instead of explaining to us what the tone of the novel actually is. Again, I think the tone of the is quite important to the understanding of the novel. Next time you can expand more on these topics and be sure to include your thoughts on these parts of the novel.

You had many positives and a few negatives in your first impression journal. I suggest that you continue writing in the way that you do, but also to make sure that you have included everything that is required to give the reader full insight. Great work!

CHARACTER ANALYSIS - JASMINE SALAMAT

There were many characters that appeared throughout this section; however the three most influential characters were Mr.____, Sofia, and Shug Avery.

Mr.____ seems to be a man who is self-absorbed. He only thinks about himself and what is best for him. He treats Celie, his wife, with disrespect and only uses her for his pleasure. Celie is treated like a slave and sadly has to deal with the bruises that Mr.____ gives her. He’s very controlling because he always tells Celie what to do and always gets his way. There was one point in this section where Mr.____ seemed like a genuine person because he took in Shug Avery when she got abandoned for being sick. The way I interpret these gestures is that Mr.____ always loved Shug Avery, and as Shug Avery begins to heal they begin to have a sexual relationship. It is obvious that Mr.____ does not care Celie thinks because knows about Shug and Mr.____ sexual relationship. If he was truly loyal to Celie he would have never done such a thing. He is disrespectful in a way of never showing his affection to Celie but when Shug Avery comes along he always focuses his attention to her. This is just like the beginning of the book when he always complimented Celie’s sister Nettie.  Mr.____ seems to be a character that brings negativity and is a bad role model to his children. His eldest child Harpo was unsatisfied with his wife because she never listened to Harpo and stood up to him. Harpo explains how he should beat her just like Mr.___ does to Celie because his wife doesn’t do what he wants her to. Mr.___ needs to take others feelings into consideration and treat them with respect.  

This next character is very unique and different compared to the others and is definitely distinctive from the other females in this novel. Sofia is a character who is independent, confident, and very violent. In this section it has been revealed that Sofia was once married to Harpo and eventually left him. I felt like this was a big deal because in this novel it displays that women are very vulnerable and cannot stand up for themselves. In Sofia’s case, she decided to leave Harpo and get control of her own life again. It seemed as if Sofia was so strong and independent that Harpo was frustrated that he couldn’t control her. “But not Sofia. She do what she want, don’t pay me no mind at all. I try to beat her, she black my eyes.” (Walker 63). I think that people should fear Sofia because she stands her ground and whenever situations go wrong, it ends up concluding badly with someone getting hurt. In this section, Sofia was put into two arguments that resulted with her punching people. Sofia got in an argument with Squeak, her ex-husbands girlfriend, and the mayor’s wife. Unfortunately, Sofia was put into jail and suffered there but still stuck through her duties and survived after being brutally beat up. Sofiia was most definitely an influential character in this section because she portrayed many characteristics a lot of women in this novel couldn’t.

Shug Avery was one of the most influential characters of this section because you can see how her character changed dramatically in a positive way. At first it seemed like Shug Avery was a negative and rude person, this was revealed when Mr.____ took her in when she was miserably sick and no else wanted her. The first thing Shug says to Celie was, “You sure is ugly, she say, like she ain’t believed it.” (Walker 46). I believed that the environment in the house was going to be even worse now that Shug Avery was living there but it got significantly better. Her gracious and kind-hearted self was revealed mainly toward Celie. Shug listened and comforted Celie when she talked about her past and made Celie feel like she belonged. “Nobody ever love me, I say. She say, I love you, Miss Celie.” (Walker 112-113)  This demonstrates how caring Shug is by making Celie feel something that she’s never felt in a long time, loved. “I won’t leave, she say, until I know Albert won’t even think about beating you.” (Walker 75) This displays the protective and strong side of Shug as she tells Celie she won’t go anywhere until things around the house are right. She knew that Celie wouldn’t stand up for herself with Mr.____ and Shug sacrificed herself to stay and made sure not to leave until Celie was in capable hands. Shug and Celie gain a solid relationship throughout this section. They became so close that Shug made a song for Celie. Shug loved singing and got back on her feet by performing at Harpo’s juke joint. I infer that Shug has great confidence in herself because of all the fans and customers that come watch her perform. She performed wonderfully many times which is also how she got some of her fame back. Therefore, Shug Avery was a character that shows confidence, strength, and kindness. She loved and cared for many and fortunately, received the same thing back.

MEMORABLE MOMENT- JASMINE SALAMAT

                  The most memorable moment in my section was when Celie found out Mr.____ was hiding Nettie’s letters from her. “I watch him so close, I begin to feel a lightening in the head. Fore I know anything I’m standing hind his chair with his razor open.” (Walker 120) This part seemed to have brought fire into Celie, she has a weak spot for her sister and would do anything to keep her safe. Celie missed her sister greatly and she did not appreciate the fact that Mr.____ hid several letters from her. “Naw, I say. Mr.____ mean sometimes, but he not that mean. --- But how come he do it? I ast. He know Nettie mean everything in the world to me.” (Walker 119) It gave Celie more of a reason to be more aggressive and non passive toward Mr._____. The more anger she has the more strength she has to stand up to him. Shug Avery helped out by getting Mr._____’s key to unlock the trunk where all his secret stuff is hidden. This was a memorable moment because suspense builds up immediately and I was anxious to find out what was going to happen next. I enjoyed this part very much because I found it heart-warming that Shug would risk everything by helping Celie just because she knew how much Nettie meant to Celie. There were many questions running through my head as this particular part happened. What if Mr.______ came back earlier and caught Celie and Shug Avery? Together, Shug and Celie, steamed and opened the letters so that Celie could read them. Great emotions run through Celie’s head as she begins to read the letters. I find that if they got caught, it would result in more beatings toward Celie and Mr.____ would treat Celie just like he did in the beginning of the book, with no respect. I was overjoyed when I read Nettie’s letters to Celie. Nettie explained how happy and fortunate she was to be with Samuel and Corrine. It brought my spirit up along with Celie's knowing that Nettie is doing just fine.

WRITING IN ROLE- JASMINE SALAMAT

Dear Nettie,

            I can’t believe it! Your still alive! Thank you God! I never thought I’d hear from you ever again. I always thought of you Nettie, everyday. I would git so worried, all I wanted was for you to be safe. I ast God every day. Please keep Nettie safe, wherever she go. I am so happy for you though! Sounds like you having lot of fun with Corrine and Samuel. Bring me to all the places you went to okay?  You have to tell me everything when I finally git to see you.

            I WILL see you soon Nettie, promise. I need you, I miss seeing you. Your right, I need to leave Mr._____. I can’t believe he hid your letters to me. I am so angry. I don’t look at him like I used to. I find them in the corner of his truck, there so many letters he keep and opened! He knows how much I miss you and how much I ast about you. I’ll never forgive him for doing  this to us. Us deserve to be together. You and me. We see eachother very soon, I can’t wait til the day come for us be together again.

            Nettie, keep having fun for me okay? and stay safe. I hope this letter gits to you. I want you to know that I’m okay though, and everyone in the house is gitting nicer to me, so don’t worry. I love you so much Nettie. 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Your sister, Celie

Writing in Role - Sabeana Uthayakumaran

The book The Color Purple consists of letters written by Celie to God. I have chosen to write the next letter after my section in the novel.

Dear God,

Mr.______ is acting funny. I ast what I had done wrong but he ain’t answering and beat me hard to do my chores. I think he saw me and Shug together. He looks like he has something in mind. But I don’t care. Shug taught me to care no more. I know Shug and Mr._____ are in love. I want love too. Anyways she cares about me too she says it in her songs. I wonder what Nettie would want me to do. I miss her haven’t seen her in long. She has and Shug Avery is the only people I love and care about. I am writing letters for her now so she knows I am always here. Mr._____ said he will send them to her for me. The only nice thing he has done in long time. But I have not got any back from Nettie. I think she dead because she would have sent a letter to me for sure I am her sister. But just seeing Shug is not enough, I need my sister. Everyone feels home but me. I am still dumb and ugly, even Shug Avery thought so. But that is the least of my problems; I need to find out how Nettie is. 

Character Analysis - Sabeana Uthayakumaran

By: Sabeana Uthayakumaran

The young protagonist Celie displays many great characteristics throughout the novel. She proves how she is strong and courageous. Celie is an uneducated African woman that has been constantly dealing with abuse and gets put down because of her appearance. For this reason, she decided to write letters to God to express what is actually going on in her mind.  Celie beings her first letter to God by writing, “I am- I have always been a good girl.” This instantly displays how Celie’s character is full of innocence. She is a true Christian who believes all of her gifts and talents have been given by God. She understood that calling herself a good girl is selfish and was trying to show god that she is truly trying to be the best person she can be. That has given readers immediately the impression that Celie is well morals and is an admirable character.  Celie unfortunately has been suffering with abuse from her father and her husband, Mr._____. She lacks the ability to fight for her to not be mistreated. However, she soon finally meets a character that is currently helping her to come out of her shell and motivates her to fight for herself.  She steps outside her comfort because of Shug being a positive influence on her. Celie has also learnt that she is also attracted to women. An attraction that no man has ever left her feeling.

Not much has been introduced about the character Shug Avery, although there are certain parts revealed that has created a clear image of her personality. Shug Avery is a singer that Mr._____ has been and is currently in love with. However in Celie’s letters, her character is first portrayed as one with a sickening personality. “A woman at church say she dying--- maybe two berkulosis or some kind of nasty woman disease”, Celie writes when collection information from people in her town about Shug being sick. This indicates that Shug is likely to be suffering with a sexually transmitted disease. Although not from being raped as Celie had been, but by choice. She has been neglected by her own parents, which could possibly mean that she was not able to gain her parents respect to allow them to accept her. Shug has a unique character unlike others, where she chooses to grant people the opportunity to define her. She showcases herself as someone who believes its best to hide her experiences and past from others, and does not care about what others think of her. When Shug Avery first meets Celie she says to her, “you sure is ugly.” This presents Shug as someone who is quick to judge and also brutally honest. Shug had no concern or thought of what Celie’s first impression of her could be, but the truth is, she does not care.

Mr._____, also known as Albert according to Shug, has played a significant role in Celie’s life. Albert has already shown many interests in different women in the novel so far. He had first desired to marry Celie’s little sister Nettie. But then gets persuaded to get married to Celie by Alphonso’s (Celie’s father) command. He does not show any affection towards Celie and treats her as an object. Which makes sense, due to the fact that later he reveals to Celie that he is in love with the mysterious Shug Avery. However, he was not able to marry Shug because of bad impression she has on the public, and most importantly Albert’s father’s opinion of her. Although Mr._____ decides to bring Shug to his home in order for her to recover from her illness, he isn’t the one who is taking care of her, Celie is. This is demonstrated when Celie states, “They have made three babies together but he squeamish bout giving her a bath.” Albert is possibly only interested in Shug Avery in physical aspects, because of him not wanting to take initiative to take care of Shug Avery. Regardless, there has not been much about Mr._____ that has been exposed but knowing about Shug’s and Celie’s connection will cause Mr._____ to begin to play an important role in the novel. 

WRITING IN ROLE- KAWSALYA NANTHAKUMAR

By: Kawsalya Nanthakumar 
            The Color Purple is comprised of letters written by Celie and Nettie, which are written to God or each other. In this journal, I have chosen to write as Celie and decided to write a final letter to God.
Dear God,           
             I finally made it. Nettie is home, and us all happy. After so many years I can finally hug my sister, embrace the love that I did not git for so long. Us go out on the porch, everyone sleeping. Us lay there and stare at the stars. Celie, she said. Yea, I said. I don't know where I would be with out you, she said. Everyday I would think about you, think about reading your letters, coming back home. I smiled me too, I said. You know the day we split up; I knew for sure I would see you again. You such a strong, smart girl, there was no way I wasn't going to see you again. But then there were days where I would lose hope. And why was that, she ast. Don't know, you seemed so far sometimes, I said.           
            Us sat there for a long time. I know she was thinking about a lot of stuff. I was too. I think us didn't know how to start talking about it. I am so used to writing. I think she is too.            
           She looks deeply into the sky. How do you think mama would feel right now, she ast. She be so mad at us, I said. Why, she ast. Because us didn't wash the dishes in the sink inside, I said. We laughed. We haven't done that together. Ever. It felt so good. I wish she was here, I said. She is, she said. Nettie pointed at the brightest, shiniest star in the sky. I took her hand and looked at the star. Thank you, I said.                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                        Amen            

Writing in Role- Jeffrey Pan

Dear Nettie,

        “I am so happy. I got love, I got work, I got money, friends and time. And you alive and be home soon. With our children.” (Walker 205) Ever since I left Mr.____, my life has been looking up. I have come to realize that he he was a very bad influence on me. He has been holding me back from my full potential all these years. Now that I am free from all the hard work and chores that Mr.____ piled on me, I can spend my time sewing and making pants, for woman! It sounds crazy right? They are actually very comfortable and convenient. All this money that I made from this business has allowed me to stop relying on Shug for my money, and become more independant. With the amount of support I get from Shug and Squeak, I have reached a level happiness that I never had before. I am doing what I love, with who I love, in a place I love.

        I miss you very much, Nettie, and I cannot wait until you return to the states with our children. How are you Nettie? You speak so much of your acquaintances but never about yourself. I hope you are healthy and strong. I am sorry for your loss of your friend, Corrine. I know she was a good mother to the children and a good friend to yourself. You may find this quite strange, but the way you describe the people in Africa sounds very much alike to the people in America! Women are being treated in similar manners in both societies. They are usually dominated by the men and have very little say about what goes on in the community. After telling Shug about this, she got very angry, she says that she hopes and prays for the day that genders are treated equally. I do not understand why she is so mad though, all people treat her with respect because of how she holds herself, how she speaks, and how she thinks. These are some things that I admire about her, she is strong-willed, demanding and confident. Hopefully I can learn from her, and be more like her. Nettie, they are a million questions I still want to ask, but I will save them for when you return, keep yourself and the children safe and healthy!

Your loving sister, Celie

CHARACTER ANALYSIS- KAWSALYA NANTHAKUMAR

After reading the last section of the novel, The Color Purple, there has been an evident development in the characters. As I have only read the beginning and end of this novel, I found understanding the novel much more challenging. However, in doing so, the transformation of various characters was clear and noticeable. Many characters have developed in many aspects; specifically, Mr.____, Celie and Nettie.

Mr.____ has changed in various aspects, but has also remained the same in certain ways. In the beginning of the novel, he was portrayed as a lazy person, as he would not pay much attention, or care for his children. I believe this characteristic and habit in Mr.____ has been carried out through the novel as Sofia says, “Mr.____ live like a pig. Shut up in the house so much it stunk” (Walker 224). It is clear that Mr.____’s way of living has not changed, if so, it has gotten worse. The reason for this may be because of the divorce he and Celie have had.  Other than Mr.____’s “housekeeping” habits, there are some habits that he has changed; for example, his attitude towards Celie, who is now his ex wife. In the beginning of the novel, he treated Celie with rarely any respect, as he would refer to her as “that one.” For example, when Mr.____ says, “I ain't never really look at that one” (Walker 8).    He would look down on Celie and thought she was rather ugly compared to Nettie. Now, when he sees her he shows more respect to her, and boots her self confidence by complimenting her. “You look real good since you been up in Memphis” (Walker 254) says Mr.____, as he tried to “flirt” with Celie. With all these hints shown throughout the last section of the novel, I predicted that Celie and Mr.____ had split up, and gotten divorced. However, Mr.____ greatly tries to get Celie back, as he is constantly complimenting her, and supporting her through some difficult times. However, in the end, he does not end up with Celie, instead, a close friend.

In the beginning of the novel, all the letters were written by Celie. However, I discovered in the final section, that some of the letters were also written by Nettie, to Celie. Nettie was always depicted as the more educated and intelligent one, between the sisters. This was evident in the final section of the novel as well, because when I read the letters by Nettie, it was much more grammatically correct compared to Celie’s writings. As mentioned, Nettie was greatly interested in educating herself, and as I continued to read, in the final section I understood and found out that Nettie was a part of a missionary, preaching. This reveals to me that she has a passion for educating and teaching others, and not only herself. This also shows that she is passionate for her religion, as she travels and preaches. In the beginning of the novel, Nettie was supposed marry Mr.____ but her father did not allow it to happen. As I read my section of the novel, it was reveled that she had gotten married to someone else, named Samuel. She has struggled with love earlier in the novel, but seems to be extremely content with who she has now. “But Samuel tells me he loves me plump and graying” (Walker 226); when Nettie says this in her letter, it assures Celie that she is living a happy married life, as Samuel shows that he loves Nettie the way she is. After reading multiple letters written by Nettie, she would constantly write how much she misses her sister, and wishes she could be with her. As I continued reading, it was clear that Nettie and Celie were going to meet soon. As they haven’t seen each other for almost 30 years, I believe the moment they meet again, will be a great goal achieved.

Last but definitely not the least, is Celie. She has grown so much emotionally, physically and mentally. In the beginning of the novel, Celie lives a very stressful and painful life. However, in the final portion, Celie’s life has significantly improved, compared to her lifestyle early in the novel. She had gotten rid of Mr.____, who she despised to be married to, earlier in the novel. “Mr.____ done ast me to marry him again… I say Naw… let’s us be friends” (Walker 283); here, Celie rejects Mr.____’s second proposal, which shows us that she knows that she is better off without him, and makes the right decision by rejecting him. As I was reading, there was something that stuck out in my mind. Celie talked a lot about Shug in her letters, and from time to time she would say how she loves her; and I believe the love was more than a friendly or sisterly love. When Shug reveals to Celie about a guy that she loves, she says, “I just been dying to tell somebody and you the somebody I usually tell… I still love you” (Walker 249); Shug reveals a secret to Celie, that she knows would hurt Celie, emphasizing the importance and meaning of their relationship. When Celie says things such as, “sometimes I think Shug never love me. I stand looking at my naked self in the glass. What would she love?” (Walker 259), Celie expresses how she feels after finding out that Shug loves someone else, Germaine. The fact that she was looking at her naked body and asked what Shug would love about it, suggests that their relationship was more than just friends. When Celie said this line, I began to wonder if she was interested in both men and women. As the novel progressed, I also came to discover that Celie began to sew. She made pants for men and women, and also taught Mr.____ how to sew as well. Furthermore, Celie has transformed mentally, as she has a much more positive mentality then she did before. She was very much negative and hopeless in the beginning of the novel. However, in the end, she looks on the bright side of things, making smart decisions and doing what is best for her. At the end of the novel, in her final letter to God, she writes about her reuniting with her sister. After all these years, the hope and trust she had in God finally, brought her sister back to her.

Despite the fact that I only read the beginning and end of the novel, I gained insight of the characters, and experienced their transformations by piecing together the information. I found this to be an interesting way to read a novel, as it truly changes the perspective of the reader. 

Character Analysis- Jeffrey Pan

By: Jeffrey Pan

The three most influential characters in my section (pages 148-216) are Celie, Shug, and Nettie.

Celie is the protagonist as well as the narrator in the novel. In this section, we get to see the development of her character from having a quiet and timid attitude, into being a confident and poised person. At the beginning of the section, she speaks to others very little, allowing Shug to do most of the talking for her. This is demonstrated when Shug and Celie go to visit Celie’s father, and Celie says very little, keeping her thoughts to herself, and speaks only when being asked a question. However, Celie becomes a more empowered person, and learns how to fight for herself. She finally stands up to Mr.____ for all his years of abuse and says “I curse you...until you do right by me, everything you touch will crumble.” (Walker 206) She is finally able to express her true emotions. Towards the end of the section, her changed character and attitude brings upon positivity and happiness, “I am so happy. I got love, I got work, I got money, friends and time.” ( Walker 205) Celie values her family (excluding Mr.____) and friends above all else. Celie tells Mr.___ “You took my sister Nettie away from me, I say. And she was the only person love me in the world.” (Walker 200) revealing her anger at him for what he did, and in turn demonstrates her love and care for her sister. After finding out that her children and sister are alive, she is determined to see them, and works hard to provide for them in the future. In other words, her goal is to reconnect with her long lost family, and she is motivated by her love of her family. Celie states “Since us started making pants down home, I ain’t been able to stop” (Walker 211) demonstrating her hard work to make a living for her family. Celie does not have many interests, besides her admiration of Shug Avery, another influential character. Celie is with Shug through almost all of the section. Celie confides in her and asks for her advice.

Shug Avery is a famous singer that is loved by many for her good looks, and beautiful voice. She is an important character in this section as she serves as the greatest influence over Celie, the protagonist of the novel. Shug is the complete opposite from the ‘old’ Celie. Shug is confident, and has a lot of self-esteem. She demands respect from everyone, even men. This is demonstrated when she speaks to Celie’s father, someone she barely knows “I brought Celie...Your daugter Celie. She wanted to visit you. Got some questions.”(Walker 180) Shug says this in a very assertive manner. We also learn that Shug is also a very compassionate and loving person. When Celie could not find the place where her mother was buried, she was sorrowful and heartbroken, but Shug said “Us each other’s people now”, (Walker 183) demonstrating her care for Celie. Shug aspires to be an even more successful performer, which is why she moves to Memphis. She also hopes to bring joy and happiness to Celie, who becomes a good friend of hers. She tells Celie “I brought you here to love you and help you get on your feet.” (Walker 211) Shug is interested in singing, which is why she is a singer, and in turn explains the main reason why she moves to Memphis.

Nettie is Celie’s younger sister. Nettie communicates to Celie in the form of letters, but Mr.____ hid many of the letters for several years, which led Celie to believe Nettie was dead. Celie finds and reads these letters from which Nettie. Nettie writes Africa, she is missionary that teaches children in a small village. Nettie is extremely influential because she is the person who gives Celie faith and confidence to keep a positive attitude in life, through her letters. We learn that Nettie, like Celie, values her family and friends highly. “Since Corrine’s illness, all her work has fallen on me, and I must nurse her as well, which she resents” (Walker 172) This reveals her love for her friends, even if they do not like her much as she enjoys them. This is also demonstrated when she continually writes to Celie, though she receives no response, she has the slightest hope that maybe one Celia may be able to read it. “And I imagine that you really get my letters and that you are writing me back.”(Walker 155) It is clear that Nettie is not interested in men, nor is she influenced by them. “But I am not the mother of anybody’s children, I said, and I am something.” (Walker 156) This reveals that she does not care for marrying and having children, but instead spending time on what she is interested in, like teaching children and learning. She `ultimately wants to reconnect with her sister Celie, we can infer this through her many letters to her, though receives no response. She also wants to inform Celie of the events Africa and Celie’s long lost children as much as possible. “I will write more when things start looking up. I trust God they will.”(Walker 171)

MEMORABLE MOMENT- KAWSALYA NANTHAKUMAR

By: Kawsalya Nanthakumar

From the section that I have read, the final portion, there is one moment that stuck in my mind. The final letter Celie wrote to God, was the most emotional, thoughtful and important letter written in the novel. As Celie greets the letter to God, stars, trees, sky, people and everything, it shows how Celie is embracing everything. She opens the letter by saying thank you for bringing her sister Nettie, back home. She mentions how she was sitting with Shug and Albert (Mr.____) which represents unity; the fact that they are all together shows the acceptance and love they have for one another, as they sit and talk outside the porch. Finally, when Nettie and her family arrive, Celie says “by now my heart is in my mouth and I can't move” (Walker 286), this expresses Celie’s overwhelming joy in seeing her sister after almost 30 years. The sincere and true love the sisters share is greatly represented when Celie writes, “I stand swaying, tween Albert and Shug. Nettie stand swaying tween Samuel and reckon it must be Adam. Then us both start to moan and cry… Us sit and lay there on the porch inside each other’s arms” (Walker 286). I thought that this moment was very memorable as I can almost feel as if I am there with the two sisters. I can imagine the amount of JOY they may be experiencing as these sisters have not seen each other in so long. In addition, after going through such difficult times both together and separately, and having only communicated through letters, all the emotions presented in the letters can now finally be let out. And as the novel comes to an end, Celie signs off saying “I think this the youngest us ever felt” (Walker 288); Celie makes a statement that all the characters in the novel can relate and agree with. In saying this, I understood that Celie feels amazing and has never felt like this before. The love, joy, and happiness in the final letter is truly a great way to end a story filled with grief, pain and sorrow. 

Most Memorable Moment - Sabeana Uthayakumaran

By: Sabeana Uthayakumaran
          The most memorable letter from my section was when Celie first meets Shug Avery. Mr.____ introduces Celie to Shug Avery for the very first time. This moment was the most memorable because it reveals an important aspect about the protagonist, Celie. We learn about her interests, which helps create a better understanding of Celie’s potential perspectives in different scenarios. Celie is full of excitement. She finally gets to meet the beautiful girl she had constantly been dreaming and thinking of from witnessing a picture of the woman, Shug Avery. Celie pictured Shug to have a grand personality, because of her alluring appearance.  However, the first words that had rolled out of Shug Avery’s mouth when she had first seen Celie were, “you sure is ugly.” Celie being the person she is, blocks that comment away and does her duty. Her job currently is to take care of her, because Shug is suddenly ill. Therefore, she is recovering at Celie’s house, which led Celie to find out certain parts about her she wasn't aware about before. Although, this oddly was not a job for Celie, she found pleasure with being involved to help take care of Celie. One of Celie’s chores was to bathe and wash Shug, which had been the first time she had observed a females naked body. Celie confesses in her letter to God that this excited Celie in a way that no man had excited her. She explicates on how she had turned in to a man when witnessing Shug Avery.

            After Celie admits her feelings of sexual attraction towards Shug, it is clearly evident that Celie is interested and prefers women. Celie later begins to share better moments with Shug. Shug had even composed a song due to Celie and they both begin to progress in a healthy friendship. When Shug dedicates a song to Celie she feels special, because no one has ever done anything that nice towards her. From the kind gestures Shug is starting to deliver to Celie, the feeling will soon become mutual. This means that both Celie and Shug will possibly be involved in a relationship. Not just a physical relationship, but emotional, because of the new emotions that Celie is starting to receive by acts from Shug. However, Celie is the woman that Mr._____ has been hopelessly in love with. Therefore, this relationship can lead into several issues.

Most Memorable Moment- Jeffrey Pan

By: Jeffrey Pan

The most memorable moment from my section (pages 148-216) has got to be when Celie stands up for herself against Mr.____. During the dinner of the celebration of Sophia’s release from being a slave for the mayor’s wife, Shug Avery announces that she, her husband, and Celie will be moving to Memphis. Mr. ____, Celie’s abusive husband, is astonished and immediately forbids Celie from going. Celie explains that Mr.____ is a “lowdown dog” and that she wants to start a new life, so leaving him is just part of the process. Celie confronts him, by mentioning the years of abuse, what he did to her sister, Nettie, and what will happen to him once Nettie returns from Africa. Mr.____ retaliates by saying “But what you got? You ugly. You skinny, You too scared to open your mouth to people…What you gon do?” (Walker 205) Celie curses Mr.____, promising that suffering and pain will happen in his future. When Celie is alone with Shug, she says “I’m pore, I’m black, I may be ugly and can’t cook, a voice say to erything listening. But I’m here” (Walker 207)

This is the most memorable moment in this section in my opinion because it is a very significant event that affects the future of Celie and Shug, two very important characters in the novel. As Shug moves to Memphis to pursue her singing career, Celie attempts to leave her past behind her to find other things in life besides working for Mr.____.

Celie displays confidence and an assertive behaviour, which is very much unlike her regular, or old self, which is what made this moment stand out. Throughout most of the section she is very quiet and unable to speak for herself. Even those who are close to Celie are surprised by her sudden change in character “All round the table folkses mouths be dropping open.”(Walker 200) Her change in attitude is due to the influence of Shug Avery. This whole event reveals how much of an impact Shug has on Celie. It demonstrates how Shug started to and continues to develop Celie into a more confident and self-assured character, not only in this section, but throughout the entire novel. Celie’s “new” character is clearly evident when she says “I’m pore, I’m black, I may be ugly and can’t cook, a voice say to erything listening. But I’m here.” (Walker 207) She acknowledges her weaknesses, but does not let them affect her, while maintaining a positive attitude.

This incident does not only portray the character personalities of Celie and Shug, but also those of Mr.____. It was evident that Mr.____ did not want Celie to leave, he says “Over my dead body” multiple times after Shug said that they were leaving, which demonstrates his strong disagreement with their ideas. We also get to see a side of him that we are not accustomed to. When Celie confronts him, he responds with “Butbutbutbutbut.”(Walker 200) This signifies that Mr.____ might actually be worried of losing Celie. Celie’s absence will definitely affect Mr.____, as there will not be anyone to do his hard labour chores, cooking, and cleaning.

This moment is also important because it creates suspense as the readers await Celie’s future in Memphis, the readers wonder if Celie can really be successful, despite her downfalls, like being an being African-American and a female at that time period. This event in the novel makes readers wonder if this event is actually turning point for the better or for the worse (for Celie). Celie may find work and happiness in Memphis, or she may be miserable, unproductive, and living off of Shug’s success.