Self Diversity In Alice Walker's The Color Purple

Alice Walker’s novel, The Color Purple, is a story about a woman who, through companionship and support from a loved one, is able to turn her life around for the better. For much of Celie’s adulthood, she is unable to stand up for herself or express her own opinions to the men that intimidated her. However, over the course of her life, she begins to discover who she is sexually and gain confidence to be who she wants to be. Celie’s evolution of her self confidence, self worth and sexuality is catalyzed and enhanced by Shug Avery’s presence and support in Celie’s life.
Throughout the majority of her early life, Celie is unwilling and unable to stand up for herself or speak her mind. At age fourteen, she is raped by her father without fighting back in the slightest. Her father’s invasive and intimidating actions cause Celie to be scared of all men. After being beaten and accused by her father of staring at other men, Celie says, “I don’t even look at mens. That’s the truth. I look at women, tho, cause I’m not scared of them” (5). Her violent and abusive history with her father has forced her to associate all men with violence and threat. The constant fear has led Celie to have a mentality of survival first, doing whatever she can to stay out of trouble with all men. Nettie tells her that she must try to fight back against Mr. ___, to which Celie …show more content…
The more abuse one has suffered, the more necessary an advocate and supporter becomes. Every time Celie is beaten into the ground by the men in her life, she needs a counterweight to heal her wounds, both literally and figuratively. Just as abuse can destroy a person, friendship and kindness can provide the means to restore someone’s sense of self and worth. Shug is almost like a surrogate husband, as she is able to nullify the wrongdoings of Mr. ___. She is the antidote to the poison that is ruining Celie’s