The Color Purple is one of the most beloved novels of the twenty-first century. In it, author Alice Walker introduces her readers to a community of women, specifically protagonist, Celie and her sister Nettie, who suffer in the hands of men. The women are dehumanized by the misogynistic men in their lives, but eventually, they rise above the challenges the men throw at them and find themselves to be stronger and more beautiful than they ever were before. When the reader first meets Celie, they have come to discover that she has been raped by the man who she believes is her father. Jessica Webb refers to the violence in the novel as, “a world characterized by various forms of social and domestic violence… from which Celie, the main female
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Mr. ________, a cruel and abusive man that lives nearby, says to Alphonso that he would like to marry Nettie. Gillespie explains to us why he is referred to as “Mr. ______, “with, Mr. ________’s name, Walker makes a generalized statement about the power of patriarchy over time and for all women and situations, as well as about the behavior of this particular black man within that dominant structure” (Gillespie 4). Since the girls no longer have a mother figure in their lives, Alphonso is forced to make all of the decisions, due to them being too afraid to stand up for themselves. Alphonso comes to a conclusion and offers Celie to Mr. _______ rather than Nettie. The reason for this is that he believes Celie is the uglier woman. Celie is sold to Mr. ___________ and from the beginning of their marriage, treats Celie not as a wife, but rather a slave. As Mike Meyer says, “Mr. _________ is more interested in Celie’s taking care of his children and his house than he is in loving her and treating her as a real person” (Meyer 1) Celie spends her days working and then returns home to be beaten by Mr. ___________. Nettie continues to be abused by her …show more content…
The women are able to teach each other lessons. For example, Sofia says to Celie, “you ought to bash Mr. _______ head open… think about heaven later” (Walker 42). Another lesson that Celie learns from Sofia is unity. The women are much stronger together than they are apart. Celie comprehends the bond that is made between her and Sofia. Each skill that the women tech each other are important aspects that will help her escape from Mr. __________’s abuse. Celie’s most important relationship throughout the novel is with Shug Avery, Mr. _________’s old mistress. Shug teaches Celie that she should not fear Mr. __________ or obey the God that Celie envisions in her head. Mr. _________ is superior to Celie which can be seen through the way that Shug acts towards him. Shug refers to him as Albert, his first name and Celie continues to refer to him as Mr. _________. Meyer puts this into perspective, stating, “characters are depicted as weak because they do not know the name of another character and consequently lack the power to oppose them” (Meyer 2). It is clear that through Shug’s eyes, Mr. ___________ has a lot less power than Celie sees. Celie and Shug become extremely close to each other as the novel continues. She discovers a personal relationship with Shug that she never could have imagined before. Celie sees more in
Mr. ________, a cruel and abusive man that lives nearby, says to Alphonso that he would like to marry Nettie. Gillespie explains to us why he is referred to as “Mr. ______, “with, Mr. ________’s name, Walker makes a generalized statement about the power of patriarchy over time and for all women and situations, as well as about the behavior of this particular black man within that dominant structure” (Gillespie 4). Since the girls no longer have a mother figure in their lives, Alphonso is forced to make all of the decisions, due to them being too afraid to stand up for themselves. Alphonso comes to a conclusion and offers Celie to Mr. _______ rather than Nettie. The reason for this is that he believes Celie is the uglier woman. Celie is sold to Mr. ___________ and from the beginning of their marriage, treats Celie not as a wife, but rather a slave. As Mike Meyer says, “Mr. _________ is more interested in Celie’s taking care of his children and his house than he is in loving her and treating her as a real person” (Meyer 1) Celie spends her days working and then returns home to be beaten by Mr. ___________. Nettie continues to be abused by her …show more content…
The women are able to teach each other lessons. For example, Sofia says to Celie, “you ought to bash Mr. _______ head open… think about heaven later” (Walker 42). Another lesson that Celie learns from Sofia is unity. The women are much stronger together than they are apart. Celie comprehends the bond that is made between her and Sofia. Each skill that the women tech each other are important aspects that will help her escape from Mr. __________’s abuse. Celie’s most important relationship throughout the novel is with Shug Avery, Mr. _________’s old mistress. Shug teaches Celie that she should not fear Mr. __________ or obey the God that Celie envisions in her head. Mr. _________ is superior to Celie which can be seen through the way that Shug acts towards him. Shug refers to him as Albert, his first name and Celie continues to refer to him as Mr. _________. Meyer puts this into perspective, stating, “characters are depicted as weak because they do not know the name of another character and consequently lack the power to oppose them” (Meyer 2). It is clear that through Shug’s eyes, Mr. ___________ has a lot less power than Celie sees. Celie and Shug become extremely close to each other as the novel continues. She discovers a personal relationship with Shug that she never could have imagined before. Celie sees more in