The Importance Of Religion In The Color Purple

Religion has the ability to control the minds of billions on our planet. No matter what your beliefs are directed towards, the idea of worshipping a greater power or method of living has a tremendous impact on how our society works. In darkened, seemingly hopeless times, people tend to cease their prayers to god. African American slaves in the 1800s relied on their faith to get them through the day as they sang songs, shared spiritual stories and bible verses, and even wrote letters to their god. But for many, religion was not enough to fulfill the aching hole in their hearts. Facing horrific and disgusting amounts of pain and physical and mental exertion will surely change the way one thinks. Alice Walker’s novel The Color Purple is a collection of letters to a variety of people written by a variety of African American people living in Georgia during the early 20th century. Many of these letters are written to God in a reach for hope in a time of suffering caused by an abusive husband, Albert. Beating and raping his own family members challenges the true faith of many in the novel. Celie is a young, uneducated African American girl who is married to Albert. Throughout the span of her experience with sexual abuse and violence from her husband, Celie’s faith for Christianity takes a turn. Before, Celie described god as a white man, but as time go on and her scarring encounters with displeasure gain more and more momentum, …show more content…
In a state like Georgia in the early 1900s, God is extremely difficult to abandon from your life. Faith holds a dependence for people who live suffering lives with little opportunity to physically bring themselves up in terms of social classes. Instead, African Americans relied on lifting their mentalities, which is very clearly shown in The Color Purple. Despite some having religious awakenings, each character maintains their faith in one way or