Summary

The Color Purple is a book of letters between Celie and God but also between Celie and her sister Nettie. Celie's father beat and raped her while growing up then sent her off with her husband Mr.___ who also beat her. Throughout the whole story she struggles with her anger held inside from being mentally and physically abused from the men in her life. When she marries Mr.___ he won't allow her to see her sister Nettie ever. They promised to write each other everyday and that only death would stop them from writing. 

Dialogue

Shug: More than anything God love admiration.
Celie: You saying God is vain?
Shug: No, not vain, just wanting to share a good thing. I think it pisses God off when you walk by the color purple in a field and don't notice it.
Celie: You saying it just wanna be loved like it say in the bible?
Shug: Yeah, Celie. Everything wanna be loved. Us sing and dance, and holla just wanting to be loved. Look at them trees. Notice how the trees do everthing people do to get attention... except walk? Oh Miss Celie, I feel like singing!




I chose this dialogue between Shug and Celie because it is what makes Celie believe in a god again. It also shows where the title The Color Purple comes from. Shug is explaining to Celie that all God wants is to be loved as he loves us, even in the little things like the purple flowers in the field. Celie finally understands that God gives us so much more than we usually see. She thought that God only put terrible men and disasters in her life but really he gave her friends and children and a pant business all to love and cherish. 

Internal and External Conflicts

In Celie's life she struggles with her inner anger towards the men in her life who have abused her. She has mentally been hurt by people telling her that she is dumb, ugly, and black who will never go anywhere in life. Her external conflicts are when her husband and father beat her and she never once fought back. All the way until the end Celie keeps to herself but no one can hold years of anger and abuse inside. She tells Mr.___ that he will rot in the jail that he planned for her. Afterwards she leaves him with Shug to go and start her single life and make pants for a living.

Theme

The over all theme of the novel The Color Purple is overcoming adversity. In the book Celie struggles with the men in her life and how they hurt her throughout her life. They beat her and raped her with no feeling or guilt. She struggles with keeping to herself and not fighting back. Her whole life she just wanted to be free which she was finally allowed to when she left with Shug and started her own pant shop.  

Quotes

"The jail you planned for me is the one you're gonna rot in!"
                                            -Celie
"All my life i had to fight. I had to fight my daddy. I had to fight my uncles. I had to fight my brothers. A girl child ain't safe in a family of men..."
                                                       -Miss Sofia


In the first quote is when Celie is finally leaving Mr.___ and he is telling her that she can't live without her. And he calls her many names and she replies with that quote basically telling him to suck it.
In the second quote Miss Sofia is showing how most women feel about men. They feel that men are the enemy and they just have to keep fighting.

Conversation

Celie: hello
Psychiatrist: hi how are you today
Celie: well I'm alive ain't I?
Psychiatrist: (chuckles) why yes you are ma'am
Celie: now why you laughing at me?
Psychiatrist: because you stated the obvious that you were alive but i meant emotionally how are you.
Celie: well emotionally I'm doing just fine my shop is booming and I'm making a good amount of money to support me and my grown children
Psychiatrist: well that sounds mighty fine to me how old are your children?
Celie: well my son Adam is about eighteen and my daughter Olivia is sixteenish, they are very smart. They grew up in Africa with my sister Nettie.
Psychiatrist: Why didn't they grow up here with you?
Celie: well I thought they were killed for the longest time because my pa gave and took them away from me. But then by some fate of God my sister came to live with them and went to Africa as a missionary with their family. But now they came home to me to stay forever.
Psychiatrist: well that sounds very nice. Do you trust many people?
Celie: yes, i trust Shug, Nettie, Sofia, Olivia, Adam, and Squek. I trust them with anything really.
Psychiatrist: I've noticed that you only trust one man and that is your son. Why do you think that is?
Celie: well no man has ever done me any good and they won't anytime soon. They just want something to pleasure them then work as a slave for life. Don't no man i ever met ever been trustworthy other than my son Adam.
Psychiatrist: do you really feel that way about all men?
Celie: why yes i have no proof that any man other than Adam is good. Not my father not my husband nor any other man I've met.
Psychiatrist: well that's just plain sad to hear for the male gender. There are a lot of bad people but they aren't all men and there are plenty of good men out there. Also there are plenty of bad women out in the world.
Celie: why there are a good amount of bad women out there but they won't beat you and make you do things with them that you don't want to. And no man has ever been good to me other than my well raised son and that is that. I think that is enough for today bye.

Teri Hatcher

Teri Hatcher at the age of five was sexually abused by her uncle by marrige. Her parents were unaware at the time. In 2002 she assisted the police to prsecute her uncle who had been molesting a 14 year old girl who ended up killing herself.  Her uncle later died of colon cancer in prison. This relates to Celie because she was sexually abused at a young age a throughout her whole life she struggled and in the end got away from her husband and father.