THE COLOR PURPLE
By: Alice Walker
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| The Colour Purple By Alice Walker |
summary
Alice Walker's purple weaves an intricate mosaic of women united by their love for one another, the men they abuse and the children they take care of.
In the first messages, Seely Allah told that she had been raped by her father and that she was pregnant for the second time with his child. Celie's mother is seriously ill and after cursing Celie, she dies, leaving Celie alone to confront her father. Seeley then turns her attention to protecting her sister, Nettie, from their father's sexual adventures. Soon Selye marries Mr. _______ (later named Albert) after her father cuts a deal with the older widower, and Seely finds herself in a loveless marriage, taking care of her husband's four children and being regularly raped and beaten. Seely becomes obsessed with Shog Avery, a charming blues singer who is her husband's mistress. Several years later, Seely enthusiastically accepts the responsibility of taking care of Chug, beginning a life of friendship and love between the two women.
Harpo, Celie's older brother-in-law, marries a young, independent woman, Sophia, and soon after, Celie encourages Harpo to beat her, as all the men beat Selye. Sophia later confronts Seeley over this betrayal, but this confrontation leads to a deep and lasting brotherhood, and Sophia remains a strong and independent woman throughout the novel. The two women make the "Sister's Choice" quilt together: the symbolism of the quilt permeates much of the novel. Just as bits of cloth come together to form a powerful and useful new product, so black women can come together to form an equally powerful and beneficial bond.
Later, Sophia defeats the white mayor of the town, which puts her in prison and robs her of the independence she values so much. At this point, she and Harpo have separated from two other lovers, so the women in Sophia's life bear the responsibility of getting her out of prison. An alliance is formed between Sealy and Shuge, sisters of Sophia and Squick, Harpo's mistress. While trying to help Sophia, Sari is raped by her uncle, a prison guard, but after telling her friends about the rape, she grows stronger, insists not to call her by her surname, and begins to make up his own. . Sophia manages to get out of prison, but finds herself in a cage working as a maid in a white house.
During this time, Nitty became a missionary in Africa and wrote countless letters to Seely, which Albert hid. Nettie, despite her upbringing, is a confident, strong, and full of faith woman. When Celie discovers Nettie's messages, she not only pursues her sister's life, but also discovers that her two children are alive and living with a missionary couple that Nettie works with. Nettie's messages about their common African heritage are a tonic for Celie, who is getting stronger and more confident every day. This confidence soon turns to rage, in the face of her rape and beating, and the love and affection that the men in her life have denied her. Nettie's letters also show parallels between Celie's world and the African world, including the bond that can develop between the multiple wives of African men, the deep friendship and love that exists between two women, the deep love of a man by a woman, and stubbornness. The structure of sexual roles.
With her newfound strength, Celie confronts her father, who has just learned that he is her stepfather and not a blood relative, and this brings great comfort to Celie, who now knows that her children are not her brother and sister. She also confronts Albert and leaves him and moves to Memphis to live with Chug, a move that stuns and hurts Albert. In Memphis, Seely, who started wearing pants when she gained strength and confidence, opened a company that makes pants. Later, after Chug becomes a male lover, Seely visits Albert and they develop a new bond that eventually grows into love and respect.
Niti, still living in Africa, marries the now widowed man who adopted his nephews, becoming the mother of his niece and nephew. Later, when Seeley's father died, she and Nettie inherited his house, creating financial freedom for both women. At the end of the novel, the two sisters are reunited, while Albert and Harpo learn new roles at home and in their relationships.
Note that the novel's title is referenced on Card 12, when Celie associates the color purple with royalty and longs for the purple dress. But the title undoubtedly comes from a passage at the end of the novel, in which Shug says that
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