JORGE GALLEGOS 2-19-13 7th HOUR

THE COLOR PURPLE

The Color Purple by Alice Walker was written in 1944. This novel depicts the life of a teenage African-American girl named Celie. She is only fourteen years old and is very uneducated as she did not have an opportunity to go to school. Celie goes through a horrid childhood; getting abused and raped relentlessly by her stepdad. She doesnt stand up for herself and lets men take advantage of her. Celie says, You a tree. Thats how come I know trees fear men. This quote shows how Celie is afraid of men. The most significant change that happened to Celie was meeting strong, independent women because they taught her to stand up for herself. Walker introduced Celie as a fourteen year old girl that gets brutalized by her stepdad. Her character is frail, defenseless, and impersistent. She stays silent after all the abuses that she has gone through. Celie says, He start to choke saying You better shut up and get used to it. (Walker 1). Celie instead of defending herself, is afraid and listens to what her stepdad says. When Walker introduces Shug Avery and Sofia, Celie gains confidence in herself. Shug Avery helps Celie to let go of her fears as she says, I wont leave until I know Albert wont even think about beating you. (Walker 75). Without fear, Celie gains strength and confidence since Shug is the only one to stop Mr. from abusing her. Sofia also doesnt let men take advantage of her, like when Harpo tried to beat her and she was actually the one who beat him. Through the introduction of these women, Celie learned to not be afraid of men so she moved to Tennessee and started a clothing store. Towards the end of the book, It is Shug Avery who forces Albert to stop brutalizing Celie. (Watkins). Mr. begins to treat Celie a lot better. Nettie comes home from Africa with Celies children and couldnt be any happier. This event turned Celies life around and she actually started being happy. Matter of fact, I think this the youngest us ever felt (Walker, 288) Celie never really had a childhood so when she says this she is meaning she is happier than ever. All in all, some people might think that Celie is timid, but she is like that because she was beat and raped by her stepdad, which made her feel inferior. By meeting two strong women; Shug and Sofia, Celie learns how to no let men have the upper hand. Meeting them was the most significant change that happened to Celie in the novel. This novel is a great way to show the world that violence isnt the answer and women deserve to be treated well.