Reaction to The Color Purple

It is easy to forget that at the beginning of the novel Celie is only 14. This immaturity is reflected in the depth of writing. At first her letters are short and list like. Recording the barebones facts of the issues at hand. This changes later with very in-depth story telling far greater than what we start with. The first words in the book are not even her own, but those of her stepfather warning her against telling anyone about the rapes. Her step father was her inspiration to start writing. She would not even never this outlet if it was not for him. We cannot be sure if she even wrote those words in her letters because they go before the start of the letter. This would be the only thing outside the diction of Celie or Nettie.

At the start of the novel by crossing out "I am," Celie was crossing out her identity, but she really could not cross herself out because she was always there, she just did not know it. This sets the tempo for the novel: a woman who has been so beaten by life she has to objectify herself as wood, and she starts to feel that other people are wood too. Celie thinks that being alive is enough until she learns that there are things worth living for. Once she finds the color purple she finds herself completely.

If she is really writing to god would she need to tell god her age? I feel that she did not know how to write for herself, but she had written letters before and seeing as the only person she can tell is god that is who the letters are directed too. This lack of expression is illustrated by her character often, until she finally snaps when she learns Mr. ____ is hiding his sisters letters. She finally find a voice and expresses her anger and stands up for herself as a person and physically by jabbing Mr. _____ in the hand with a knife when he tries to slap her.

"Why any woman give a shit what people is a mystery to me." Is Shugs response to Mr. _____ asking what people are going to think about Celie walking out. I feel this is one of the best questions in the book. All the men Celie's stepfather, Mr. ____, Harpo, etc are all working to keep some form of control over "their" women, "keep them in line." Shame is a particularly strange weapon to me because I don't think Celie should care about anything the men in her life think. Of course coming back to the beginning of the book I can see that she is always placed at fault and disregarded, don't tell your mother because it would kill her. It does not matter how you feel about the subject you would cause the death of your mother. Once Celie learns she can live without a man she no longer has any shame for anything in her life.