The Color Purple (Gaby)

Gaby Ruiz

Mrs. Arnold

English 10

16 May 2015

The Color Purple

Themes: Racism, gender roles

Author: Alice WalkeR

Title: The Color Purple

Genre: Fiction 

This novel had a large impact on me while reading it. I had never really thought about what the lives of African American women was like growing up in the South during the 1930s. Reading the book made me realize how difficult it was especially during a time where racism was a very common factor in people’s lives. 

In the fictional novel The Color Purple, by Alice Walker, Celie is a young African American girl living in the American South in the 1930s. She tells her story through a series of letters written to God. Celie lives with Alphonso, whom she believes is her father, despite the fact that he abuses and rapes her. Early on, it is revealed that Celie had given birth to a by girl, but Alphonso took her daughter away after birth and Celie has not seen her since then. In addition to her daughter, Alphonso also took away Celie’s son. Celie has a younger sister named Nettie, whom is arranged to marry a man simply known as Mister, but later ends up wanting to marry Celie. Then, Celie moves into Mister’s house where his children treat her very poorly. After Nettie runs away from Alphonso, she runs to Mister’s house to seek Celie, but is forced to leave but promises her sister that she will write. Time goes on and without a word from Nettie leading Celie to believe that Nettie has died. For years to come, Celie wonders about her sister and the children she never got to see and raise. 

Even though it may be sort of stereotypical to like the protagonist of a novel the most, I found myself to admiring Celie. She was a very brave and selfless woman despite the incredible hardships and difficult situations she has to endure in her life. It amazed me how she was able to move past her extremely hard past and become a confident individual.

Alice Walker wrote The Color Purple in a series of letters written by Celie. This form of writing really allowed the reader to sense how the protagonist truly felt about different situations. I enjoyed seeing the story in the eyes of a character who was actually experiencing the story.   

Since the story is set in the South in the 1930s, abuse was a real conflict for young African American girls. In the book, Celie’s sole male figure abuses her and one can sense the fear Celie experiences towards Alphonso. The fear disallows her to fight back because of his power over her.

This novel is definitely worth reading because it will make people realize the struggles of the era and the hardships of African American women at the same time. Also, it was a very touching story overall and there were never really any boring moments. In the end, it was an eye opening read for myself and I am sure it would be for anyone who decides to read the novel.

www.en.wikipedia.org