Book Analysis and Review: The Color Purple by Alice Walker
By Saron Hatsey
** Content warning: Rape, Incest, Sexual Abuse
The Color Purple is one of those classics I wouldn’t typically pick up. However, the recent movie release had me intrigued. I saw Halle Bailey in the trailer and decided it was time to pick up the book so I could watch the movie with a greater context. To my surprise, the book turned out to be amazing.
It’s an epistolary novel, written through a series of letters from the main character's perspective. The main character's name is Celie, an uneducated black woman from Georgia who writes letters to God. She endures rape and abuse from her stepfather, who gave away her children Adam and Olivia before being giving her to a man Celie calls Mister, who continues to abuse her. Her sister, Nettie, initially runs away with Celie before disappearing due to Mister’s advances at her.
From this point, we see Ceile develop and learn from her relationships and experiences with black women. An initial catalyst into Celie’s growth was Sofia, the former partner of Mister’s son, Harpo. Sofia is a feisty woman who isn’t afraid to fight back. Initially envious, Celie supports the abuse Harpo inflicts upon Sofia. However, as the book goes on, Celie and Sofia maintain a friendship, and when Sofia faces the consequences of fighting back in the early 20th century patriarchal, anti-black setting they’re in and is forced to be submissive and quiet, Ceile is strengthened and determined to become a more vocal person.
Shug Avery, Mister’s mistress, is an even greater catalyst in Celie's growth. Shug is assertive and refuses to fit into the mold that is created for black women at this time. Her ownership of her identity and sexuality is initially portrayed as negative, but as the book progresses, Celie begins to admire Shug's unique personality and becomes a lover and a companion for Celie.The juxtaposition of their personalities forces Celie to reexamine herself and develop her own voice. Additionally, when Celie begins to question her faith in God, Shug introduces Celie into a new way of thinking spiritually that isn’t limited to the confines of a man, but rather is everything around them. This helps reaffirm and redefine Celie's relationship with God, in turn helping her solidify an identity. While they have a complex relationship, Shugs maternal and loving yet assertive nature helped develop Celie into an independent woman.
The focus of female relationships and growth makes the story unique and enticing, and, in my opinion, marks it as one of the greatest works of second wave feminism. Alice Walker's use of Celie's first point perspective gave a unique insight into Celie's growth and created an intimate bond between Celie and the reader. The Color Purple’s narrative style also adds to the emotional heaviness of the book, allowing Celie's story to be told in a sensitive and compelling manner. makes it much more emotional and difficult to read. Through The Color Purple, Alice Walker was able to introduce the often ignored perspective of the black woman in a nuanced, female-focused manner. If you’re interested in a heavier, complex, yet rewarding read, I highly recommend The Color Purple.
Unfortunately and unsurprisingly, this novel has been banned and challenged across the U.S numerous times, facing bans in school libraries since 1984, just 2 years after its initial release. Reasons for banning often include rape, incest, homosexuality, violence, and language. The Color purple has also earned the title of one of the most banned or challenged classics of all time, resulting in its removal from numerous school libraries. Despite the many attempts to censor this book, its near universal positive reviews and admirations has earned it a Pulitzer prize and numerous screen adaptations, including a 1985 movie adaptation that earned 11 Oscar nominations, a Tony award winning musical, and most recently, a musical movie (that, ironically, I’ve yet to watch).
