Themes of the color purple by

Essay by EssaySwap ContributorHigh School, 12th grade February 2008

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The Color Purple By Alice Walker The Color Purple is a story that is told openly and sincerely by a black woman named Celie. Throughout the course of the story, we are shown Celie's struggle to find herself, love, confidence, independence, and the courage to fight and fend for herself. The novel is written in first person by Celie through letters that she wrote to both God and her sister Nettie, as well as letters written by Nettie to Celie. Through their letters, we become familiar with their emotions, thoughts, and sense of their reality in an honest and genuine manner. In addition to knowing Celie and Nettie, we become acquainted with their family, friends, and way of life. By the time we reach the end of the novel, we are aware of the many different themes like independence, gender issues, and race relations.

A struggle for or possession of independence of mind, body, and soul, especially for women, is widely seen throughout the book.

We see a transition in Celie from being a timid, young girl with little self worth to a strong, independent woman. She once was a slave to her step-father and later on her husband, but eventually found her own freedom and peace of mind through Shug Avery and other influential women was a fiercely independent woman from the start. She made her own decisions, spoke her mind, and let no one, especially any man, take advantage of her. In a crucial moment for Celie, Shug stood up and made a decision, she said "That's it. Pack your stuff. You coming back to Tennessee with me." She acts on her own terms and does what she feels, no questions asked. Another example of this theme was the way Sofia, Celie's daughter-in-law,