Lit Analysis #3

The Color Purple

1. The novel begins with clear statements on Celie’s abusive home situation. We see how she is physically and mentally vulnerable to her situations. Her pa repeatedly rapes her, to the point of getting her pregnant twice, while her ma is on the verge of dying. Mr. __ is also foreshadowed to later on be abusive to Celie as he talks about wanting to marry Nettie, but is unable to because Pa finds her to young, and thus marries the ugly Celie off to Mr. __ instead. There’s a clear mental struggle on whether Celie should stay at an abusive household with a pa that constantly rapes her or to be married off to Mr. __ at a young age to take care of him and his children. A plan formulating in her head, Celie goes to marry Mr. __ while Nettie runaway to them to get her away from their Pa. We see that even though Celie struggled with the mental and physical altercations within their household, she still wants to protect Nettie from that thus opting her to think about the possibilities that would’ve occurred if Nettie didn’t run away. Celie’s struggle increases when the only person she has ever loved, her younger sister, gets kicked out of Mr. __’s house because she rejects his proposal for sex. That was when reality stomped on Celie’s only salvation for love, she is (after the events) totally alone without a love from anyone. Things slowly start to change for Celie when Shug, Mr. __’s lover, is introduced in the play. Promiscuous, Shug is open to any love, even going as far as having more than a couple lovers at the same time (cue Mr. __ and her husband). Shug’s “no  BS” attitude, specially her strong will and sense of independence, makes her a strong ally to Celie thus strengthening their relationship. With Shug into play, Mr. __ stops forcing himself to Celie and even reduces the physical abuse. It starts to bubble in and tip over when both Shug and Celie find out that Mr. __ has been keeping Nettie’s letters from Celie which is why Celie hasn’t heard back from Nettie at all. The betrayal leads to Celie’s breaking point thus giving her the power and anger to essentially think for herself and stand up to Mr. __. Celie finds out that Nettie is on a mission in Africa and has learned that Pa didn’t murder her two kids, but were adopted by the same people that took Nettie in. Her will and mental strength increases even more when she finds that Pa isn’t actually her (and Nettie’s) father, but a step-father that only married their mother in order to receive the land and property. The knowledge she learns coupled in with the betrayal from Mr. __ results in both Shug and her to move to Tennessee, leaving Mr. __ behind. Celie finds herself back home which results in several things happening. In the end, Mr. __ realizes how much anger and sexual belittlement he has pointed out to women has made him out to be this bag guy. He becomes self-aware; understanding his wrond doings, Mr. __ becomes more gentle, to the point of even doing “feminine” tasks (and enjoying them), something that would have abhorred him. Celie also ends up becoming the sole owner of the land her Pa owned before he died and becomes reunited with Nettie.               

One purpose of the novel is shift in gender role, female empowerment. Through the odyssey the characters faced around the traditional sense of gender role in society and patriarchy, the novel’s purpose is explained thoroughly through the usage of diary entries made by two of the main female characters within the novel. The way Walker described the events that were unfolding (diary entries and vivid imagery) allows the readers to see clearly the way society plays a huge part in reiterating gender roles.  (1st person, Diary Entries)     

2. “You better not never tell nobody but God. I’d kill your mammy.” page 1

A theme of the novel is female empowerment, the separation of gender roles. The novel starts by belittling the female sex, reducing them to nothing but sex objects. Walker explicitly describes that of a rape, Celie getting raped by her pa. Naive and still a child, Celie’s description of her defilement strikes even more so with the diction, the illiterate writing speaks with more sympathy. We see the separation occur, the way Celie grows from being a meek child to a woman that stands up to herself. Celie isn’t just the only example of female empowerment. We have Shug who defies everything about the traditional woman role. She actively stands up to herself, dresses and acts promiscuous, and even goes beyond by having multiple lovers. She is the very first character that is shown to be actively defying traditional gender roles within the novel.

  

3. Walker uses a reflective and honest tone. A lot of the things in the novel is conveyed in a very honest tone like “my mama dead // she die screaming and cussing // she scream at me // she cuss at me // I’m big” (page 2) to pretty much “I keep hoping he fine somebody to marry // I see him looking at my little sister // she scared // But I say I’ll take care of you // With God help” (page 3). Walker pretty much wrote in an honest tone to convey sympathy and the innocence lost within a child
4.  

• Imagery in order to help visualize the things being described
• “First he put his thing up against my hip and sort of wiggle it around. Then he grab hold....” (page 1)
• Imagery was used to describe Celie getting raped by her pa; she describes herself as some sort of sex object, nothing more, nothing less.
• Personification:
• “For six months the heavens and the winds abused the people of Olinka. Rain came down in spears, stabbing away the mud of their walls” (page 153)
• Walker used personification to describe the extreme weather in Olinka as opposed to the weather Cellie was used to seeing back home.
• Hyperbole:
• My face hot enough to melt itself” (page 77)

• Diction:
• Celie’s writing starts off as very illiterate; she was an uneducated, female, African American so diction (at the beginning) was very rough and, at times, hard to interpret
• “I ain’t going to work. And he don’t.” (page 33)
• “But now Sofia coming, he always busy. He chop, he hammer, he ploy. He sing and whistle.” (page 34)
• However, overtime Celie’s writing improves. She becomes literate and educated;  and when asked to change her diction, she replies by saying:
• “...only a fool would want you to talk in a way that feel peculiar to your mind”
• Tone:
• The tone changes from that of innocence and survival to that of strength and knowledge
• “I keep hoping he fine somebody to marry. I see him looking at my little sister. She scared. But I say I’ll take care of you. With God help.” (page 8)
• “Now. Is this life or not? I be so calm. If she come, I be happy. Is she don’t, I be content. And then I figure this the lesson I was suppose to learn.” (page 283)
• Oxymoron:
• “Little fat queen of England stamps on it…”  (page 119)
• Simile:
• “Sometime I look down the path from our house and it look like a swarm of lightening bugs all in and through Sofia house” (page 74)
• Foil:
• Celie - innocence and survival instincts, one love  
• Shug - loud and boisterous, promiscuous, many lovers (often similar times)

Characterization:

1. Walker uses more of a direct characterization due to the structure of the novel (diary entries); she vividly describes the characters physical and inner qualities using the voice of both Celie and Nettie. Walker uses direct characterization quite often when talking about the physical appearances of each character. She had to write it like that because it is to the point, a diary, and uses the voice of the main protagonists as the voice of knowledge.

2. The diction changes every time the narration changes from one sister to another. When reading the diary entry of Celie, the diction is essentially set up and written like that of an uneducated, African American female. However, a more educated character, Nettie’s diction is legible and easier to understand. Going on the mission and being taught education with the family that she was “adopted” to as a friend allowed her to gain experiences and learn more educationally more than Celie ever did.
3. Celie is a round character, developing as the story progressed. We first encounter Celie in the beginning of the novel, innocence and vulnerability ridden. Only a young female, she was vulnerable to the physical, mental, and sexual abuse from her pa (and later on Mr. __). However, the loss of contact with her sister and the appearance of Shug ideally helps her grow into a woman that starts to stand for herself. She begins to feel more sexually relaxed and physically stronger. She becomes more like Shug, not promiscuous, but with a hardened exterior to help fend off the physical and mental abused she received.  
4. I did come out feeling like I’ve met a character and pretty much felt like I’ve lived another life.