Celie's Transformation In The Color Purple

Celie practically struggled for happiness her whole existence. Her father sold her to a man who had no intent of loving or caring for her. Celies’ husband whom she refers to as Mr. physically and verbally abused her. Mr. felt that the only way to keep a woman in check was to beat her and he did just that throughout the movie. Like any woman would though the abuse Celie lost herself and respect for herself. Living with Mr. was a life full of darkness and hatred. Life with her husband was no better life than life with her stepfather. It took years for Celie to become brave enough to fight back for what she accept as true and gain understanding of how to convey amusement and have little outlook on life. After years of abuse, Celie no longer was afraid of Mr. She no longer cared for her husband or the

Although it caused her much grief while it lasted, her forced marriage to Mr.___ turned out to be a blessing in disguise, because it was through him that Celie met Shug Avery. While becoming a close friend and a lover to Celie, Shug shared with her that “God is inside you and inside everybody else. You come into the world with God. God ain’t a he or a she but an it.”(Walker 204) By saying this she offers an alternative to the image of a male god that Celie has always held on to. As Hankinson put it; “Celie’s movement from monotheism to pantheism parallels her movement from feeling of isolation and inferiority under male authority figures”(327) She is now able to see that she is just as much a godlike being as any human in the world, regardless of gender, race or social

Although Celie talks about her relationship with Shug in a very positive way, and seems to have benefited from it very much, there is a disturbing aspect of the relationship between Celie and Shug: Celie says that Shug kissed her in a man-woman sort of way, therefore there is some form of homosexuality involved. Celie has never been intimate with any other man or woman other than her abusive husband who was more like a slave master, and his

Celie and the women surrounding her struggle for bondage. Celie finds a bond with many females. Walker introduces the hint of Celie's sexual attraction to women in church. Afraid of men because of the cruel treatment by her father, Celie turns more and more towards the company of women, who represent love, warmth, and feelings of solidarity to her. Celie affirms her sexual identity in her relationship with Shug Avery. For now, it is manifested merely as what men cannot offer.

Later on being sold to Mr. she still let herself be pushed around without any complaint as though she just figured out it’s the way her life is going to be. With Mr’s. children disobeying her command she feels she can never be as welcomed as his wife and she is simply his rag doll being ready to use her to please his needs. If only Celie defended herself against the brutal beatings and the harassments from her father and Mr. she would have a considerate outcoming. As said in the story Shug was that person to not let men go at her without a fight as well as Sofia.

Celie reinforces her independence from Mister by stating that they were never man and wife (253). In addition to condemning her and Mister’s marriage and starting a business, Celie owns a house. Celie is excited because her house is big enough to accommodate for her children, Nettie, Nettie’s husband and children, and Shug. Being ready for a new house shows that Celie is ready to move on from living with Mister and that she is also financially stable to maintain the house. One of the biggest character developments in the story for Celie occurs when she takes into account the shortcomings that she has been faced with, but she is able to deal with them by herself and is capable of being optimistic.

The relationship between Celie and Shug is not a good one at first, but then through out the movie, The Color Purple, their relationship grows into a friendship, then a sisterhood. In the beginning of the movie, when Mr. is going to town often, it is obvious it is to go see a woman because of his excitement, then the audience finds out who the woman is when Celie notices the flyer for Shug Avery’s performance on the mirror of the dresser. When the audience first meets Shug Avery, it is when Mr. brings her home in the back of the wagon and has Harpo carry her inside. The first impression of Shug is not a good one because of her attitude. When Shug first sees Celie, she called her ugly and laughed in her face. Then Shug told Mr. to have “that

One of the characters that respects Celie is Shug. Shug’s respect adds to Celie’s strength because Shug is Mister’s girlfriend even though he and Celie are married. Celie’s strength is the fact that she does not care that they are together and still makes friends with Shug and to still have the ability to have Shug respect her. The other character that respected Celie is Sofia as Celie helped her when she needed it most. This shows Celie’s strength because Sofia was once mad at Celie for telling her husband to beat her and for Celie to be able to make up for it and get respect from Sofia shows that Celie is a trapped individual with spurts of life and getting out of her confinement.

This further enhances the reader’s ability to acknowledge the contrast in her character by first depicting her as having seemingly nothing and later having all of the tools needed to self-succeed. It should also be noted that Celie’s journey doesn’t portray the typical rags to riches story in that Celie acquires an intellectual wealth. Initially, Celie is portrayed as an archetype that is associated with innocence, purity, and chastity. (Though the image of her chastity is destroyed in the very first page when Fonso “put his thing up gainst” (pg.1) Celie’s body.) This archetype doesn’t fit the typical character form associated with participating in a quest-like journey, but she ends up doing so. Celie is extremely obedient to the people closest to her and is even more so compliant with her surroundings. To add to the helplessness of the narrator’s character, on several occasions she is described in undesirable ways. One could go so far as to infer an allusion to Hans Christian Andersen’s, “The Ugly Duckling.” She is essentially the swan surrounded by a group of ducks and is rendered blind to her own beauty, liberation, and potential due to the consistent abuse that she receives from the “ducklings” around her. In the children’s fable, some of what the mother duck’s behaviors are interpreted as are the ideas and concepts expressed by the society Celie lives in. To her fortune, she is able to peer

The novel “The Color Purple” deals with a narrator Celie, a young, black, uneducated and poor woman, who gets physically abused by her father and husband. She is raped, beaten, abused, and suffers from mockery of men in her life. Eventually, Celie

In the novel, it was said that “women work (28);” Mr. ___ and his son Harpo view women as objects, just there for the duration, while the men go out and enjoy themselves. Mr.___ abuses her because as he states she is “my wife” and he “beat[s Celie] like he beat the children” although he does not beat them as often. Celie allows for the men in her life to take control because that is all she is used to doing. Ironically, Celie allows for others care for her like a child; despite her meek character she realizes that she should have been treated better than what Mr.___, her step-father, and even Harpo granted her.

Thrown into young adulthood at the early age of 14, at 21 years old Celie now begins the true process of developing intimacy with an unlikely character for the time. A long lasting friendship and mutual love affair between Celie and Shug has begun, and will later prove to be her saving grace as her confidence, identity, purpose, and will increase. Shug plans to leave

Growing up Celie was taught that men are the ones that take control of everything. She feels that she has to listen to her dad and let her dad take control of her decisions. Celie isn’t able to express who she truly is or who she wants to be. Unlike Sophia and Shug they were taught that they are their own people and have the freedom to express who they are. Celie looks up to Shug who is confident. “ I think what color Shug Avery would wear. She like a queen to me…” It is clear that Celie wants to be like Shug, and follow her steps in life.

<br>Shug, who was a dominant factor in her personal development, helped Celie's desperate situation. This personal development gave Celie the courage Walker refers to in her preface, to bring alive her dormant spirituality and abandon the prescribed form of church based Christianity. Shug builds Celie's confidence and in turn helps her to break away from her oppressive lifestyle including Mr., her household duties and the repressive church community. She provides her with a home and the money to start her own business making pants. Shug replaces Nettie as Celie's immediate source of strength and hope, although Nettie's presence returns later when Celie discovers the letters. Again this may not have happened without Shug's help, as she was the one who gave Celie access to her sister's letters. <br>

Shug constantly threw diatribes at Celie. Celie endured Shug’s attacks, too stunned by her infatuation with Shug, to care. Mr.____ is Shug’s sycophant which entices jealousy in Celie. Celie starts to think self-deprecating thoughts because she is not as beautiful as Shug or as wanted by Mr.____. Soon after Shug and Celie start to have a sexual relationship. “Us kiss and kiss till us can’t hardly kiss no more” (Walker 113). In the 1930’s African Americans weren’t accepted as equals to whites so a lesbian relationship would be even scarcer at that time. With religion still a substantial factor in Celie’s life she had to bend her morals into accepting her new sexuality. Shug opens up many doors for Celie and instills in her that she too is worthy of being loved. “Well, she say, looking me up and down, let’s make you some pants” (Walker 146). These pants are a symbol of Celie’s psyche transformation as she becomes more independent and stands up for herself against her husband. With Shug, Celie overcomes her fear of men and no longer has a submissive-psychological stance when dealing with situations and that is a gift Celie is deserving