The Color Purple

Lhadze Bosiljevac        

Period 1

Sutherland

2/24/11

                                  The Color Purple

                                         Essay

            In the novel The Color Purple by Alice Walker, distance & many other things from each other separate the two sisters Celie and Nettie. Celie, who was forcefully married at 14 with 2 kids to Mr. (Note: the two kids were from here stepfather). And Nettie, an ambitious young girl who originally lived with Mr. and Celie. Later thrown out and moved to Africa with the missionaries. Comparing the two sisters shows a great deal of Sexism, Religion, and Education in both their lives. But it seems that Nettie has it much easier than Celie. Held hostage, she exhorts her pain and confusion in the form of letters. And Alice Walker really tries to send a message that men are men, and women are women.

    

        Religion is probably the most controversial topic in the story. Why does Celie write to God? Exactly why does Celie put family before herself? Celie was in fact raped by her step dad. Therefore on page 1 of the book he says, “ You better tell nobody but god, it’ll kill you mammy”. This is probably why Celie begins to address God asking for help, guidance. For it seems he is the only person she can tell. Yet she’s only writing to God because there’s really no one who she feels comfortable or will listen to her problems. Sometimes it seems as if she doesn’t want the sympathy. Celie feels the only way to stay alive in a mans world, with god barely on her side, is to suffer in silence.  In her last letter Celie writes “Dear God. Dear stars, dear trees, dear sky, dear peoples. Dear Everything. Dear God.” It seems to be that that in the end, God is in every living creature. And that everything else listens to the joy and pain of life.

            Unlike Celie, Nettie has much more of an easy go life for the most part. She believes strongly in God. And not only that she joins a missionary and travels to Africa. At one point in the book, when the church is being destroyed by road builders, on page 169” And Celie, our church, our school, my hut, all went down in a matter of hours”. Here you see the pure agony she faces because their own prayer house is being destroyed. It’s like someone stepping all over your religions mascot. Nettie is emotionally disrupted by the grief.  Although she does watch the village get destroyed and take care of village children, Nettie does not have children of here own, therefore she is freer spiritually and emotionally. She is not bound by anything really and gallops through life. And her love for God makes her this open religious person who’s fairly optimistic. This is probably purposely pulled out of the context to show Alice Walkers feminism.

        Sexism seems to keep the ball rolling on both women’s lives, especially Celies.

Her husband acts like a tyrant over the family controlling her and beating her because she’s a woman.  She was beaten regularly because she wasn’t like Shug. (Page 75) Her Mr. shunned Celie even at the dinner table as he said, “you black, and you pore, you ugly, you a woman. Goddamn, he say, you nothing at all.” (206)

      But later after all this Celie fights back to Mr. at the table. Her words come out strong and clear, even yelling at the children “ You was all rotten children...And your daddy here ain’t nothing but dead horses shit” (200). And no wiser words have been spoken. Amen.

         

           Now as for Nettie, whom seems to enjoy the most out her life, is married and happy with Samuel. He even loves her for who she is, not who he wants her to be as stated “But Samuel tells me he loves me plump and graying”(226). Nettie is given jobs both for boys and girls. Of course even in Africa, there are some male dominances, but in Nettie’s life its pretty well balanced.

  

     

           During the time period of Ceile’s life, you see change in every aspect, even her writing skills. At first her grammar is off and hard to understand. But she spent so much time tending the children, barely having enough time to educate herself.  Showing as Walker said, the children held her back.

         As for Nettie, no kids of her own, no burden to hold! Although she watches the village children, Nettie never puts herself last. Or first, because that position seems like it’s for God. And her job is to help those in need and herself and please her husband, or lover. Though Nettie not only has her own education, but now she can share her knowledge with the kids!

     In Brief, you see the differences between Nettie and Celie also how the one change in their childhood decided their lives.  Alice Walker seemed to write the book as if one part of her was Nettie, smart, confident, and happy without the burden of kids.  And Celie who receives peoples sympathy is the side if women had kids and were married.  It seems to be that the more misery and pain Celie goes through, is exactly what the writer wants you to believe in this story full of Sexism, Religion, and Education .