The Color Purple

This was a really good book, and I liked that Celie finds happiness after all the abuse she suffered by the men in her life. She’s such a sad, frightened girl, and evolves into a more confident woman, but still doesn’t think she is good enough for someone to love her. When Shug takes off with Germaine, Celie is depressed, but then just accepts it. She doesn’t seem to think anyone could love her, “Sometimes I think Shug never love me. What would she love? Nothing special here for nobody to love.” (pg. 259) Celie has been through so much abuse in her life, both emotional and physical, she really doesn’t believe she deserves to be happy. “Celie, I say, happiness is just a trick in your case. Just cause you never had any before Shug, you thought it was time to have some, and that it was gon last.”(pg. 259)

I think Alice Walker is showing us in the book that when women suffer such terrible abuse in their lives, it leaves lasting emotional scars and damage which they may never completely recover from. Celie wants nothing to do with men, and who can blame her? I think at that point, even in her relationship with Shug, deep down she doesn’t truly believe she deserves to be loved by anyone or be happy. When Shug writes to Celie to tell her she’s coming home, Celie realizes she can live without Shug if she has to and still have a good life, “If she come home, I be happy. If she don’t, I be content. And then I figure this is the lesson I was supposed to learn.” (pg. 283) It seems like Celie has learned she can rely on herself and have her friends and be happy.