Alice Walker: The Color Purple was published in 1982. Later, it was made into a film and musical with the same title.
Alice Walker: Because of its occasionally graphic material, notably in terms of violence, the novel has been a frequent sensor target. It is ranked seventeenth on the American Library Association’s list of the 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books from 2000 to 2009. In 2003, the BBC’s The Big Read poll of the UK’s “best-loved novels” included the book.
Celie is a poor, illiterate 14-year-old girl living in the early 1900s in the Southern United States. Her father, Alphonso, abuses and rapes her, so she sends letters to God. Alphonso had previously impregnated Celie, resulting in Adam’s birth, whom Alphonso kidnapped. Celie believes Alphonso is responsible for Adam’s death. Celie later has a second child, and Celie’s ill mother dies on her deathbed after cursing Celie. Olivia is the second child, but Alphonso takes her away immediately after she is born.
Celie and her younger sister, Nettie, 12, hear that a guy only known as Mister wishes to marry Nettie. Instead of allowing Nettie to marry, Alphonso arranges for Mister to marry Celie. Mister, a widower in need of someone to look after his children and keep his home, accepts the offer in the end. But, unfortunately, Mister abuses Celie physically, sexually, and verbally, and his children also mistreat her.
Nettie flees Alphonso shortly after and seeks sanctuary in Celie’s house, where Mister makes sexual overtures toward her. Celie then encourages Nettie to seek help from a well-dressed black woman she spotted earlier at the general shop.
Nettie and Samuel marry and plan to return to America in the meanwhile. Adam marries Tashi, an African girl before they leave. Tashi is subjected to the harsh rites of female circumcision and facial scarring, as is customary in Africa. Adam, too, is subjected to the same face scarring procedure.
Shug returns, having ended her relationship with Germaine, just as Celie discovers she is comfortable with her life without Shug. Celie’s guests include Nettie, Samuel, Olivia, Adam, and Tashi. After 30 years apart, Nettie and Celie reconcile and introduce each other to their respective families.
This article is curated by Prittle Prattle News.
By Reporter
