The Color Purple is a book full of powerful quotes. Early in the book, while Celie is playing with her sister, her step-father, who has been molesting Celie, tells her, "Celie you got the ugliest smile this side of Creation." It is a key insight into the condition and mental state of our main character. The depth of insecurity a single exchange like this, while pregnant with the aforementioned character's child, gives a deep glance into her psyche and the years of insecurity that she faces.
What saves Celie is her curiosity. This is encouraged early on by her sister Nettie, and later by her friendship with Shug Avery. Shug tells her, “I think us here to wonder, myself. To wonder. To ask. And that in wondering bout the big things and asking bout the big things, you learn about the little ones, almost by accident. But you never know nothing more about the big things than you start out with. The more I wonder, the more I love.” It is this support of her own curiosity by witnessing the bravery by which Suge owns hers that gives her the necessary courage to break free of her abusive situation.
At the beginning of The Color Purple, young Celie tells God “I have always been a good girl. Maybe you can give me a sign letting me know what is happening to me” (p. 1). This appeal to God sets the reader up for an unnerving beginning to the novel, as she goes on to describe the horrible assault that her father has been subjecting her to. It also speaks to Celie’s innocent nature, which is one of her more defining characteristics.
Celie's reserved demeanor makes her a target for ridicule and abuse early in the novel. Her husband, referred to as Mr. ______, tells her “Wives is like children. Nothing can do better than a good sound beating” (p. 55). Upon first meeting Shug Avery, the traveling singer tells Celie “you sure is ugly” (p. 46) while letting out a laugh that “sound like a death rattle” (ibid).
Other characters encourage her to fight back. Sofia tells Celie that she “you ought to bash Mr. ______ head in. Think bout heaven later” (p. 67). Kate tells her “You got to fight them, Celie… I can’t do it for you” (p. 21). Both of these quotes connect with the book’s theme of self-empowerment despite one’s circumstances.
Several quotes address Celie’s sexual identity. She mentions that she doesn’t look at men, but “I look at women, tho, cause I’m not scared of them” (p. 5). Later in the book, Shug and Celie develop an intimate relationship, as seen in this quote: “She say, I love you, Miss Celie. And then she haul off and kiss me on the mouth… Us kiss and kiss till us can’t hardly kiss no more” (p. 113).
Another common theme of the novel is religious belief and spirituality. In one of Celie's letters to her sister Nettie, she begins the letter by saying “I don’t write to God no more. I write to you” (p. 192). Shug tells Celie that “it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don’t notice it” (p. 197).
There are also several quotes that deal with with racism and race relations. Squeak sings a song that says, “But if yellow is a name, why ain’t black the same? Well, if I say Hey black girl, Lord, she try to ruin my game” (p. 99). Shug says “When I found out I thought God was white, and a man, I lost interest. You mad cause he don’t seem to listen to your prayers. Humph! Do the mayor listen to anything colored say?” (p. 195).
In one letter, Nettie tells Celie “We are not white. We are not Europeans. We are black like the Africans themselves. And that we and the Africans will be working for a common goal: the uplift of black people everywhere” (p. 137). This quote is perhaps the author’s most obvious attempt to communicate the purpose of the novel, as author Alice Walker has stated that her experiences as an African American woman and her family were the inspiration for telling this story. Please consult the attached link to the Guardian article for further reference to this theme.
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2007/jun/23/featuresreviews.guardianreview23
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