It was later adapted into a film and musical of the same name. If it is true that it is what we run from that chases us, then the color purple is the read more. With over a million copies sold in the uk alone, it is hailed as one of the alltime greats of literature, inspiring generations of readers. General fiction alice walkers masterpiece, a powerful novel of courage in the face of oppression celie has grown up in. In the book, the color purple, alice walker used several symbols and personifications to describe celies insecure and painful life. She is raped numerous times by who she believes to be her father, sees her mother beaten, and fears for her sister netties life. She has such a horrible life, shes not stopping to smell the roses, shes just surviving. Parents need to know that the color purple is a moving, inspirational novel told in letters that includes an abundance of mature content explicit sex, rape, incest, sexism and violence toward women, and a lesbian relationship. Some other characters are celie and netties stepfather, celies husband, and celies lover, shug.
Her other bestselling novels include by the light of my fathers smile, possessing the secret of joy and the temple of my familiar. Alice walker won the pulitzer prize and the american book award for her novel the color purple, which was preceded by the third life of grange copeland and meridian. They give a few more strong themes found in the novel, but i did not see them as strongly across all the literature included on this site. Written in 1982 by alice walker, the color purple tells the story of black life during the 1930s in the southern united states from a females perspective. As an adult, celie befriends and finds intimacy with a blues singer, shug avery, who gradually helps celie find her voice. Celie, nettie, sophia, shug avery, each of them must fight her own battle against repression and prejudice, each of them must help themselves and each other.
Meaning of the color purple january 5, 2011 jennifer bourn this post is part of the color meaning blog series, detailing the meanings associated with colors such as red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, grey, black, white, brown, pink, turquoise, gold, silver, and beige. Celie believes herself to be ugly in part because of her very dark skin. From the view of a reader, the title of the book, the color purple represents the pain and the bruises. In the first few letters, celie tells god that she has been raped by her father and that she is pregnant for the second time with his child.
Book summary alice walkers the color purple weaves an intricate mosaic of women joined by their love for each other, the men who abuse them, and the children they care for. A powerful cultural touchstone of modern american literature, the color purple. Alice walkers pulitzer prize winning novel the color purple is a tale of personal empowerment which opens with a protagonist celie who is at the bottom of americas social caste. This new edition celebrates the 10th anniversary of walkers pulitzer prize and national book awardwinner. The color purple, novel by alice walker, published in 1982. Washington square press, 1982 won a pulitzer prize in 1983 making the georgiaborn author and poet the. The theme of race and racism in the color purple from. Secondary sources themes in african american literature. Celie takes the act of sewing, which is traditionally thought of as a mere chore for women who are confined to a domestic role, and turns it into an outlet for creative selfexpression and a profitable business.
Collecting the color purple by walker, alice first. The color purple was first published in 1982 by harcourt brace jovanowich. The color purple flliee walker r tl pulitzer prize winner ik f tl authors. Set in the deep american south between the wars, it is the tale of celie, a young black girl born into poverty and segregation.
The color purple is a 1982 epistolary novel by american author alice walker which won the 1983 pulitzer prize for fiction and the national book award for fiction. Purple facts history and all about the color purple. Only the color purple is analyzed by this site, and i have only sent you the link to the themes page. Taking place mostly in rural georgia, this collection of letters weaves an intricate mosaic of women joined by their love for each other, the men who abuse them, and the children they care for.
Because purple dye was so difficult to obtain and expensive to produce, the color became the royal color in many parts of the world and is traditionally associated with royalty and power. The color purple is a 1982 epistolary novel by american author alice walker which won the. At the beginning of the book, you could say that celie has no sense of the color purple. Other books related to the color purple alice walker wrote the color purple during a period of important literary production among the africanamerican community. A black southern woman struggles to find her identity after suffering abuse from her father and others over four decades. A powerful cultural touchstone of modern american literature, the color purple depicts the lives of african american women in early twentiethcentury rural georgia. Based on the 1982 novel of the same name by alice walker and its 1985 film adaptation, the show follows the journey of celie, an africanamerican woman in the american south from the early to mid20th century. The novel, the color purple, is about the main character, celie, and her sister nettie. The color purple is the international bestselling novel by alice walker, an african american writer from eatonton.
Alice walker is a pulitzer prizewinning, african american novelist and poet most famous for authoring the color purple. Though the color purple is a historical novel, it never refers to any factual events. The color purple, for example, which was made in the 80s, is one of his best films to date. The color purple is a musical with a book by marsha norman and music and lyrics by brenda russell, allee willis, and stephen bray. It uses detailed imagery to paint a picture of all of the characters, their physical and emotional attributes.
In 1985 steven spielberg directed an acclaimed film adaptation of the book. Separated as girls, sisters celie and nettie sustain their loyalty to and hope in each other winner of the pulitzer prize and the national book award. Celie is a poor, uneducated black woman with a sad personal history. The color purple study guide from litcharts the creators. It takes place in a rural georgia town in the 1930s, and the author uses the society at the time as the foundation for celies story to unfold. Winner of the pulitzer prize and the national book award. Today in schools and churches around the nation, fundraising different things for their club or church to help them either travel or help pay the expenses of things.
In fact, it is her refusal to lessen or belittle herself that almost leads to her destruction. It shows problems faced by africanamerican women during the. I found myself swallowing it whole, reading it cover to cover in one day, and not merely remembering why i liked the book, but loving it once again. The color purple represents all the good things in the world that god creates for men and women to enjoy. The color purple is an acclaimed epistolary novel by american author alice walker. The selfactualization celie achieves transforms her into a happy, successful, independent woman. The book opens as young celie address god with her fears about the future. Blacks in heated debate over the color purple by e. In the color purple, in the color purple, nettie and celies daughter and son travel and they start to try and raise money for their missionary jobs in africa.
Originally, the color purple came from a dye made from the mucus glands of a tropical sea snail known as the murex. The color purple is a 1985 american comingofage period drama film directed by steven spielberg with a screenplay by menno meyjes, based on the pulitzer prizewinning 1982 novel of the same name by alice walker. There are no dates, little sense of the passage of time, and very few mentions of characters ages. The novel, the film and the musical i think it pisses god off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and dont notice it 197. A feminist work about an abused and uneducated african american womans struggle for empowerment, the color purple was praised for the depth of its female characters. The color purple is truly an amazing book and one i wish i could give double the 5 stars to.
As a black american woman reared in the south in the 1930s, she rejects completely the systematic oppression that engulfed the position of the black woman. A feminist work about an abused and uneducated african american womans struggle for empowerment, the color purple was praised for the depth of its female characters and for its eloquent use of black english vernacular. The color purple deals with a black womans struggle to free herself from a position of servitude in a maledominated society. The minoans, a recentlydiscovered ancient civilization on the now greek island of crete, are. With danny glover, whoopi goldberg, oprah winfrey, margaret avery. Alice walkers stunning 1982 novel the color purple new york. It was spielbergs eighth film as a director, and was a change from the summer blockbusters for which he had become famous. Celie starts writing letters to god because her father, alphonso, beats and rapes her. Alice walkers the color purple weaves an intricate mosaic of women joined by their love for each other, the men who abuse them, and the. Published in 1982, walkers epistolary tale chronicles the startling tragedy and triumph of a poor black woman named celie in her struggle for selfempowerment, sexual freedom, and spiritual growth in rural georgia in the early twentieth century. She survives a stepfather who rapes her and steals her babies and also survives an abusive husband. This makes the color purple, a rather midsized book by novelistic standards, feel much longer. The name of the ancient city phoenicia, or canaan, means land of the purple and was the hub of the ancient purple dye industry.
Celie is abused and raped by her pa, who takes away her children after theyre born. Separated as girls, sisters celie and nettie sustain their loyalty to and hope in each other across time, distance and silence. Shes repeatedly raped by her father, her children are taken away from her, and shes literally sold into marriage to a man who wants a servant, not a wife. Because purple dye was so difficult to obtain and expensive to produce, purple became the royal color in many parts of the world and is traditionally associated with royalty, power, and wealth. The book vividly portrays the harsh life of rural, poor african americans especially women in the precivil rights south, and has been criticized for its negative. The color purple questions and answers discover the community of teachers, mentors and students just like you that can answer any question you might have on the color purple.
Litcharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in the color purple, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. Themes and topics fade away and the film just becomes life. A poor, black, ugly and uneducated female in the americas jim crow south in the first half of the 20th century, she is the victim of constant rape, violence and misogynistic verbal abuse. The murexs latin name is purpura, which is where we get the word purple from. Shes got it tough straight through the first part of the book. In 2003 the book was listed on the bbcs the big read poll of the uks.