Change In Alice Walker's The Color Purple

Throughout Alice Walker's novel The Color Purple the character Albert experiences the most change in moral development. The change that Albert experiences is caused by other characters. Albert undergoes change through change occurring to Celie in her views of herself. Celie tells Shug Avery that she is beaten by Albert "for being me and not you"(Walker 75). Albert treats her badly for being a women and not thinking more highly of herself. Whenever she's called ugly she just listens to it without standing up for herself. Sofia and Shug Avery influence Celie to defend herself more, thus increasing her feeling of self acceptance. In response, Albert finds it more difficult to act in subordination to her. This makes him think about his own life and come to their
Early on in the novel Albert didn't place much value on the treatment of women such as Celie. This ties into his knowledge of the world other than just his own life, as his experiences lead to his morals. Celie noticed how Albert seemed to "hardly know nothing"(Walker 282). With this lack of depth in his knowledge he had many values based off of judgement such as the belief that it is ok to beat women to make them listen to what he says. As he changes through involvement with characters like Celie, Shug Avery and Sofia though, his views on women change. The values and morals that Albert had previous to his involvement with Celie were part of his moral compass, as everyone would have one, just some not as strong as others. After this point though, he allows his moral compass to became a stronger part of his life as he began to act more out of love than superiority. He states that the "more I wonder, the morel love"(Walker 283). Ashe began to wonder and question more of the values of the world and in his own life, he realized that the key to happiness would be through knowledge and love towards