The Color Purple
The Color Purple
In “The Color Purple” by Alice Walker,Celie has been verbally, physically, and sexally abused by different men and has no real narrative voice. Which leaves her with little sense of self worth making her unable to live a happy, decent life. When Celie comes across Shug Avery, their relationship becomes intimate making Celie find her self with self confidence. Celie freed Shug from the role that everybody wanted her to fit into, and Shug freed Celie from the psychological bonds that were keeping her from making of her life what she wanted it to be, by being a mixture of friend, idol, lover, and teacher. Change happens for people who work for it.
Celie was always told that she was ugly, that she was useless, that she was worthless. Alphonso and Mr.----- never lost an opportunity to tell her so. And so Celie became and believed she was ugly, useless, and worthless. Even Shug, when she first met her, exclaimed "You sure is ugly" (pg.48). Shug was told, first by her mother and then in the "respectable people's" opinion, that she was a whore, that she was wicked, and so she became a Temptress of sorts. "Even the preacher got his mouth on Shug Avery, now she down. He take her condition for his text. He don't call no name, but he don't have to. Everybody know who he mean. He talk about a strumpet in short skirts, smoking cigarettes, drinking gin. Singing for money and taking other women mens. Talk about slut, hussy, heifer, and streetcleaner." (Pg 46). She was the woman that all the men wanted and all the women hated, because there was so much she dared to do and so little anyone could do to stop her. However, neither of them necessarily wanted to take part in those roles, and both of them felt confined in them.
Shug has a certain image in the novel. She fits the role of the seductive woman, the temptress, the devil. However, when she and Celie became friends, Shug opens herself up to Celie and show the sweet side of her nature.
In “The Color Purple” by Alice Walker,Celie has been verbally, physically, and sexally abused by different men and has no real narrative voice. Which leaves her with little sense of self worth making her unable to live a happy, decent life. When Celie comes across Shug Avery, their relationship becomes intimate making Celie find her self with self confidence. Celie freed Shug from the role that everybody wanted her to fit into, and Shug freed Celie from the psychological bonds that were keeping her from making of her life what she wanted it to be, by being a mixture of friend, idol, lover, and teacher. Change happens for people who work for it.
Celie was always told that she was ugly, that she was useless, that she was worthless. Alphonso and Mr.----- never lost an opportunity to tell her so. And so Celie became and believed she was ugly, useless, and worthless. Even Shug, when she first met her, exclaimed "You sure is ugly" (pg.48). Shug was told, first by her mother and then in the "respectable people's" opinion, that she was a whore, that she was wicked, and so she became a Temptress of sorts. "Even the preacher got his mouth on Shug Avery, now she down. He take her condition for his text. He don't call no name, but he don't have to. Everybody know who he mean. He talk about a strumpet in short skirts, smoking cigarettes, drinking gin. Singing for money and taking other women mens. Talk about slut, hussy, heifer, and streetcleaner." (Pg 46). She was the woman that all the men wanted and all the women hated, because there was so much she dared to do and so little anyone could do to stop her. However, neither of them necessarily wanted to take part in those roles, and both of them felt confined in them.
Shug has a certain image in the novel. She fits the role of the seductive woman, the temptress, the devil. However, when she and Celie became friends, Shug opens herself up to Celie and show the sweet side of her nature.