The Color Purple Research Paper

Finding Your Voice The Color Purple is a novel written by Alice Walker, which was published in 1982. The story takes place around the 1910s-1940s. It follows a young girl Celie as she grows up and all the challenges she has to face. The book is written through letters. The letters begin by being addressed to god but as Celie finds out her sister Nettie is possibly still alive she begins to write to her instead. The main recurring theme in this novel is having a strong voice and sticking up for yourself. One time having a powerful voice came up was when Sofia stood up for herself against her husband Harpo. Harpo tried to abuse her yet Sofia wouldn't have it and beat him right back. She wasn’t afraid to speak her mind. Celie admired Sofia’s
bravery and feared she would never be able to stick up for herself. Another time someone stuck up for himself or someone else was when Shug talk to Mr.______ about beating Celie.
Shug used her big voice to help the voiceless. Celie was always too coward to say something to Mr.______ or fight back. So when she told Shug about it, Shug knew what she needed to do. She went up to Mr.______ and put him in his place telling him to stop. Celie always was in awe when someone stuck up or her. She no longer believed she was worth it. Sofia’s big voice was very distinct when it came to her Sofia getting arrested. The mayor's wife told Sofia that her children are so clean and wanted to know if Sofia would work for her as her maid. Sofia said Hell no not once but twice. Then the mayor came over to her and asked Sofia what she said. Sofia told the mayor too Hell no. The mayor then proceeded to slap Sofia. That upset Sofia to the point where she ended up knocking the mayor out. Even though Sofia’s big voice and strong personality got her arrested she was still sticking up for what she believes in. Throughout the story Celie is surrounded by strong independent minded women who speak up for themselves. Eventually it inspires her enough to get a voice of her own and leave Mr._______ to go live with Shug in Memphis. Celie then goes on to create a pant making business which is breaking so many stereotypes. Women aren't supposed to wear pants let alone run their own business, yet Celie does both. She found a
voice. The way these girls stick up for themselves and each other reminds me of the movie and book The Help by Kathryn Stockett. The way Minnie, Aibileen, and Skeeter speak their minds is very similar to Sofia, Shug, and Celie. Both stories deal with racism and sexism. The characters are forced to face hardships throughout their lives and with these harsh realities they go through a journey of growth strength and more courage. These novels demonstrate how both themes of one's own voice and racism are connected and together can prosper in the end.