What do we learn in the first 10 letters of the Color Purple
What Do We Learn in the First Ten Letters of The Color Purple?Although slavery was abolished in 1863, following the American Civil War, people's attitudes towards black people in the Southern States, remained very much the same. Beatings and lynching were common (in The Color Purple Celie's father was lynched because his business was too much of a threat to his white rivals) and black men, in a desperate attempt to gain some sense of power would often abuse their women, both mentally and physically and this led to a complete loss of self respect and confidence in nearly all black women. Celie is a perfect example of a typical black woman during this era. She feels isolated and the fact that this is an episodic novel shows this effectively to the reader. As a result of nearly all women being illiterate, and ignored by the world, they did not have a way of voicing their opinions and feelings and in The Color Purple Alice Walker gives a voice to these women. However, this novel also shows women beginning to question their role in society and leaving their lives of hardship and violence to make a living for themselves, gaining the respect of many members of the community. The dramatic opening immediately creates a feeling
He goes on to tell her to look decent. In this letter we also learn that Nettie has met a boy. The way that Alphonso tries to sell Celie is exactly the way a slave would be sold, which shows how little they think of women. She even goes through the effort of dressing up for him but he throws it back in her face, calls her a 'trampy' but 'do it to her anyway. As soon as Celie arrives at Mr_____'s house the eldest son throws a rock at her and cuts her head open. In letter two we learn that Celie is pregnant again and that her mother died 'screamin and cussin' at Celie for not being quick enough cooking, and getting the children ready for school. I may have got something in my eye but I didn't wink. ' The reader can only assume Shug Avery is going to play a huge part in this novel. She feels that she has lost her virginity and her innocence along with it. In the opening paragraph of letter one we discover that she is fourteen years old, which would make her incredibly naive. ' Whether, Celie ever had respect for Fonso before he raped her, is uncertain, but she has lost all respect for him now. ' Although Shug Avery is extremely successful and glamorous, underneath there is something sad about her and this shows that even the wealthiest black women were not happy. ' This opening line of letter three shows that Alphonso is getting tired of Celie.
Common topics in this essay:
Alphonso Celie,
Shug Avery,
Alice Walker,
Celie Nettie,
South Americans',
Nettie God,
Purple Celie's,
Mr_____ Pa,
Alphonso Celie's,
Nettie Alphonso,
shug avery,
learn celie,
learn alphonso,
letter learn,
black women,
celie's lack,
alphonso celie,
celie's mother,
color purple,
strong dislike towards,
little sister,
letter five learn,
leave don't go',
immediately creates feeling,
celie attracted shug,
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Acceptance Essays
