Sexual Assault In Alice Walker's The Color Purple

Classic and beautifully well-written novels have many great themes. The love of two sisters and special friendships made along with the historical moments serve as a good purpose to allow such a novel to be included in the high school curriculum. As a novel as timeless and beautiful as The Color Purple, it may not be suitable for the high school level. Due to its sexual content, and themes of abuse, this novel does not belong in the high school curriculum. Throughout the novel The Color Purple, sexual assault is a main focus in which the novel gives graphic detail. In the beginning of the novel, main protagonist Celie is raped by her father and has two children with him. Although later in the novel it is revealed he is actually her step father, incest is apparent with two characters. “He never had a kine word to say to me. Just say You gonna do what your mammy wouldn’t” (Walker 1). It is evident the main character’s step father sexually abused her since her mother would not do what he wanted. Another character who faced sexual assault was Squeak, Harpo’s mistress. “He took my hat off, say Squeak. Told me to undo my dress. She drop her head, put her face in her hands. My God, say Odessa, and he your
The book is written in a way where we can feel what Celie is going through. We can feel her pain and her joy. The book is very detailed and too graphic for high school curriculum. Students who read the book may not completely understand or get the message of what this book is trying to tell the reader. Some situations in this novel are too advanced for a high school student to understand. Someone who is interested in reading The Color Purple may need to wait until they reach college. It is very well written and has a beautiful, sad story; although the content of sexual abuse, homosexuality, physical abuse, and misogyny is not appropriate to be in high school