The Color Purple

The Color Purple Alice Walker has a wonderful deception of many of the issues in the early 1900s. The book was an inspiration to a many who are in support of feminism, anti-racism and basic human rights. It goes beyond that, The Color Purple represents the bond between two sisters, the unbreakable bond, who prove to be stronger than any discrimination and greater than any distance. “I’m big… By the time I git back from the well, the water be warm. By the time I git the tray ready the food be cold. By time I git all the children ready for school it be dinner time,” (p.2) Walker brings dark humor to this novel, deeper representing the underlining theme. This book supports the theme of acceptance through Walker’s incorporations such as the type of writing, her characters, and her character’s changing idea of God. “Man corrupt everything, say shug. He on your box of grits, in your head, and all over the radio. He try to make you think he everywhere. Soon as you think he everywhere, you think he God. But he aint,” (p.197). This is in relation to the last quote, supporting a theme in this book that man is not god. Celie grew up her whole life feeling like he was – without realizing it. She never looked a man in the eye, she was afraid of men, and she hated men. God was her only escape from her life but throughout the novel, she felt more and more resentment to God, as she did to men. This realization of Celie’s changed her outlook on life, lifted a burden of fears and let her become a confident woman.
Celie presents a number of themes with her epiphany. Man is not god. God is everything, the plants the trees, the food. These representations allow her to become more independent and all this becomes a theme of woman empowerment/feminism.