Theme of communication in 'The Color Purple'
Explore the theme of communication between letters 61-70 of ‘The Color Purple’
Throughout the novel, Walker emphasizes the ability to express one’s thoughts and feelings through different forms of communication.
From the beginning, there is an educational barrier between the audience and Celie due to her lack of education. This is increased when Nettie’s letters are introduced, as her style of writing.
Walker uses the novel’s epistolary (letter-writing) form to emphasize the power of communication. Celie writes letters to God, and Nettie writes letters to Celie.
Both Celie and Nettie write in the form of letters, with structured paragraphs and punctuation. They also include the ‘basics of letters’ such as starting the letter with ‘Dear’ followed by a name and ending it with their names, ‘Your sister Celie’. Unlike Celie’s letters, Nettie writes in Standard English without many grammatical errors. Her education is shown, as her letters are more descriptive, additionally reflecting their different lives. Celie writes in the dialect of African American Vernacular English, for example, “What us gon make ‘em out of”.
The communication between the sisters is limited, since they’ve spent a long time apart, and due to the conflicting events between Celie and Mr -, they letters are old. Both sisters gain strength from their letter writing, but they are saved only when they receive responses to their letters.
A different communication is shown through Nettie’s letters describing the Onlinka tribe. English is shown as the dominant language, regardless of the dialect from different characters, “He speaks little English, what they call Pidgin English, but somehow familiar…” (p133) She explains the boundary between the male and female Onlinka, as they have little or no communication between each other. “They listen just long enough to issue instructions. They don’t even look at women when women are speaking… the women also do not look in a mans face… they look instead at
Throughout the novel, Walker emphasizes the ability to express one’s thoughts and feelings through different forms of communication.
From the beginning, there is an educational barrier between the audience and Celie due to her lack of education. This is increased when Nettie’s letters are introduced, as her style of writing.
Walker uses the novel’s epistolary (letter-writing) form to emphasize the power of communication. Celie writes letters to God, and Nettie writes letters to Celie.
Both Celie and Nettie write in the form of letters, with structured paragraphs and punctuation. They also include the ‘basics of letters’ such as starting the letter with ‘Dear’ followed by a name and ending it with their names, ‘Your sister Celie’. Unlike Celie’s letters, Nettie writes in Standard English without many grammatical errors. Her education is shown, as her letters are more descriptive, additionally reflecting their different lives. Celie writes in the dialect of African American Vernacular English, for example, “What us gon make ‘em out of”.
The communication between the sisters is limited, since they’ve spent a long time apart, and due to the conflicting events between Celie and Mr -, they letters are old. Both sisters gain strength from their letter writing, but they are saved only when they receive responses to their letters.
A different communication is shown through Nettie’s letters describing the Onlinka tribe. English is shown as the dominant language, regardless of the dialect from different characters, “He speaks little English, what they call Pidgin English, but somehow familiar…” (p133) She explains the boundary between the male and female Onlinka, as they have little or no communication between each other. “They listen just long enough to issue instructions. They don’t even look at women when women are speaking… the women also do not look in a mans face… they look instead at