meaning of the color purple essay

“The Color Purple” by Steven Spielberg: Movie Analysis Essay

The film Color Purple has been adapted from the book of the same title written by Alice Walker. The film is plotted in a rural background and focuses mostly on the life of black females in the southern states of the US during the 1930s. The film Color Purple has frequently been subjected to censorship issues because of its explicit violent depictions. Celie is a young black girl and the main character in the film. She is not well educated which is evident from her letters to God, that are not well drafted, as also from her dialect that is rather raw and strong. Her letters reveal her struggles to resist the horrors in her life in clear indication of her immense strength as a young woman.

While Celie is about to cross over into adolescence she is repeatedly raped by her step father and has two children from him that are snatched away from her. She is eventually married off to a man named Albert and is soon made to cohabit with her husband’s mistress Shug. A sexual relationship develops between the two and Shug is instrumental in making Celie realize the hard facts of life and how to confront them with strength and courage. A sexual relationship develops between them and Celie discovers many exciting things about her body and about herself. She is much impressed with Shug and starts modelling her in becoming more and more independent as she adopts the views and opinions of Shug in viewing the world from different perspectives. She learns from Shug how to handle Albert and is much influenced by her in terms of her religious views.

In broadening her view on religion, Celie realizes that even if a person commits sins it is possible to remain in touch with God. Her strength and will power is evident from the fact that she is able to overcome and free herself from Albert’s bondage and to find loving relationship with Shug. Her sister Nettie also loves her although she is very young in understanding the horrible things that have been faced by Celie. She is seen on several occasions to be honest and open about her sufferings, only with God. The viewer can infer the strong instinct for survival that Celie has. In being born within a poor family, her mother being constantly ill and being victimized by the person whom she believes to be her father, Celie feels used and abused. Instead of complaining, she only wonders why all this happened to her and eventually develops a sense of worthlessness and low self esteem. Her reduced self worth is evident when she does not sign her letters written to God.

Celie eventually matures into a woman of powerful confidence but only after she has been misused to the core; her sister Nettie is separated from her and she is married to a cruel person who actually desired to marry Nettie. She is more of a slave to her husband until the time that Shug enters her life in being the mistress of her husband. With Shug’s support and guidance she becomes psychologically stronger. She also receives moral support from Sofia, her daughter-in-law, who encourages and teaches her how to face men and how to challenge and fight against injustice and prejudice. The film is interesting in watching how Celie learns how to communicate her independence. It is difficult for her to take action on the new concepts she learnt but she eventually gets fed up of the intense cruelty inflicted by her husband and is able to get away from her role as his slave. Celie is also able to gather immense strength and benefits from the enduring love she has for her sister. She loves her sister very much because she helped raising her two children. Celie is seen as a strong woman that learns to face challenges and to stand up for herself. She does not lose faith in God and is ultimately rewarded by being united with Nettie as also by surviving spiritually as well as physically in order to develop into a modern twentieth century woman.

The central focus of the film is seen as the mental and emotional rebirth of Celie. Although she is faced with extreme difficulties and violence in her early years as also after her marriage, she is able to create and stimulate feelings of sexual love and self love after she meets Shug. She develops friendship with Sofia who sets before her real examples of how to be courageous. The film depicts the power of these three women which is derived from the sense of caring they have for each other and the opportunities they get in continuing to develop, even in the face of the sexist and racist environment that prevails around them. It is a pleasure watching them crying, laughing and affirming with life together and sharing with each other’s happiness. They respect each other and live together in a manner that Celie could never have thought of until the time that her husband brought home Shug.

Celie is seen as the main character in conveying the dominating theme of the film which is of women coming together. She becomes the cause for the depicted unity in the film. It is an irony to see how the women view men as being careless and unimportant for their life. Women in the film are seen as being constantly suppressed and degraded by men in being used only for sexual pleasures.

List of References

Borysenko Joan, (1996). A Woman’s Book of Life: the Biology, Psychology and Spirituality of the Feminine Life Cycle, Riverhead Books.

Estees Pinkola Clarissa, (1997). Women Who Run with the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype , Ballantine Books.

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Bibliography

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The Color Purple

Introduction to the color purple.

The Color Purple is a letter or epistolary style message. It was published in the United States in 1982. The book met with a lot of controversies due to its thematic strands. Alice Walker , the writer, also hit the new heights of fame when the novel won Pulitzer the very next year followed by National Book Award with various offers for adaptions. The twisted story of Celie and Nettie takes place in the rural areas of Georgia in the United States during the decade of 30s around the Great Depression. The novel has made it to the list of the 100 best novels of all time. In 2003, the book appeared on the BBC’s The Big Read poll of the UK’s “best-loved novels!”

Summary of The Color Purple

Two African American sisters after bearing the impact of the wrath of their stepfather, Alphonso, are waiting for some assistance. Celie, the elder one, hits upon the idea of writing letters to God to save her siblings. All her efforts, however, go in vain as she becomes pregnant with her stepfather, who had already abused her once. Now she gives birth to her first son, Adam, whom Alphonso takes from her, and causes her to be pregnant the second time, giving birth to a girl, Olivia. Yet, Alphonso again appears to abduct the baby, disappearing with her. Later, Celie learns that somebody Mister is ready to marry Nettie, who is just 12 years of age, but seeing them getting out of his clutches, Alphonso flatly rejects the proposal of Mister Albert for Nettie and accepts for Celie. However, it turned out a mismatch on account of the age differences and the brutal behavior of Mister Albert against Celie, who has to take care of his household as well as his children. Celie leads a pitiful life as she has to do everything and also be beaten and raped by Mr. Albert.

Meanwhile, not seeing any other way out, Nettie, too, joins Celie. Mr. Albert asks Nettie to reward him if she wanted to stay in the house. So, Nettie escapes but is followed by Mr. Albert.  However, Celie presumes that Nettie is dead. Shortly after that Mister’s son, Harpo marries Sofia after having impregnated her. Despite his father’s fierce resistance to their marriage, he not only marries Sofia but also has five children from her. Yet, Sofia never becomes submissive before Harpo; rather she makes him dance at her tunes despite Celie’s instigations to Harpo, who finally submits to his father instead of his wife but when he again confronts Sofia, she not only retaliates but also confronts Celie for causing this instigation, making her seek an apology and join hands with her against the brutal duo.

Soon Mister takes another lady, Shug Avery, and brings her home, causing Celie to fall to her charms. Despite his father’s estrangement, Mister succeeds in having her at his house after making his father believe that her children are actually his own. Celie, meanwhile, becomes her nurse and befriends her. On the other hand, not seeing Harpo becoming good anymore, Sofia finally leaves him, while Harpo arranges a juke point for Shug to sing after which she becomes closer to Celie. When Harpo hooks Squeak, a new girlfriend, Sofia suddenly visits and thrashes her despite enjoying life with a fighter. The police attack her brutally after breaking Mary’s teeth, sending her behind the bars for 12 years.

Squeak, taking pity, asks Hodges, the sheriff for her release, but is raped by him after which she takes care of Sofia’s household. Sofia is released after some time. On the other hand, Shug helps Celie know about her sister, Nettie whom Mister has been keeping at a secret place. She comes to know later that she has gone to African with a couple, Corrine and Samuel, after they have adopted her son, Adam, and daughter, Olivia. However, Corrine becomes suspicious about her husband’s relationship with Nettie and tries to place restrictions on her.

On the other hand, Nettie, too, discloses her disillusionment of preaching in Africa after which she again prods Samuel of the adoption of Olivia and Adam after which she comes to know about the reality of Alphonso, her stepfather, and the past of her real father. She, then, informs him about her relationship with the children as their aunt. It soon happens that Nettie starts becoming religious, impacting Celie whom Shug advises about the existence of God. Then all three, Shug, Celie, and Squeak join hands to end patriarchal oppression. Soon Alphonso breathes his last, leaving everything for Celie, while Shug marries Germaine, causing worries to Celie who still loves her.

Meanwhile, Celie learns about the edification of Mister whom she starts calling Albert yet she rejects his proposal. She leaves Albert and curses him while doing so. When Celie comes to know about Shug having left Germaine, she also feels that she can live without him. Celie starts living a financially comfortable life and Shug returns and decides on retirement. Nettie, on the other hand, marries Samuel and comes back to America , while Adam and Olivia, too, become adults after which Adam marries an African American girl. Celie ends the story with a letter on how happy she is at the moment!

Major Themes in The Color Purple

• Religion: The Color Purple shows its theological thematic strand through the presence of God who is abstract as well as dependable in the beginning but highly ambivalent and unresponsive after Celie does not feel invigorated on account of her marriage. However, this perspective quickly changes when she meets Shug who teaches her how to feel loved by God instead of considering the physical persona of God as in colors; white or black. This divine perspective not only challenges the traditional social thinking about God but also sets a new pattern to see God through the blessings a person is blessed with. Shug’s thinking seeps into her soul so much so that she learns to appreciate her own pleasure and the world around her. Therefore, this transfusion of God from a physical to ethereal personality and then into something spiritual living in her goodness inspires her to learn about things religious in nature through her own understanding.
• Creativity: Creativity is another dominant theme of the novel. The African American community , considered not intelligent in the matter of spoken or written language correctly, is represented by Celie, Shug, and Nettie using that language efficiently to communicate philosophical and abstract ideas. However, this is shown in their own accent, style, dance, and gestures. Celie expresses this creativity through her letters written to God, while Shug makes her understand the same theological outreach through her songs and dance. Similarly, Nettie continues to write letters to her sister, despite their unresponsiveness. This shows human communication and creativity which does not stay dormant even in the face of discrimination and subsequent oppression and suppression.
• Hope: The novel also highlights the theme of hope despite the worst circumstances like Celie and Nettie have to go through. Celie thinks that even if she has children from her stepfather, they need to have a good future for which she finds Samuel and Corrine very loving due to their religious zeal. She believes that Nettie’s help in educating them will secure them a good place in society that they could not achieve otherwise. That is why Olivia works very hard, the reason that the theme of hope appears at various other places too, such as through Doris Baines, a white preacher. His passion for educating his family is based on the good hope for the future, while Eleanor Jane’s love for Sofia, too, is based on the hope that she would bring up her son as a good man
• Femininity: The novel presents the theme of femininity through its strong female characters who were put into very vulnerable situations and shown coming out victoriously with hope and resilience. Celie becomes a paragon of resilience despite being abused by her stepfather and giving birth to two children from him. It is because she does her best not only to save her children but also her younger sister, Nettie. Similarly, she sides with Sofia to hound Harp and when the chance arises, she switches sides to save Sofia or bring Sofia to her side. Also, it shows that the feminine sympathy also wins support when it is anti-patriarchy, the reason that Sofia finally overpowers Harpo. Shug also shows the same resilience as well as dominance when it comes to the assertion of herself. Similarly, Nettie constantly writes to her sister to make her aware of her condition, while Sofia’s sisters assist her by taking care of her kids when she is in jail .
• Color: TThe theme of color is prominent mostly through the female character of Shug about whom Alice Walker uses colorful terms. She also wears colorful dresses to look seductive, while her gifts comprise yellow and bright colors. This color contrast continues even when both Celie and Kate are on a shopping visit in the case of which Mister’s choice seems dominant to them. Even the songs written by Mary show the dominance of color, yellow, in her tunes and notes. Following this consciousness of colors, Mary Agnes also thinks about them seeping and creeping into her skin.
• Relationships: The novel shows the thematic strand of relations and forming relations. Celie, though, initially suffers psychological, sexually, and physically at the hands of her stepfather, soon learns this skill and marries Mister, an aged man. When Sofia comes to marry her stepson, Harpo, she forms a deep relationship with her and the same goes with Shug. By the end, she learns to experience love and set up her independent business. Similarly, the story also sheds light on twists and turns in relationships such as Sofia’s fight for dominance over Harp and Shug’s likeness for Celie.
• Racism: The theme of race and racism is obvious in the title of the novel and also from the background of the characters. Although there is hardly any white character, the life of Celie in the Georgian rural setting and the life of Nettie in the far-off African village show that racial discrimination is marring the social life of Cellie, Nettie, and Sofia as well as Harpo and other male members. The consciousness thinking about being a dark-skinned girl having low status constantly reverberates in the mind of Celie, while Sofia, too, suffers from her low status and ends up in prison for injuring Mary Agnes
• Violence and Suffering: The book shows the theme of violence and suffering as part of the lives of African American families. Not only the African Americans are suffering at the hands of white people such as in the case of Sofia, but they also suffer at the hands of their co-colors such as Celie becoming the victim of sexual abuse and physical distress of her stepfather, an African American male. Shug, too, faces the same fate, though, both join hands to stand up to this atmosphere of torture.
• Self-Discovery: The novel suggests the thematic strand of self-discovery through Cellie, Shug, and Nettie. Celie comes to know her power after she gets freed from the clutches of Mister, while Shug comes to know it after becoming friendly with Celie. Celie also helps Sofia while Nettie comes to know the power of familial love through her assistance to Celie’s children.

Major Characters of The Color Purple

• Celie: Celie is the main character and the protagonist through whose eyes the readers see the world of the novel. As a 14-year old young girly having caught in the clutches of her stepfather, Celie didn’t know how to get rid of this snare until she learns the power of her sexuality yet she has to save her children as well as her young sister, Nettie, from her stepfather. As time passes, she learns to live with Mister, she is wedded with, as well as hopes for the best from God whom she writes directly. After having been awakened by the life experiences, she learns the power of discourse as well as gender and uses it upon Harpo, her stepson, and his wife Sofia, as well as Shug, her female counterpart whom she starts loving. By the end of the novel, she learns about religion, spirituality as well as the power of religion and language in human lives. The journey that she takes from a young and innocent girl to a mature and confident lady, however, does not prove a smooth ride for her.
• Nettie: Nettie is Celie’s younger sister. She’s loyal, honest, and intelligent girl, who immediately makes her way out of the stepfather’s virtual prison after coming to know his predatory behavior. After exploiting her educational capability and opportunity, she leaves for African for preaching with the passion to help her family siblings even if she is away from her sister and proves a good ward for Adam and Oliva, Celie’s siblings. Although Samuel proves a blessing in disguise for her, she has her independent thinking and experience that she demonstrates in her diary entries.
• Alfonso: Often referred to as Pa or Fonso, Alfonso appears in the novel in the early pages and becomes an obsession and stigma for Celie as well as Nettie, though both of them call him Pa. As a symbol of an overbearing patriarch, he not only succeeds in raping Nettie during her early years but also succeeds in silencing Celie, stopping her from writing letters. A selfish predator, he marries Celie to Mister, stopping Nettie’s marriage with the obvious purpose of using her later. Later, he marries Shug Avery and enjoys good life when his son, Harop, marries Sofia. Later, it is proved that he is not their real but stepfather when some white person had killed their real father. He dies by the end of the novel.
• Mister: Referred as Albert in the novel, Mr. ——-or Mister is a handsome person who marries Nettie and loves Shug Avery but never marries her. He has set social and conventional barriers in the domestic life of Nettie by stopping her from communicating with her sister. Although by the end of the novel he comes to his senses of having an overbearing attitude toward women, he still stays almost the same and hands over the letters of Nettie to Celie after taking life seriously.
• Harpo: Despite his sensitive nature and loving attitude toward Celie, Harpo is obsessed with his mother and does not see her as a replacement. That is why he could not get along with Sofia. Later, Celie has to guide him. His consultation with his father plays havoc with his conjugal life including some advice from Celie after which he loses heart and continues living at Sofia’s will.
• Shug Avery : Shug is significant in the novel on account of her Honeybee Queen character as she becomes Celie’s mother-in-law but treats her freely as she becomes fascinated with her looks. Outrageous yet courageous, she takes Celie under her wings and impacts her through her singing popularity. Despite some drawbacks in her character, she displays confidence that Celie as well as Harpo like in her. In fact, she proves a fresh gale of the breeze in the dry household of Mister, bringing money and entertainment.
• Sofia Butler : Sofia Butler is significant character in the novel. She marries Harpo, the son of Mister, and her relationship with Celie and Shug. A domineering lady, she constantly depends on Harpo in a way that Celie has to intervene to advise Harpo on how to handle her. A girl of a fiery temper, she breaks the teeth of Mary Agnes, stays in jail, and comes out again to cause awe and fear among other ladies of the area. What makes her stand tall among other characters is her indomitable spirit and her will to despise white people.
• Aunt Odessa : Aunt Odessa is also significant. She is Sofia’s sister who has a strong impact on Harpo, Mister’s son, who marries Sofia, and becomes her stooge. She immediately comes to support Sofia when she finds her behind bars after causing injuries to Mary.
• Mary Agnes: Popular as Squeak, Mary Agnes appears on the scene when Sofia leaves for prison. Sofia knocks out her teeth when she shows her attitude after Harpo shows his inclination toward her.
• Old Mister: Albert’s father, Old Mister appears only once, and after berating his son, he disappears. It is he, who causes a stir in the household but brings Albert and Celie close to each other.

Writing Style of The Color Purple

The Color Purple is very vague, disorganized, and disjointed on account of the flashbacks from Celie’s letters. However, when the readers reach halfway through the book, they find the storyline connecting the important dots. This makes it a complete story having all the characters related to each other and helping each other. As the characters are mostly African Americans, they use sub-standard colloquial English which also has been used in the letters. Sentence structure, too, suffers due to this use of colloquial language comprising slang , cliché s, metaphors , and similes.

Analysis of the Literary Devices in The Color Purple

• Action: The main action of the novel comprises the life of two African American sisters, Celie and Nettie, with their stepfather and other relations. The falling action occurs when Pa leaves this world, leaving the house for Celie to take care of. The rising action occurs when Celie comes to know about God and the power of sexuality.
• Anaphora : The examples of anaphora from the book are given below, i. He took it. He took it while I was sleeping. Kilt it out there in the woods. Kill this one too, if he can. (p. 09) ii. An now when I dream, I dream of Shug Avery. She be dress to kill, whirling and laughing. (p. 13) iii. How good you look. Don’t she look good, Harpo? Harpo stare at me like he never seen me before. (p. 200) These examples show the repetitious use of “took it”, “kill this”, “I dream” and “look”.
• Allusion : The novel shows a good use of different allusions. Two examples are given below, i. So these Olinka people heard about Adam and Eve from the white missionaries and they heard about how the serpent tricked Eve and how God chased them out of the garden of Eden. (p. 252) ii. But really white white people lived somewhere else during those times. That’s why the bible says that Jesus Christ had hair like lamb’s wool. Lamb’s wool is not straight, Celie. It isn’t even curly. (p. 122) Both of these examples show biblical allusions; the first point to the story of Adam and Eve and the second to Jesus Christ.
• Antagonist : Pa is the antagonist of the novel as he appears to have tried his best to destroy Celie not only physically but also mentally and psychologically.
• Conflict : The novel shows both external and internal conflicts. The external conflict is going on between Celie and Pa and then Celie and Mister, while the internal conflict is going on in the mind of Celie about her status in the world, the reality of God and religion, and the role of the male members in the family.
• Characters: The novel has both static as well as dynamic characters. The young girl, Celie, is a dynamic character as she shows a considerable transformation in her behavior and conduct by the end of the novel. However, all other characters are static as they do not show or witness any transformation such as Pa, Mister, Olivia, Shug, and even Nettie.
• Climax : The climax in the novel occurs when Celie resolves to join Shug Avery to leave her husband due to his being involved in hiding her sister Nettie’s letters from her.
• Epigraph : The below sentence is an example of an epigraph , i. Show me how to do like you Show me how to do it. (Stevie Wonder) These lines occur in the song of Stevie Wonder. They show how Alice Walker uses it as the epigraph of her novel.
• Foreshadowing : The novel shows many instances of foreshadows. A few are given below, i. I am fourteen years old. I am I have always been a good girl. Maybe you can give me a sign letting me know what is happening to me. (p. 08) ii. My mama dead. She die screaming and cussing. She scream at me. She cuss at me. I’m big. I can’t move fast enough. By time I git back from the well, the water be warm. (p. 09) The use of the words “happening” and “die” shows that Celie is going to confront brutalities in life.
• Hyperbole : Below are the examples of hyperboles, i. She bout ten thousand times more prettier then me. I see her there in furs. Her face rouge. Her hair like somethin tail. She grinning with her foot up on somebody motocar. Her eyes serious tho. Sad some. (p. 13) ii. She got a fine house in Memphis, another car. She got one hundred pretty dresses. A room full of shoes. She buy Grady anything he think he want. (P. 104) iii. When us went to town to hear the will read yesterday, you could have knock me over with a feather. Your real daddy owned the land and the house and the store. He left it to your mama. (p. 223) Both of these examples exaggerate things as beauty , dresses, and shoes, including the role of a feather, have been exaggerated.
• Metonymy : The novel has also used metonymy . A couple of examples are given below, i. We will fight the white man, they said. But the white man is not alone , said the chief. He has brought his army. (p. 157) ii. 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 ain’t. (p. 181) iii. Then the old devil put his arms around me and just stood there on the porch with me real quiet. (249). This example shows the white man has been used for the white people, while the man has been used for all the male members of society.
• Metaphor : The Color Purple shows a good use of various metaphors. A few examples are given below, i. Harpo so black he think she bright, but she ain’t that bright. (36) ii. So and so is blacker than black, he’s blue black.” They are so black, Celie, they shine. Which is something else folks down home like to say about real black folks. (129) These examples show that several things have been compared directly in the novel such as the first shows comparing black to bright and the second black to blue or blue-black and then to a shiny thing.
• Mood : The novel shows various moods; it starts with a somber and tragic mood but turns out to be reassuring and hopeful by the end.
• Motif : Most important motifs of The Color Purple, are skin color, religion, and letters.
• Narrator : The novel is narrated from the first person point of view , who happens to be Celie, the protagonist of the novel.
• Personification : The novel shows examples of personifications such as, i. She so mad tears be flying every which way while she pack. (p. 27) ii. I think my heart gon fly out my mouth when I see one of her foots come poking out. (p. 49). iii. Adam has a special aptitude for figures and it worries Samuel that soon he will have nothing more to teach him in this field, having exhausted his own knowledge. (p.52) iv. And words long buried in my heart crept to my lips. (p. 218). These examples show as if the tears, heart, knowledge, and words have lives and emotions of their own.
• Protagonist : Celie is the protagonist of the novel. The novel starts with her birth and moves forward as she grows young and becomes a lady.
• Repetition : The below sentences are the few examples of repetition , i. You got to fight. You got to fight. (p. 23) ii. Your skin. Your hair. Your teefs. Everyday it something else to make miration over. First she smile a little. Then she frown. Then she don’t look no special way at all. She just stick close to me. She tell me, Your skin. Your hair, Your teefs. He try to give her a compliment, she pass it on to me. After while I git to feeling pretty cute. (p. 24) iii. I’ll tell them what to do with their bloody road and their bloody rubber plantations and their bloody sunburned but still bloody boring English planters and engineers. (p. 211) iv. Dear God. Dear stars, dear trees , dear sky, dear peoples. Dear Everything. Dear God. (263) The novel shows a lot of repetitions as shown by these examples such as “You got to fight”, “your”, “bloody”,” and then “dear.”
• Rhetorical Questions : The novel shows a good use of rhetorical questions at several places. Two examples are given below, i. Plus What about the scandal his wife cause when somebody kill her? And what about all this stuff he hear bout Shug Avery? What bout that? I ast our new mammy bout Shug Avery. What it is? I ast. She don’t know but she say she gon fine out. (p. 13) ii. What about all them funny voices you hear singing in church? Shug say. What about all them sounds that sound good but they not the sounds you thought folks could make? What bout that? Then she start moaning. Sound like death approaching, angels can’t prevent it. (p. 108) This example shows the use of rhetorical questions posed but different characters not to elicit answers but to stress upon the underlined idea.
• Setting : The setting of The Color Purple is a small village in Western African and a rural area of Georgia in the United States.
• Simile : The novel shows a good use of various similes as given in the below examples, i. But she’ll make the better wife. She ain’t smart either, and I’ll just be fair, you have to watch her or she’ll give away everything you own. But she can work like a man. (p. 8). ii. Well, brother must like black. Shug Avery black as my shoe. (p. 20). iii. The people live like ostriches, never setting foot on the new road if they can help it, and never, ever, looking towards the coast. (p. 157) These are similes as the use of the word ‘like’ shows the comparison between different things.

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What Does the Color Purple Mean?

Purple Color Meaning and Psychology

Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."

Amy Morin, LCSW, is a psychotherapist and international bestselling author. Her books, including "13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do," have been translated into more than 40 languages. Her TEDx talk,  "The Secret of Becoming Mentally Strong," is one of the most viewed talks of all time.

Meanings of Purple in History

Purple meanings and associations, purple is unique and exotic, purple color meaning and biology, frequently asked questions.

The color purple is associated with a variety of meanings, including wisdom, creativity, royalty, power, ambition, and luxury. It can also represent magic, extravagance, peace, pride, independence, and wealth. As with other colors, purple is the subject of color psychology , which suggests that colors can have a powerful impact on moods and even behaviors.

Each color is thought to have its own effect, but the feeling that each color produces can vary based on experience and culture. Like other colors, purple can lead to differing feelings, emotions , and associations.

What does the color purple mean? How does the color purple make you feel? People often describe this color as mysterious, spiritual, and imaginative. Purple tends to occur rarely in nature, so it is viewed as rare and intriguing.

Press Play to Learn More About How Colors Affect the Mind and Body

Hosted by therapist Amy Morin, LCSW, this episode of The Verywell Mind Podcast shares how colors influence the mind and body. Click below to listen now.

Follow Now : Apple Podcasts / Spotify / Google Podcasts / Amazon Music

If you're wondering what colors make purple, purple is a combination of the primary colors blue and red .

Verywell / Cindy Chung

So what are some of the most common associations people have with the color purple? The feelings that the color purple evokes are often due to cultural associations .

Because purple is so strongly associated with royalty, people often perceive it as being a very regal color. These associations with royalty, as well as wealth , stem from the fact that the purple dye used in ancient times was very rare and extremely expensive.

The resources needed to create a dye in this color were much harder to come by (since purple is uncommon in nature) and much more costly. So only the elite could use purple dye. These associations with extravagance and aristocracy persist to this day.

The color purple became associated with wealth and royalty because, oftentimes, the rich were the only individuals who could afford clothing and other household items that were dyed purple.

Around 1200 B.C.E., the city of Tyre (along the coast of ancient Phoenicia) began producing purple dye by crushing the shells of a small sea snail. The resulting color became known as Tyrian purple and was so well known it was mentioned in Homer's "Iliad" and Virgil's "Aeneid." Alexander the Great and the kings of Egypt also wore clothing colored with the famous Tyrian purple.

This connection with royalty was not just restricted to ancient times. Purple was the color of choice for the Purple Robe of Estate worn by Queen Elizabeth II on her way back to Buckingham Palace following her coronation in 1953.

Within the LGBTQ+ community, the purple of the pride flag represents non-binary gender identities. In the bisexual flag, the red and blue overlap to form purple representing bisexuality.

Some of the symbolic meanings and associations with the color purple include:

• Emotionality
• Enlightenment
• Imagination
• Inspiration
• Spirituality

Wisdom and Spirituality

Purple also represents wisdom and spirituality . Its rare and mysterious nature perhaps causes it to seem connected to the unknown, supernatural, and divine.

Different shades of purple have different spiritual meanings. For instance, light purples are associated with light-hearted, romantic energies, while darker shades can represent sadness and frustration . In some parts of Europe, purple is associated with death and mourning.

Courage and Bravery

In the U.S., the Purple Heart is among the highest honors for bravery in military service. The award, originally called the Badge of Military Merit, was created in 1782 by George Washington to give to soldiers for commendable action. The color represents courage and bravery.

Personality

While by no means scientific, liking purple might mean that you have positive feelings about some of the main associations of the color. So if purple is your favorite color, it might signify that you have an artistic, thoughtful, and intuitive side. You might also enjoy thinking about spiritual issues and the meaning of life. Of course, it might just mean that it is your favorite color due to your unique, individual associations and experiences.

Shades of Purple

• Pomegranate
• Royal purple

Since purple does not often occur in nature, it can sometimes appear exotic or artificial. For this reason, it tends to be quite a polarizing color. People tend to either really love purple or really hate it.

Visually, purple is one of the most difficult colors to discriminate. It also has the strongest electromagnetic wavelength, being just a few wavelengths up from x-rays and gamma rays. For this reason, it is often used in visual illusions such as the lilac chaser illusion.

In writing, the phrase "purple prose" is sometimes used to describe writing that is extremely imaginative or even prone to exaggeration, hyperbole, or outright lies.

When discussing color meaning, it's also important to recognize the role that various biological factors play in perceiving it. Several factors affect how the brain perceives the color purple, such as vision, light, and a person's interpretation of what the color represents.

Additional factors that can contribute to how a person perceives a color is its hue, its level of saturation or purity, and how bright or dull it is. All these play into the frequency, wavelength, and energy associated with the color, which also changes how the eye and, subsequently, the brain perceive it.

That means that everyone's perception and interpretation of the color purple can be different.

A Word From Verywell

Responses to the color purple can vary considerably from one person to the next, but many feel that the color seems royal yet mysterious.

Notice how purple is used in the image that accompanies this article. Consider how the color purple makes you feel. Do you associate purple with certain qualities or situations? 

The answer appears to differ based on sex. Women who prefer the color purple are thought to constantly develop themselves spiritually. They seek peace , harmony, protection, and support. Men who prefer purple tend to be more spiritually expressive. They live life on their own terms, sometimes to the point of appearing vain or arrogant .

Roman emperors including Julius Caesar and Augustus wore purple as a sign of power and wealth. Purple was also the chosen color for the women's suffrage movement in the early 1900s, representing freedom and dignity.

The award-winning novel The Color Purple , written by Alice Walker in 1982, was later turned into a movie and a musical. The music icon Prince was also associated with this color, celebrating it in his song Purple Rain .

Some fruits are purple, such as grapes and eggplant. (Yes, eggplant is technically a fruit.) Several plants also flower purple blooms. Lavender , lilac, morning glory, wisteria, and clematis can all be found in purple shades ranging from light to dark.

The psychological meanings of purple vary depending on individual associations, but it is often associated with a sense of mystery, wisdom, and spirituality. Because purple is a blend of a high-energy color (red) and a calming color (blue), it can be both an energizing and relaxing color depending on how it is used. When used sparingly, it may triggers feelings of joy or inspiration. When used in excess, it can seem frustrating or even overbearing.

The color purple is often used to symbolize creativity, royalty, femininity, and spirituality. In some cases, purple is used to symbolize wealth and extravagence. It is also sometimes associated with magic, peace, and pride.

Kurt S, Osueke KK. The effects of color on the moods of college students . SAGE Open . 2014;4(1):215824401452542. doi:10.1177/2158244014525423

Canva. Color meaning and symbolism: How to use the power of color .

Dunn C. The color of royalty, bestowed by science and snails . The New York Times .

Schultz C. In ancient times, purple dye was made from snails . Smithsonian Magazine .

The Royal Household. 50 facts about the Queen's coronation .

London Image Institute. Why is it important to understand color psychology? .

Britannica. Purple Heart: United States military decoration .

Heller E.  Psychologie de la couleur: effets et symboliques . Pyramyd.

NASA Science. Visible light .

Britannica. Colour .

Museum of New Zealand. The history of purple, from ancient Rome to women's rights .

By Kendra Cherry, MSEd Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."

Themes and Analysis

The color purple, by alice walker.

'The Color Purple' by Alice Walker is a great novel with powerful stories and themes that are relevant across continents and generations. The novel also has inspirational symbols like the phrase of the title which symbolizes beauty in nature.

About the Book

Article written by Onyekachi Osuji

B.A. in Public Administration and certified in Creative Writing (Fiction and Non-Fiction)

Alice Walker tells a great story and teaches numerous lessons in The Color Purple . She also uses an interesting narrative style of letter writing to narrate the entire story. Below is an in-depth analysis of some of the themes and symbols in the novel.

Gender is the major theme in The Color Purple . We see the dynamics of gender from different dimensions. Also, we see race, religion, and an array of other themes. Let’s explore some of these themes.

Gender Inequality and Injustice

In The Color Purple , we see the unjust treatment of females by males, subjugation of women by the society, and also women sabotaging their fellow women.

There is the vulnerable girl child that is preyed upon, abused, and raped by cruel individuals in the family units. For instance, we hear Sofia’s melancholy words, as quoted from ‘ The Color Purple’ :

a girl child ain’t safe in a family of men Sofia to Celie (page 41)

Celie’s life is a testimony of the sad truth of the above words by Sofia. We see young Celie who is repeatedly raped by her stepfather from so early an age that as a teenager, she has been impregnated twice. Then her stepfather marries her off without her consent and her husband continues the vicious cycle of abuse that her step-father began.

Then we see in the novel, stereotypes, cultural practices, and beliefs that are created to subjugate women in society. This is most notable in the village of Olinka where the essence of a woman’s existence is in getting married to a man and becoming the mother of the man’s children. In the words of an Olinka mother to Nettie :

A girl is nothing to herself; only to her husband does she become something An Olinka woman to Nettie when asked why they do not send their daughters to school (page 171)

The people of Olinka do not permit females to go to school or act independently, there must be a man at every point in her life to “look after” her.

We also see an indication of a patriarchal society that subjugates women in the beliefs and actions of most of the male characters. For instance, when Harpo as a boy is asked by his aunt Kate to help with chores around the house, Harpo replies that ‘Women work. I’m a man’, which shows that he has been trained to believe that chores are only for females and that as a male he is entitled to be in the house without helping out with chores.

Gender Solidarity

The Color Purple is emphatic with the message that women should support their fellow women and that women’s support for each other helps them thrive as individuals and gives them the power to overcome their struggles.

This is most notable in the support and friendship between Celie and Shug Avery, Celie and Nettie, Celie and Sofia, Shug Avery and Squeak, and between the women of Olinka.

Celie cared for Shug Avery when she was sick and her care was instrumental in nursing her back to life. Shug on her part, teaches Celie a new concept of religion that empowers her, and encourages her to leave Albert and begin a business of her own, without the friendship of Shug, Celie’s redemption as an individual might have taken longer to achieve or might not have happened at all. It was Shug who helped Celie control her instinct to murder Albert and helped her direct her energy to something productive. It was also Shug that brought Nettie’s hidden letters to Celie and the loving words in Nettie’s letters contributed to Celie’s healing as an individual.

In Olinka, the women have camaraderie and friendship with each other, even among women that share the same husband and these women work together and care for each other, often excluding their husbands in this friendship.

Sofia’s sister Odessa takes Sofia in when Sofia leaves her marriage and also cares for Sofia’s children when Sofia goes to prison. Sofia encourages Squeak to pursue her singing career and offers to look after Squeak’s daughter in Squeak’s absence which also shows gender solidarity.

Gender Stereotypes

Another theme on gender in The Color Purple is that the traditional gender stereotypes for men and women are wrong and often hinders individuals from doing things that make them happy and from being productive.

Albert reminisces on his love for sewing as a youth but how he was forced to abandon sewing because folks made fun of him for doing a chore that they believe is meant for women.

We also have Alice Walker rebuffing some notions of masculinity and femininity through events in the novel. On page 326, Albert describes Shug’s qualities of being upright, honest, speaking her mind without caring what people think, and fighting for her happiness as being ‘manly’. And he also admits that Sofia shares those same qualities. Celie replies that those qualities are rather ‘womanly’ qualities especially since he and his son do not have those qualities and the people that are known to have those qualities are Shug and Sofia who are women.

Walker also deals with the dressing stereotypes for men and women in The Color Purple , fighting the notion that wearing pants is a dressing meant for men alone.

Race is another key issue . The Color Purple gives an unobtrusive depiction of racial discrimination against blacks , particularly in the South of the USA.

The mayor’s wife does not realize that her patronizing treatment of blacks is condescending. The mayor’s wife sees a clean and respectable-looking black woman with a car and her well-dressed children, and instead of her admiration for them to inspire respect, it inspires in her the desire to have the black woman come to serve as her maid.

Sofia’s response of “Hell No” to the mayor’s wife leads to assault by the mayor and by a large group of police officers because it is almost inconceivable for a black woman to talk back sharply at a white woman.

In the USA at the time, there were separate sections for whites and blacks in public trains, which was a glaring indication of racial discrimination.

Beauty standards of the time also reflect a prejudiced notion of being black. For instance, Albert’s sister Carrie does not agree that Albert’s deceased wife, whom Kate described as beautiful was actually beautiful just because Albert’s deceased wife had a dark complexion. Also, Tashi observes that from pictures of women she saw in western magazines, it was clear that the people of America did not like dark-skinned women.

Another pitiable indication of racial discrimination is the case of Squeak, who is biracial and who was asked to act like a white lady in order to plead Sofia’s case with the prison warder but who unfortunately was raped as the prison warder recognized her as a biracial lady and not as a white. This shows how blacks are regarded by the privileged whites.

One of the religious lessons The Color Purple teaches is that God is not restricted to the traditional image of the Christian God. That God can be found everywhere and in everything.

Celie was writing letters to the Christian image of God, to which she felt no connection to and nothing in her life improved until she changed her perception of God and began to feel free and powerful.

Nettie, who went to Africa on a mission to convert the roof leaf-worshipping villagers of Olinka into Christendom, later became confused about what was the true image of God between Jesus Christ and the roof leak.

Tact and Survival

Another theme in The Color Purple is the importance of tact in survival. Walker was passing the message that sometimes one condones unpleasantness in order to avert worse outcomes, especially in situations where one is dealing with people who wield more power than oneself.

Celie was tactful in acting docile in the face of abuse because she was a vulnerable child that had no one to protect her, and she was not powerful enough to protect herself. So she condoned abuse without resistance in a bid to survive.

Sofia is a strong woman and a fighter but lacks tact, for which she paid a great price.  She was not tactful in her reaction to the mayor and his wife, and this got her to respond with indignation at the mayor’s wife’s request that she serve as a maid and to retaliate against the physical assault by the mayor, an action which stripped her off twelve years of her freedom and made her lose out on her children’s growing up. She later learned tact the hard way as she began to conduct herself as a submissive and well-behaved prisoner even though underneath that docile exterior, she was furious enough to kill.

Alphonso, though a villain, was tactful enough to avoid being lynched like Celie’s father by using a white person to run his business and by reaching certain compromises with the powerful whites in his area of business.

Imperialism and Exploitation

Alice Walker did some expositions of the exploitative motivations of the Western world in Africa. In The Color Purple , we see how the more powerful countries of the world will always exploit and destroy the less powerful countries and that sometimes, these exploitative motives are disguised as philanthropy, development, or benevolence.

She talks about England looting valuable artifacts from Africa, Holland using cheap labor of Africans on questionably acquired cocoa plantations, and western capitalists’ forceful evacuation of the people of Olinka from their homes and imposing taxes on them.

Analysis of Key Moments

• Celie is fourteen years old and writing to God about being sexually abused by her father, Alphonso.
• Celie’s mother dies. Celie is pregnant for the second time and fears Alphonso will kill the child just as he killed the first one. Alphonso takes the second child away from Celie, too, without letting her know the whereabouts of the child.
• A widower called Albert comes to ask for Nettie’s hand in marriage, but Alphonso persuades Albert to marry Celie instead of Nettie, which he does.
• Albert beats, rapes, and abuses Celie in their marriage and Albert’s spoiled children give Celie a difficult time in her matrimonial home.
• Celie meets a little girl, whom her instincts tell her is her daughter, with a rich woman at a store in town. They talk, and the rich woman introduces herself as the reverend’s wife.
• Nettie runs away from home when Alphonso tries to rape her and goes to Celie
• Albert begins to make sexual advances at Nettie, and when she fights him off, he sends her away from his house. Celie suggests to Nettie to run to the rich woman she saw at the store in town and also makes Nettie promise to write her letters.
• Harpo, Albert’s son, marries a pretty and confident woman called Sofia. After a while, Harpo begins to complain that Sofia does not obey him and asks Celie for advice. Celie advises Harpo to beat Sofia.
• Sofia confronts Celie about the advice to Harpo, and Celie admits guilt and apologizes, and the two women begin to get along.
•  Albert brings home his ex-lover, Shug Avery, who is critically ill, and Celie begins to nurse her.
• Sofia complains of being unhappy in her marriage and leaves Harpo, taking their five children with her.
• Harpo converts their home into a juke joint after Sofia and the kids leave.
• Shug Avery regains her health and begins to perform at Harpo’s juke joint.
•  Sofia gets arrested for retaliating against a slap by the mayor and sentenced to twelve years in prison.
• Harpo’s girlfriend, Squeak, who is biracial, pretends to be a white lady and goes to plead Sofia’s case with the prison warder but unfortunately gets raped by the prison warder.
• Shug Avery finds out that Nettie had been writing Celie but that Albert had been hiding the letters. Celie begins to read Nettie’s letters.
• Celie learns that Nettie is on a mission in Africa and that the lady she saw at the store and her husband adopted Celie’s two children who are alive and well.
•  Shug Avery and Celie become closer as friends and eventually become lovers. Shug advises Celie to start sewing pants to distract her mind because Celie is angry and wants to kill Albert for being an abusive husband to her and for hiding her sister’s letters from her.
• Shug travels to Tennessee, taking Celie and Squeak. And while there, Celie begins to design and sew so many pants and eventually makes a business out of it.
•  Celie learns that Alphonso is not her and Nettie’s biological father but only their stepfather. She also learns that her real father was a wealthy merchant who was lynched by white people for being a business competition to them.
•  Alphonso dies and Celie discovers that her childhood home, her late father’s store, and all their other properties were left to her by her mother.
•  Nettie gets married to Samuel after his wife Corrine dies.
• Albert becomes a changed and better man and asks Celie for forgiveness, and they both become friends, although Celie refuses to stay married to him.
• Nettie returns from Africa with Celie’s children, Adam and Olivia, and they all reunite happily.

Style, Tone, and Figurative Language

Alice Walker uses letter writing to narrate the entire events in the novel. The epistolary style of The Color Purple takes on three key narrative perspectives. First is Celie’s letters to God, then Nettie’s letters to Celie, again Celie’s letters to Nettie, and the last letter is Celie’s letter addressed to “Dear God. Dear stars, dear trees, dear sky, dear peoples. Dear Everything. Dear God”.

The diction is mostly vernacular as the main narrator Celie is an uneducated southern girl who does not know to spell so many words correctly. There are instances of her limited literacy in her spelling of words like tuberculosis as “two berkulosis” and using the pronoun “us” where “we” should be used.

Alice Walker also makes use of character foils in The Color Purple . Celie and Shug Avery are character foils. Celie is docile and subdued, while Shug Avery is vivacious, bold, and free. The characters Albert and Jack also foil each other; Albert is abusive to women while Jack is supportive of women, Albert is not a loving father even though he has children, while Jack loves and cares for children even though he has none of his own.

Analysis of Symbols

The color purple symbolizes beauty, especially beauty found in nature. When Shug says she thinks it pisses God off when one walks by the color purple in a field and does not notice, she is referring to missing out on appreciating the beauty of nature all around us(page 223). Celie goes further to ponder on the creativity it took to create the color purple when she admits that she’d been so occupied with thinking about God that she failed to notice creations like the color purple and marvels at where it comes from.

The Juke Joint is a place where people convene in the evening to relax and have a good time. It symbolizes momentary relief in suffering and togetherness. The characters, both friends and adversaries, all sought this relief and came together.

It is also a symbol of Harpo’s coming of age and independence from his father.

This is a symbol of the creativity and resourcefulness of the African-American woman. It is also a symbol of friendship, togetherness, and storytelling. For instance, Sofia and Celie began quilting after reconciling and sharing their stories with each other.

Pants in The Color Purple symbolize the gender stereotype of manliness. It then goes further to show that the quality of manliness is not fit for men alone but for women too.

Shug Avery’s love of elephants symbolizes strength, loyalty, and a nurturing quality in herself. And her love of turtles symbolizes her longevity and a hard exterior that protects a soft inner self.

Celie chooses the duck as an animal that represents her. A duck being an animal that can swim, walk and fly, it represents Celie’s quality of adaptability to circumstances around her.

What is the main theme of The Color Purple ?

The main theme of The Color Purple is Gender. The novel exposes gender subjugation and preaches gender solidarity among women. It also tries to break certain gender stereotypes about masculinity and femininity. Some other themes in the novel are race, religion, and imperialism. It talks about the racial discrimination against blacks in the United States, tries to change the notion of God as depicted by Christianity, and laments the exploitation of Africa by western countries.

Does Shug love Celie?

Yes, Shug loves Celie. She begs Celie not to kill Albert because that would make Celie go to prison and she, Shug, cannot bear the thought of losing Celie. Then she also professes her love for Celie as she asks Celie to give her a few months to indulge in one last fling and then return to her.

Why did Alice Walker name her novel The Color Purple ?

Alice Walker named her novel The Color Purple to symbolize the beauty of nature. A reference to the title is found on pages 223 and 224 of the novel, where the character Shug Avery tells the protagonist Celie that it pisses God off when one walks by the color purple in the fields and does not notice. Celie also marvels at where such a beautiful color comes from.

What does Celie do that surprises everyone at the dinner table?

Celie shouts back at Albert in outrage. The action surprises everyone at the table because Celie is known to be docile and submissive and never stands up for herself. Her outrage is a result of years of suppressed emotions as a result of the physical and emotional abuse she has suffered in her life.

About Onyekachi Osuji

Onyekachi was already an adult when she discovered the rich artistry in the storytelling craft of her people—the native Igbo tribe of Africa. This connection to her roots has inspired her to become a Literature enthusiast with an interest in the stories of Igbo origin and books from writers of diverse backgrounds. She writes stories of her own and works on Literary Analysis in various genres.

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Osuji, Onyekachi " The Color Purple Themes and Analysis 📖 " Book Analysis , https://bookanalysis.com/alice-walker/the-color-purple/themes-analysis/ . Accessed 12 April 2024.

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The Color Purple

Alice walker, ask litcharts ai: the answer to your questions.

Purple Quotes in The Color Purple

I can't remember being the first one in my own dress. Now to have one made just for me. I try to tell Kate what it mean. I git hot in the face and stutter.

Purple Symbol Timeline in The Color Purple

Home — Essay Samples — Literature — The Color Purple — Defining a Woman in the Color Purple

Defining a Woman in The Color Purple

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The Meaning of Beauty and the Color Purple

By: Monika   •  Essay  •  814 Words  •  December 13, 2009  •  1,163 Views

Essay title: The Meaning of Beauty and the Color Purple

The meaning of Beauty and The Color Purple

“Though we travel the world over

to find the beautiful, we must carry it

with us or we find it not”

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

As stated by Emerson, beauty cannot be found unless carried within one’s self first. In the novel by Alice Walker, “The Color Purple”, Celie finds out that beauty is not real unless it is first found within, so that that beauty felt can reflect for others to see. [Celie went through traumatic struggles before she ever felt beautiful starting with the treatment of influential men in her life. Although she felt more connection with women in her life, her early encounters with Shug greatly accounted for her self worth at the time. However, Celie could not be beautiful to others unless she found beauty within herself, for herself.]

For the majority of the novel, Celie was never told she was or could be beautiful by men, she was told how much of nothing she was to them. Beauty was something Celie learned was for women who enjoyed having sex, something for women who had confidence, which was something she could never feel for herself. She was constantly mis treated and told what to do by men like her father and Albert. The book opens with her being raped by her father. He tells her to tell nobody but God, and she begins to be scared of saying “no” to men, she feels she needs to take the abuse, Celie would “be wood” because wood does not feel pain. Her father dominates and makes Celie feel like she was bad, like she did something to deserve this. She felt she was worth little because she should allow her father to do thing like this to her. She felt controlled, dominated and therefore subordinate to men. Her self worth had gone from little down to nothing, and she was told by her father how ugly she was.

Not only had her father told her she was ugly, Shug Avery also took it into her own hands when attempting to make Celie feel ugly. Celie began to feel even worse when she first met Shug Avery, and the excitement she had to see Shug, was ruined as a dark shadow hovered over Celie, making her feel more ugly than she had ever thought. Shug Avery was spoken about by Albert like some kind of Goddess. She was the epitome of beauty for Celie because Albert had spoken about her so fondly. However when Shug first came to the house, and Celie wanted to change her dress, and clean herself up to look good when she saw the “famous” Shug, the first thing Shug said when she looked at Celie, cackling was “You sure is ugly”. Not only did Celie feel her smile turn to a frown, she felt horrid about herself. Somebody she hoped

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