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Color Purple

At the tender age of fifteen, Celie, the main character in Alice Walker’s The Color Purple is raped by whom she knows as her Pa. Pa forces himself upon Celie and she gets “big” or pregnant, not once, but twice. When Pa takes the children away, the first a boy and the second a girl, Celie believes that he kills them. The reader gathers from her letters to God, that she is not very educated, and she seems a little on the dumb side. She does not like, or fully understand the idea of her children being taken away from her, but knows that there is nothing she can do about it. This realization is a crucial point in the development of Celie’s character. She seems to understand that her life will always be rough, and adapts to it by learning to ignore things she doesn’t like. She slips into her own world, a happy place, where no harm can enter and she is safe. This adaptation will help her to get through life, since it turns out to be a constant struggle. Celie’s mother died not too long after she had her children. Her mother cursed at her, in her final words, after she was told what her husband had done to Celie. She had thought that Celie was sleeping around, but when she found that the children were her husband’s, it killed her. She was not happy about that and instantly blamed Celie. After her mother died, the rape continued and began for Nettie, Celie’s younger sister. Celie didn’t want it to happen to Nettie, for she loved her too much. Celie told Nettie to run far away, and never come back. Fonso (their stepfather) then sold Celie to Mr. _____. He had no need for her anymore, for he thought she was ugly and dumb, while he wanted to keep Nettie, whom he believed to be pretty all to himself. He wouldn’t let Mr._____ have Nettie. Mr.______ needed someone to take care of his children and his home, and Celie was dumb, ugly, and helpful around the house. (in his eyes) The conflict between Fonso and Celie, lies behind his feelings toward her. He thought she was ugly and stupid, when in reality she was not. He raped her, and in turn she hated him for it. This conflict made the relationship between them sour. She hated him for his disrespect and abuse he administered to her. Bibliography book-color purple Word Count: 410

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