The Color Purple

Alice Walker: 1944 born in South Georgia; father was sharecropper;

made racism and sexism to her main themes; helped

blacks to their voting right;

novel in 90 letters is the film's base (epistle); reflects

Alice Walker's own rural background; Celie's letters

contain lots of misspellings and often language is

grammatically incorrect.

Main characters: Celie, Nettie ® (sisters); Alphonso; Mister; Shug Avery

Plot:

Winter 1909

Celie has a baby (Olivia); taken away from her (by Alphonso = stepfather); Celie doesn't tell her mum (because raped by Alphonso); mother dies; father sells her to Mister Johnson (= Mister); Mister marries Celie; wants to marry her sister (Netty), but she is too young; Celie hard working; Mister already has 3 children (e.g. Harpo); Mister treats Celie like a servant; has to clean house; cares for children; humiliates her in the nights; in store, Celie meets woman with Olivia; wants to hold her (Olivia has been sold by stepfather to Reverent Samuel and his wife, who cannot have children); later Netty nearly raped by Mister; can escape; Netty and Celie swear lifelong faith; Netty has to leave; Mister hides all letters from Netty to Celie.

Summer 1916

Shug Avery famous blues singer; touring the state (Georgia); Mister becomes very nervous when seeing her; loves her; Sophia in love with Harpo; big woman; resolute; lots of power; pregnant from Harpo; they marry; Mister doesn't like decision; Sophia controls her new husband first; then Celie tells Harpo to hit her; Harpo and Sophia hit each other; Sophia leaves him; Shug Avery comes drunk to Mister; Mister makes breakfast for her; she doesn't like it; then Celie makes breakfast; Shug rather unhappy with her life; spends her life smoking and drinking; her father doesn't accept Shug's way of life; has a lot of children from different men; father doesn't allow her to keep them; frustrated and lonely

Summer 1922

at Harpo's bar: Celie sings Celie blues; about sisters; tries to build up self confidence; Sophia beats Harpo's new girlfriend; everybody starts fighting; Celie tries on Shug's evening clothes; Shug teaches her to laugh / smile; Celie shy in first place; then smiles; also taught to enjoy kissing; Celie in love with Shug; Celie tells Shug that she hates sleeping with Mister who beats her; only when Shug is there Celie is not beaten by Mister; Celie wants to leave with Shug; Mister catches her;

in town: Sophia standing near car; Miss Millie wants her to be her maid; Sophia doesn't want to; beats up Millie; sent to prison; has to work as maid afterwards; has to stay with Miss Millie now; can go home for Christmas; Miss Milly drives her; bad driver; doesn't want any help; takes Sophia with her again.

Spring 1936

Shug returns to visit Celie; Celie finds her letters (hidden by Mister) under the floorboards; Netty is in Africa; came there with Reverent Samuel; stayed with Celie's children; Celie dreams of Netty's life when reading the letters; sees church which is pulled down (big road is built); also sees beautiful images of Africa; Netty teacher in missionary school (also pulled down); Netty allowed to return because Reverent's wife dies of a fever; Netty and Reverent return to America; Celie wants to kill Mister when shaving him; Shug arrives just in time to stop Celie;

dinner scene which shows Celie's change; tells the whole family that she doesn't like Mister; he tells her ugly; Shug informs Mister that Celie will come with him; Celie again tries to kill him; reason is taking away her sister; her calls her a poor, ugly, black woman; Shug stops Celie from killing Mister; Mister starts drinking and is alone in his life; self-pity; Celie on career track; sells and sows clothes; successfully starts a business;

end: Shug and Celie walking through purple field; love most important thing in life; Shug goes to church and sings gospels; Harpo and Sophia together again; Celie reunited with Netty; Netty comes with Celie's son (Adam) and his wife (Tachy); they wear purple and red colours (stand for love + relationship); Mister watches them from distance; Celie and Netty again clapping their hands at he end.

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