Literature Analysis #1 - The Color Purple

Literature Analysis

1. Celie is constantly abused by her father. By this he has raped her and she has bore two children from him. One she doesn’t know what happened with it and the other she knows still lives in the town. She is still constantly abused by her father but then an opportunity comes along for her to potentially escape the abuse of her father. Mr.___ (the man looking for a wife), has been interested in Nettie, Celie’s sister. Mr.___ wants to marry her, but their father doesn’t allow it; so he pawns off Celie to be married. Celie then enters a partially abusive home. She is abused but not as bas as she was when she lived with her father; she just does what she is told.  Her sister Nettie ends up moving with her, but not too long after Mr.___ kicks her out and Celie never hears from her. Without Nettie, Celie’s life is more difficult know because she was the only person she could talk to. Mr.___’s lover, Shug Avery, comes to town and falls sick. Celie is then told to watch over her and they grow closer as time goes on. Celie then begins to have sexual feelings for Shug and she doesn’t know is she’s in love or what. They soon both love each other. Soon Celie tells Shug about Nettie. Shug then told Celie that Mr.___ was hiding all the letters Nettie wrote to Celie. They find them and Celie reads them all, now knowing that her sister wasn’t dead like she thought. This changes Celie’s life. She finally builds up the courage and strength to leave Mr.___ . Celie and Shug move to Memphis. She then finds out that her dad is dead, but then finds out that her dad really wasn’t her dad. Her real dad died many years ago and she found out that he left Celie and Nettie a house. Celie finds the house and lives in it in hopes of her sister and her children returning.

2. The theme of this novel I would have to say would be to express your thoughts and feelings even though no one may listen and to stand up for yourself. Celie has no one to talk to so she uses the “notebook” and talks to God about her problems and what she’s going through. Celie finally stands up for herself by getting motivated by her sister’s letters and what other people have said. She leaves her abusive environment and leads a better life for herself.

 3.     I chose this book because I’ve heard it was an inspiring novel that showed the journey of a young girl who went through so much. With the comments of many I thought I should give the book a try. When I read the book overview on the inside of the book flaps is what appealed to me when I first got it. This came to my attention because every book I get I always read the overview. What made me want to keep reading was the first page. The first page to me seemed so real and relatable. Judging the first page made me know that this book would be one to read. 

4.     Yes, I found this book very realistic. This book talks about how in the south they would sell their daughters to abusive, sex-crazed men who didn't care about their wives. From other historical documents I’ve read I know that this has happened before. Based on what “Celie” wrote I thought all of it was real, even though it wasn’t. I made connections from historical documents and real life stories about stuff like this on TV or magazines I’ve read.

5. The tone the author uses would be serious and confession what has happened. Three excerpts that show this: “But I don’t ever git used to it. And nows I feel sick every time I be the one to cook.”, “My mamma dead. She die screaming and cussing. She scream at me. She cuss at me.” , “Now I know Albert hiding Nettie’s letters, know exactly where they is. They in his trunk. Everything that mean something to him be in his trunk.”

6.  Dialect- "by the time I git back from the well, the water be warm." pg. 3

Comparison- "I work on her like she a doll or like she Olivia- or like she Mama." pg. 55. This signifies her idea of Shug and the resemblance Shug has of people important to Celie. 

Foil-  Sofia is a dominate female who stands up for herself and does not take a beating from her husband. Where as Celie, is a submissive woman who gets beaten by Mr.___ "Sofia don't even deal in little ladyish things such as slaps." pg. 87

Symbolism- The color purple signifies beauty, when Shug is shown the remodeled home. " Everything in my room purple and red cept the floor." 

Repetition- "You ast yourself one question, it lead to fifteen. I start to wonder why us need love. Why us suffer. Why us black. Why us men and women." pg. 289 This curiosity is left from the suffering Celie has received from Alphonso and Mr. ___. 

Hyperbole- "I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don’t notice it" pg. 203 This could be taken literally, but the truth in it is when you don't notice beauty and don't acknowledge it God is angered.

Allusion- "Honor father and mother no matter what"  pgs. 43-44; demonstrates how religion is a key element of this book and how high up Celie places God despite the horrid things her father has done.

Oxymoron- "Hm, she say, look like a little fat white woman was on one." pg. 123

Personification- " For six months the heavens and the winds abused the people of Olinka." pg. 159

Imagery- "Every piece of furniture they got is turned over. Every play look like it broke. The looking glass hanged crooked, the curtains torn. The bed look like the stuffing pulled out." pg. 39 This leads up to Harpo and Sophia fighting, him trying to beat her into obedience but Sophia standing up for herself. Making Sophia an inspiration to Celie.

CHARACTERIZATION

 1. Two examples of direct characterization: “ I am fourteen years old.”; giving the age of Celie and “I knowed it was her. She look just like me and my daddy. Like more us then us ourself.”; showing that she comes from a rural south and isn’t well educated. Two examples of indirect characterization: "He beat me today cause he say I winked at a boy in church."; this incident describes Alphonso as a character, he feels like he has to dominate all what Celie does, showing he is a dominate/ authprative character, but this also shows his lack of trust in Celie. "And us run off to my room like two little prankish girls." ;this describes through the course of the story Celie progresses and opens up to Shug.  The author uses both approaches because we get to see how other people see Celie and how they interact with her.

2. Syntax is changed when focused on a character. For example "He strong in body but weak in will. He scared." The sentences become shorter and less words are used to describe the character. She really doesn't go into detail. The diction really does'nt change. throughout the story it is kept in the slang/ the way the uneducated southerns talk.

3. Celie is dynamic and round character due to her change at the mid-end of the story. She was a timid and obedient woman through out the story until Shug began to have some influence on her. These influences made Celie more expressive with her thoughts and feelings and about her role as a woman. Eventually Celie, speaks out to Mr.___ and leaves him to liver her own life.

4. I feel like I’ve met the character. By reading this story I feel like I know Celie’s worries, story and secrets. With the story being set up like a journal, Celie really did let out all her thoughts and experiences. With all this information given I feel like I know her like how I know a best friend. They tell you everything and that’s what Celie did here. A textual example I’m going to use would be “Dear God,”. I chose this because she’s referring him as her “best friend/ someone who will listen” and I think that we the readers are God as we read through it. God knows everything because she’s telling him everything. Relating this to the readers we know everything. That’s how I feel that we know everything and how we got to truly know Celie.

ENDURING MEMORY
The one idea from this book that I will remember for a long time would have to be all the suffering/ abuse Celie went through. I know I will remember this for a long time because everyone goes through suffering some point in their life and some people experience abuse of whatever kind. This idea from this story is a hundred percent relatable and is something that I know I could look back on. The importance of this idea is that everyone goes through this. Even though it was a fictional story it seemed so real that I could even relate to it. “But I don’t cry. I lay there thinking bout Nettie while he on top of me, wonder if she safe. And then I think about Shug Avery. I know what he doing to me he done to Shug Avery and maybe she like it. I put my arm around him.” This quote shows her worries and abuse. She worries constantly about Nettie to keep her mind off of being sexually abused.