The Color Purple by Alice Walker, is an epistolary novel. “Epistolary” means in the form of letters. Celie, a daughter of a deceased mother, writes letters to God and to her sister, Nettie, who is in Africa. The novel follows Celie as she struggles against her abusive husband. In addition to the main story lines, there are side plots that involve supporting characters. Everyone who reads the novel knows that Celie and Nettie are the main characters in the novel. That is not the only thing they have in common. Both of them marry at a young age and have the same mother. They are not exactly identical either. Although Celie and Nettie are sisters, they respond differently to religion and community and are involved in different side plots.
A major theme is the spirituality of Celie. There is a mention of God very early in the book. Her beliefs change as events occur. Celie lost faith in God. She thinks God is a white man like those who destroyed Nettie's village in order to build a road. The hatred may also have been driven by the history between the white people and the African Americans. Celie's only reason to confide in God in the first place is because he is the only one she trusts. She can't talk to Nettie because she's in Africa. The men don't care what she has to say and her mom is dead. Nettie has an opposite view on God. “I will write more when things start looking up. I trust God they will.”(171). She thinks he is holy. She talks of him like he has the ability to change and individual's fortunes. Nettie confides in God she is religious. She used to attend church while she was still with pa.
Each sister faces a different in equality. Celie is enslaved to her husband. She isn't allowed to talk back and must tend to the house as well as the children and Mr.___. Later on in this essay, there will be a discussion on how she is punished often even for the slightest mistakes. By far, this is worse than the inequality Nettie has to face. Another major theme is gender inequality in which men seems more dominant. Celie at first accepts the punishments that Mr.___ dishes out. “He beat me like he beat the children.”(22). The punishments continue until much later in the book when she speaks up before leaving for Memphis. Mr.___ has no regard to how he treats his wife. Celie is too scared to resist because if she does, she will be beat down. Nettie is in Africa for most of the book. There, women are not allowed to take part in education, but she listens in on the lessons anyway. The men there don't think that education is necessary for women. Nettie is fiercer than Celie. This can be proven by examining her words. “You got to let them know who got the upper hand.”(17). There are a couple of reasons why her attitude is more positive than Celie's. First and foremost, Nettie is younger than Celie. She is more energetic because of age. Celie is older, so she is more worn out. The other reason is because Nettie has never been beat down by a ma, so she doesn't fear. Plus, Nettie knows Mr.___ has a thing for her, so he wouldn't ruin his chances by treating her rough.
Every book has side plots. The Color Purple is no different. In Celie’s side of the world , side plots are common. The story also tracks the life of Sophie. She marries Harpo, but then leaves when the former gets tired of arguments. She encounters the mayor’s wife one day and she asks if Sophie wants to be her servant. The situation results in Sophie punching the mayor himself. She goes to jail and comes out just to end up as the mayor’s wife’s servant. She returns home after teaching her master how to drive. Sophie becomes a dishwasher at Harpo’s juke joint. The relationship between Harpo and Squeak as well as Sophie is complicated. Harpo becomes engaged with Squeak, but doesn’t make Sophie leave the juke joint when Squeak asks him to do so. Shug is on a quest to seek forgiveness from her father. She tries once, but fails and succeeds the second time. Celie is on a mission to bring Nettie back to America. In Nettie’s side of the world, there is competition between Corrine and Nettie. Corrine thinks Nettie wants to marry Samuel. The conflict ends when Corrine dies. Corrine’s suspicions proved true.
All people are created equal, but aren’t necessarily identical. One sister thinks God is a man while the other thinks God is holy. One accepts gender inequality while the other fights it. Both characters live in places with drama. The comparisons prove that Celie and Nettie are different, but not entirely.
