Character Development in Alice Walker’s “The Color Purple”

Celie and the other characters in the book The Color Purple had a significant amount of character development throughout the course of the book. It’s disgusting how the female characters were handled and mistreated. Because of the way she handled being treated so cruelly throughout the whole book, Celie in particular showed significant progress by utilizing her fortitude and strength to transform herself into a stronger woman. The need for and application of self-love and tenacity are evident throughout the narrative, particularly with regard to Celie and the other female characters.

The book contains one of the most important lessons someone could ever learn. Shug provided Celie with information throughout The Color Purple that she was unable to locate on her own. Celie was able to love others because she was taught the importance of loving oneself. Celie has only ever had affection for her sister Nettie. However, Shug’s affection for her was close-knit. “They Celie and Shug become lovers and partners only after first being trusted friends and companions, working for similar aims in the spirit of equality,” is an example that exemplifies this (Harris Abrams). Contrary to what she had previously assumed, this demonstrated to Celie that she was significant and that she had value to others. Celie also alters her religious beliefs at the same time as she alters her perspective on how significant she is. Before learning to love oneself, Celie only experienced God as a presence at church, but after learning to love herself, she began to see God everywhere. “I been so preoccupied worrying about him, I never really observed anything God made,” Walker writes. Not a kernel of corn (how does it do that? Where does purple originate from?) Not a single one of the little wildflowers. Nothing” (Walker 197). She had strayed from the narrow-minded, orthodox Christian viewpoints, as shown by her love of self.

The book exhibits the quality of persistence with characters, which is another reason it is an important work of literature. Celie has been the victim of rape and abuse all of her life. She was sexually assaulted by her stepfather when she was a little girl, and her husband Albert beat her when she disobeyed him. She still understood that despite everything, she was significant to people and that her life did really matter. According to Victoria Bond, a writer for the New Republic, “the novel was not about the domestic violence inflicted by the patriarch, but it was about the increase in women’s strengths.” The novel is not about her experiences of being raped and beaten; instead, it is about finding herself after the years (Bond). Celie is not the only one of the book’s characters who exhibits tenacity, however. “Sofia’s power and sass show us the most detrimental impact of the strong black woman stereotype: It renders her more susceptible to both home unrest and civil assault, foretelling for black women violence as a reaction to abuse” (Bond). Harpo’s wife Sofia had a tremendous deal of tenacity. He then attempted to beat her after she married Harpo. However, she battled back to eventually defend herself, displaying strength and bravery in the process. And when a white lady offered her a job, she felt humiliated and slapped the woman. After being arrested, Sofia endured horrifying beatings at the hands of other inmates. In spite of all the challenges and incidents she faced, Sofia persevered in upholding her values and being loyal to herself. When Albert asks, “Well how do you expect to make her mind? “, in the book, this is another instance of persistence in action. Wives are similar to kids. You must reveal who has the upper hand. A good sound thrashing is the only thing that can do it” (Walker 35). This is such a horrible thing to make about a human person, and it’s addressed towards Harpo.