A review by penguinna
The Color Purple by Alice Walker

challenging emotional funny inspiring lighthearted sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

If god ever listened to poor colored women the world would be a different place, I can tell you.

The book shows us what it is to be a black woman. The main characters - Celie, her sister Nettie, her lover Shug, and her friend Sofia - experience the hardships of life in a small Georgia town in the first half of the last century.

Celie's father instructed her never to reveal what he had done to her. Except to God.  That’s why the whole book consists of her letters to “an old white bearded man sitting on a cloud”, through which she shares moments from her challenging life.

Despite life's horrors, the women in the book support, help, and inspire one another. Alongside them, Celie comes to realize that God is neither male nor female; God represents the beauty and joy that surrounds her even during the darkest times.

Alice Walker places patriarchal male dominance on the same plane as racism. The power of a man in a family is compared to the unlimited power of a white slave owner. The system is completely rotten: white men discriminate against black men, and black men oppress black women. “Look at you. You black, you pore, you ugly, you a woman. Goddam, he say, you nothing at all”.

“The Color Purple” is a feminist utopia where the generally accepted concepts of gender roles are overturned. Throughout the book, the characters discover their strength: what was once invisible becomes evident, and those who were once silenced now have the right to speak up.