Important Themes from The Color Purple

Alice Walker's The Color Purple, published in 1982, tells the story of Celie, a Black woman whose journey toward self-realization and growth as a person is filled with many joyous moments, as well as, many moments of tragedy and abuse. According to Dale and John Reed, authors of 1001 Things Everyone Should Know about the South, Southern writers display several characteristics in their writing (Reed and Reed). The most important characteristics that Walker used in writing The Color Purple are: “Sense of Community,” “Family,” “Love of Storytelling,” and “Love of Language.” (Reed and Reed)

One of the first characteristics shown in this novel is Walker’s love for storytelling. The novel is written in the form of letters. According to David Bradley, “it was an epistolary novel, with most of the letters written by Celie, a black Southern woman, the victim of every virulent form of male oppression short of actual femicide, who eventually finds true love…..” (Bradley 32). This novel is clearly written so the reader can see things through the eyes of the main character, Celie. In the beginning of the novel, the letters written by Celie to God are written in first person; she never signs he

. . .
Some common words found in the essay are:
Celie Sofia, South Olinkas, African American, Walsh Relationships, David Bradley, Reed Reed, African-American Southern, Celie God, English Southern, Nettie Walker, sense community, reed reed, celie sofia, love language, letters written, color purple, sister nettie, bond celie, community family, family community, day celebrating walker, bond celie sofia, celebrating walker 288, spend day celebrating, family reunion spend,
Approximate Word count = 1443
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)