54 pages • 1 hour read
In the novel and in Walker’s oeuvre at large, the color purple is associated with Black women’s identity, spirituality, and creativity.
The color purple first appears in the novel when Kate, Albert’s sister, forces Albert to let her take Celie to the store to buy cloth for her first dress. Celie, still reliant on others to define the terms of her identity as a Black woman, wants purple cloth but chooses a drab blue because she fears Albert’s disapproval.
Purple takes on greater symbolic importance as a representation of Black women’s identity during dialogue in which Shug explains her notion that God “loves admiration” and that it “pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don’t notice it” (195). Here, purple represents the beauty and pleasure available to human senses as a result of a willingness to acknowledge that the here and now and the body through which we experience it are sacred. This passage is also the source of the book title, which shows the importance of Black women’s experience to Walker’s work.
After her discussion with Shug about the color purple, Celie begins seeking out chances to add more color and self-expression to her life.
Plus, gain access to 8,550+ more expert-written Study Guides.
Including features:
By Alice Walker
African American Literature
View Collection
American Literature
View Collection
Banned Books Week
View Collection
Black History Month Reads
View Collection
Books Made into Movies
View Collection
Books that Feature the Theme of...
View Collection
Colonialism & Postcolonialism
View Collection
LGBTQ Literature
View Collection
Pulitzer Prize Fiction Awardees &...
View Collection
School Book List Titles
View Collection
SuperSummary New Releases
View Collection