The Color Purple

The Color Purple is an epistolary novel—a novel told in letter form—in which Alice Walker traces the gradual liberation of Celie, a poor, Black woman who must overcome abuse and separation from her beloved sister Nettie. Set in the South and an unnamed African country during the 1930 to 1940s, the novel is a study in the ways in which Black women use their faith, relationships, and creativity to survive racial and sexual oppression. The novel was critically acclaimed, garnering Walker the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for fiction and the National Book Award for fiction. This guide is based on the 1982 Penguin print edition.

Plot Summary

At fourteen, Celie begins writing to God about her life after Alphonso, the man she believes to be her father, threatens her if she tells anyone that he is raping her. Celie has two children with Alphonso, and he takes each child away after birth. Celie’s only love is Nettie, her clever little sister. Celie eventually marries an older man, Albert, after her father declines to let the man marry Nettie.

As a twenty-year-old mother to Albert’s many children from previous relationships, Celie is as downtrodden as ever. Albert beats her, verbally abuses her, and is infatuated with the blues singer Shug Avery, a woman he has loved his entire life but cannot marry. Albert’s eldest son, Harpo, treats her with just as much disrespect as his father. Nettie comes to stay with Celie when Alphonso turns his attention to her, but Albert throws her out when she rejects his advances as well.

When Nettie leaves, she promises to write, but Celie never receives any letters. Nettie goes to stay in town with Samuel, a minister, and Corrine, Samuel’s wife, on the advice of Celie, who met the couple in town one day and believes they have adopted her two children, now named Olivia and Adam. Nettie follows the family to Africa as a missionary among the Olinka tribe.

Celie’s household is thrown into upheaval when Albert brings an ailing Shug home for Celie to nurse to health. Celie manages to heal Shug with good food and leisure, and the two women strike up an unlikely friendship that puzzles and scandalizes their family and acquaintances. Several years later, Harpo marries a bold young woman named Sofia. Their marriage ends when Harpo tries to abuse Sofia, and Harpo reinvents himself as a juke joint owner and partner to another woman, Mary Agnes (called “Squeak”). When the white mayor and his wife suggest Sofia work for them as their maid, Sofia curses at them and slaps the mayor. She is imprisoned and, in a tragic turn, does later become their domestic worker.

Celie stands by as Shug heals and resumes her affair with Albert. Celie learns to love Shug, who teaches Celie about her own pleasure and uncovers that Albert has been intercepting and hiding letters from Nettie for years. Celie reads years and years of letters from her sister.  In her letters, Nettie recounts how the village of the Olinka was destroyed when an English rubber company took over the land. Corrine becomes ill and—suspecting that Samuel and Nettie are having an affair—rejects the children because she assumes Nettie is their mother. Corrine finally dies knowing the truth. Samuel and Nettie marry, and their mission among the Olinka winds down as the Olinka die out. Adam marries an Olinka girl, and the family head back to America.

Celie’s life changes dramatically over the years as well. She lives with Shug in Memphis for a time after Albert’s betrayal in hiding the letters becomes too much to bear. She starts her own company and becomes Shug’s lover and companion. Shug goes on the road again and is not home so much, but Celie thrives as she asserts control over her life. She returns to Georgia for visits and watches as Albert mellows out and becomes something like a friend to her. Celie discovers in one of the letters from Nettie that Alphonso is not actually her biological father. Nettie discovers the truth from Samuel, who tells the story of how he came to have the children.

When Alphonso dies, Celie and Nettie inherit a store, a fine house, and land. Celie experiences heartbreak, however, when Shug leaves Celie for a younger man. Celie also receives word that the ship carrying Nettie and the children sank after hitting a German land mine. This news turns out to be false, however, since Celie still receives letters from her sister. Shug eventually turns up, ready to take up life with Celie again. Nettie, Olivia, and Adam at last make it to Georgia. The family reunites, and Celie is content.