This is a story about the misjudgment, the barriers we all have as humans, and the racism that takes place in the 1940’s in the historical place of rural Georgia. This story also includes many unique and dependent relationships and how complex, intriguing, hurtful, and heartbreaking they can be.
The main character, Celie, is a sealed off person who learns how to grow into her skin throughout the entire book. Her little sister, Nettie, is a loving and selfless person. When the two sisters were younger, they looked out for each other like parents. Shug Avery is also a very important person that guides Celie down the path of self love and confidence. Mr.______, also known as Albert by another character, is Celie’s husband and can be described as a demanding and abusive man. Sofia is a rebellious soul that cannot be tamed at all, which leads her into a lot of trouble.
A loving and protective sister sacrifices herself to a dejected marriage just so that her naive sister can continue to learn and live life to the fullest. The two separated sisters go through their own tough times filled with turmoil, lies, pain, loss, and betrayal. But after the wild journey that takes place, the events that they go through shapes them into the strong and independent people that they are, and they finally find the truth and happiness that they are looking for.
The Color Purple is set during the 1930’s and into the 1940’s when it was totally acceptable for a man to abuse his wife or wives in multiple ways. Women had little to no power in relationships and were expected to do what their husbands told them to do without question. Celie struggles with this, but through that struggle she learns the significant importance of holding on to supportive family, self-love, and friendship.
My opinion on the book was that it was an enjoyable read, although there were one or two shocking and bland parts, overall it was touching. I think that everyone could read this, but you should be mature while reading because it does have many serious topics. You should definitely read this book if you want to see a new perspective of life and how people of color lived back in that hard time period. It will most definitely evoke strong emotions and show you how important it is to have a loving and trustful group of friends.