Remember how they used to play The Color Purple on ABC family all the time? Maybe they still do, I don’t have cable so I wouldn’t know. I never really understood the movie, it made little sense to me, I understood it was about life in the south, I understood that Celie was miserable and loved Shug but that was about the entirety of my understanding. Maybe I never saw the movie all the way through and maybe my deep seeded belief that books are always better is actually true in this instance.
There is so much more to Ceilie than her misery and the love of Shug. Yes Ceilie had a horrible miserable existence for much of her life. Ironically enough, Ceilie is not bitter. She accepts the life she was given and has so much love to give. Until Shug the only person Ceilie loves is her sister Nettie, but she loves Nettie with everything that she has to give.
What was never made clear to me in the movie and was abundantly clear in this novel, Ceilie is gay. She has no attraction to men. She was living a lie for much of her life, while she may not have been aware of that lie until Shug came along, she was definitely living a lie that was contributing to the misery of being around men who did not respect or care for her.
Watching how much Ceilie bloomed after a little bit of love and encouragement were poured into her was incredible. The thought of a woman, let alone a black woman in those times starting her own business and thriving at it is incredible. Let alone the fact that she is able to forgive her abusive husband for treating her as poorly as he did.
I really loved how as the novel progresses, the narrative changes from being told through Ceilie’s diary, or prayers. To letters between Ceilie and her sister. The two points of view painting a picture of love and tenderness, while telling the whole truth. I feel like there is no greater bond than two sisters who are close to each other and it adds an air of complete vulnerable truth to the novel.
I genuinely enjoyed this novel, and if you’ve never read it or only watched the movie I highly, highly recommend!
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
https://www.google.com/books/edition/Alice_Walker_s_The_Color_Purple/NRfJrubJPyMC?hl=en&gbpv=0
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