Analysis of Major Characters
Celie
As a young girl, Celie is constantly subjected to abuse
and told she is ugly. She decides therefore that she can best ensure
her survival by making herself silent and invisible. Celie's letters
to God are her only outlet and means of self-expression. To Celie,
God is a distant figure, who she doubts cares about her concerns.
Celie does little to fight back against her stepfather,
Alphonso. Later in life, when her husband, Mr. ______, abuses her,
she reacts in a similarly passive manner. However, Celie latches
on to Shug Avery, a beautiful and seemingly empowered woman, as
a role model. After Shug moves into Celie and Mr. ______'s home,
Celie has the opportunity to befriend the woman whom she loves and
to learn, at last, how to fight back.
Shug's maternal prodding helps spur Celie's development.
Gradually, Celie recovers her own history, sexuality, spirituality,
and voice. When Shug says Celie is “still a virgin” because she
has never had a satisfying sex life, Shug demonstrates to Celie
the renewing and empowering capacity of storytelling. Shug also
opens Celie's eyes to new ideas about religion, empowering Celie
to believe in a nontraditional, non-patriarchal version of God.
Nettie's long-lost letters, which Celie discovers with
Shug's help hidden in Mr. ______'s trunk, fortify Celie's sense
of self by informing her of her personal history and of the fate
of her children. As her letters show, Celie gradually gains the
ability to synthesize her thoughts and feelings into a voice that
is fully her own. Celie's process of finding her own voice culminates
with her enraged explosion at Mr. ______, in which she curses him
for his years of abuse and abasement. Mr. ______ responds in his
characteristic insulting manner, but his put-downs have no power
once Celie possesses the sense of self-worth she previously lacked.
The self-actualization Celie achieves transforms her
into a happy, successful, independent woman. Celie takes the act
of sewing, which is traditionally thought of as a mere chore for
women who are confined to a domestic role, and turns it into an
outlet for creative self-expression and a profitable business. After
being voiceless for so many years, she is finally content, fulfilled,
and self-suf-ficient. When Nettie, Olivia, and Adam return to Georgia
from Africa, Celie's circle of friends and family is finally reunited.
Though Celie has endured many years of hardship, she says, “[D]on't
think us feel old at all. . . . Matter of fact, I think this the
youngest us ever felt.”
Shug Avery
Our first impression of Shug is negative. We learn she
has a reputation as a woman of dubious morals who dresses scantily,
has some sort of “nasty woman disease,” and is spurned by her own
parents. Celie immediately sees something more in Shug. When Celie
looks at Shug's photograph, not only does Shug's glamorous appearance amaze
her, but Shug also reminds Celie of her “mama.” Celie compares Shug
to her mother throughout the novel. Unlike Celie's natural mother,
who was oppressed by traditional gender roles, Shug refuses to allow
herself to be dominated by anyone. Shug has fashioned her identity
from her many experiences, instead of subjecting her will to others
and allowing them to impose an identity upon her.
Though Shug's sexy style, sharp tongue, and many worldly
experiences make her appear jaded, Shug is actually warm and compassionate
at heart. When Shug falls ill, she not only appreciates, but also
reciprocates the care and attention Celie lavishes upon her. As Shug's
relationship with Celie develops, Shug fills the roles of mother,
confidant, lover, sister, teacher, and friend. Shug's many roles
make her an unpredictable and dynamic character who moves through
a whirlwind of different cities, trysts, and late-night blues clubs.
Despite her unpredictable nature and shifting roles, Shug remains
Celie's most constant friend and companion throughout the novel.
Mr. ______
Although Mr. ______'s development is not the subject of
the novel, he undergoes just as significant a transformation as
Celie does. Mr. ______ initially treats Celie as no more than an
object. He beats her like an animal and shows no human connection,
even during sex. He also hides Nettie's letters to Celie from Celie
for years.
Mr. ______'s harsh treatment of Celie spurs her development. Celie's
discovery of Nettie's letters begins her first experience with raw
anger, which culminates in her angry denunciation of Mr. ______
in front of the others at dinner. Celie's newfound confidence, instilled
in her by Shug, inspires her to react assertively and forcefully
to Mr. ______'s abuse.
When Celie returns from Tennessee, she finds that Mr.
______ has reevaluated his life and attempted to correct his earlier
wrongs. Mr. ______ finally listens to Celie, and the two come to
enjoy conversing and sewing together. Mr. ______ eventually expresses
his wish to have an equal and mutually respectful marriage with
Celie, but she declines.
Nettie
Though younger than her sister, Nettie often acts as Celie's
protector. Nettie is highly intellectual and from an early age recognizes
the value of education. However, even though Nettie is smart and
ambitious, Mr. ______ effectively silences her by secretly hiding
her letters from Celie. In her letters to Celie, Nettie writes that
she is lonely, showing that like Celie, Nettie needs a sympathetic
audience to listen to her thoughts and concerns.
Critics have faulted Nettie's letters for being digressive
and boring in comparison to Celie's. Although Nettie's letters are
indeed quite encyclopedic and contain less raw experience and emotion, they
play an important role in the novel. As a black intellectual traveling
the world in pursuit of “the uplift of black people everywhere,”
Nettie has a vastly different experience from Celie. Yet her letters,
which recount the problems Nettie encounters in Africa, broaden
the novel's scope and show that oppression—of women by men, of blacks
by whites, and even of blacks by blacks—is universal. The imperial,
racial, and cultural conflict and oppression Nettie encounters in
Africa parallel the smaller-scale abuses and hardships that Celie
experiences in Georgia.
