Summary
Shug act more manly than most men. . . .
Sofia
and Shug not like men, he say, but they not like women either.
(See Important Quotations Explained)
Celie learns that Shug wants the freedom to have a fling
with Germaine, a young man who is a third her age. Though Celie
is less dependent than she used to be upon Shug, Shug’s revelation
is painful for Celie nevertheless. Mr. ______ is the only person
who understands Celie’s pain, as he has also felt the sting of Shug’s
sometimes short-lived infidelity. Celie realizes that she no longer
hates Mr. ______, even after all the wrongs he has committed. Mr.
______ loves Shug, and Shug loved him, so Celie cannot hate him.
Celie and Mr. ______ begin to enjoy each other’s conversation, talking
about old times, their friends and family, and their new discoveries
about life.
Nettie writes that her and Samuel’s years in Africa have
changed their idea of God. They no longer conceptualize God as looking
like someone or something. Olivia and Adam have grown independent and
outspoken like Africans, and Nettie worries they will get into trouble
when they return to America.
The mayor’s daughter, Eleanor Jane, brings her baby son
to Sofia’s house. Eleanor Jane fishes for compliments about her
son, trying to get Sofia to say that she loves him. Finally, Sofia
tells Eleanor Jane that she feels nothing for the boy, and Eleanor
Jane begins to cry. Sofia says that she does feel some kindness
for Eleanor Jane because Eleanor Jane had showed her kindness, but
otherwise, the pain and racism that Sofia endured prevents Sofia
from loving anyone else in the mayor’s family. Though Eleanor Jane
vows to raise her son right, Sofia tells her that white society
will probably make him into a racist nonetheless.
Celie overcomes her heartbreak over Shug, remembering
the good times she and Shug had in the past. Celie hires Sofia to
work in her clothing store. Eleanor Jane finally learns the full
story of why Sofia had come to work for her parents and begins to
appreciate Sofia’s distance from her. Trying to undo the wrongs
of her family history, Eleanor Jane helps to look after Henrietta,
Sofia’s daughter, and cooks for her. Shug’s love affair with Germaine
fizzles, and she returns home to Georgia. Shug becomes jealous when
she learns about Celie’s newly cordial relationship with Mr. ______,
but Celie assures Shug that she and Mr. ______ just talk about how
much they both love Shug.
Nettie finally returns to America, and she, Samuel, Olivia,
Adam, and Tashi arrive unannounced at Celie’s house. The homecoming
is incredibly emotional for both sisters, who are speechless and
weak with amazement. The family gathers on the Fourth of July, and many
people remark on Tashi’s beauty and how well matched she and Adam
are. Though Celie feels old because her children are fully grown,
at the same time she thinks, “[T]his the youngest us ever felt.”
