I think we can all agree that when we are growing up we tend to live in our own little bubble, oblivious to the realities of the world we live in. Well, that’s how I felt up until the moment I read The Colour Purple by Alice Walker. A book so transcending in its message that I came out the other side as a reader and now a self-proclaimed book worm. Before reading The Colour Purple, my reading was focused on young adult and a lot of Harry Potter books, but this book surpassed all my expectations in how a book can help my mind evolve.
“I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don't notice it.”
Alice Walker has instilled in me an appreciation for life’s simple beauties, now I know that when I pass by a field of flowers I should pause and absorb the sight before me. This appreciation however, only comes after reading a brutally depicted reality where blossoms of hope are so rare to find in its pages.
“Why any woman give a shit what people think is a mystery to me.”
“Just cause I love her don't take away none of her rights.”
Albert was no different from Alphonso and Celie found herself moving from one form of oppression to the next. Afterwards Celie begins to form relationships with women who are in her shoes struggling with oppression, abuse and cruelty. After recommending to Harpo that he beat his wife Sofia (after all, this was all she was familiar with and to her the only way to dismantle disobedience was with abuse) due to her being disobedient, Celie sees that Sofia fights back and does not let Harpo win with his abuse. Following this a friendship blooms between Celie and Sofia after Celie admits to Sofia that she was jealous of her defiance. Another friendship grows between Celie and Albert’s mistress, Shug. A friendship that evolves to them being lovers. Celie finds happiness when Alphonso dies and she inherits the home and launches a successful business and is reunited with her two children Adam and Olivia who were taken away from her when she was only 14 years of age.
“Sofia the kind of woman no matter what she have in her hand she make it look like a weapon.”
“I’m poor, Black, I may even be ugly, but dear God, I’m here! I’m here!”
“But I don’t know how to fight, all I know how to do is stay alive.”
Through the words of Celie, Alice Walker sheds light on the liberation of women through a story that addresses such key issues yet somehow there are many women around the world who lack freedom, liberty of choice and are repressed to a point where they may potentially turn on one another; as Celie initially did with Sofia. Only to see that when women are united, that is where true power lies. Now ofcourse at the age of 12 years old I was not aware of the depth of Celie’s letters to God, my only level of comprehension at the age was that the world was not always fair to women. But the words of Celie pulled me right out of my little bubble and into a world of empathy, compassion and understanding. This is why The Colour Purple is the book that I give credit to for turning me into a self –proclaimed book worm, not only for the horrific glimpses I had into women’s lives but also for the awareness that it brought with it for teaching me that no matter how often life brings us down there will always be light at the end of the tunnel.
- REEM INK
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