How Does Alice Walker Present Celie's Struggles In The Color Purple

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Despite the circumstances, women conquered many battles and obstacles. In the past, they were minimized by men, considered ignorant beings that are only good for housework and having babies. Alice Walker's The Color Purple exemplifies the women struggle well. Throughout the novel, women were mistreated by the men in their lives -- physically, emotionally, and mentally. In the novel; Celie, Shug Avery and Sophia showed their strength during their hardships. Each woman were able to withstand great forces in their own way, proving that strength is not determined by what one overcomes, but how they overcome it. With that being said, I believe Celie prevail in her situation the strongest. As a woman in her time, Celie survived abuse, escaped her…show more content…
First he put his thing gainst my hip... Then he push his thing inside" (pg.1). The abuse she endured at a young age by her father not only physically scarred Celie, but it mentally and emotionally scarred her as well. This event is the origin of Celie’s struggles for happiness her entire life. Alongside being abused by her pa, Miss Celie was sold and married to a man she barely knew who also mistreated her. As Mr.___'s wife Celie was expected to care for his children, do the housework and if she refused, Celie was punished. Through all the misfortune in her life, Celie never experienced love, she lost respect for herself and she feared men; "I don't even look at mens. That’s the truth. I look at women, tho, cause I'm not scared of them" (pg 5). In this particular letter to God, Celie shows that her abuse by her father has made Celie afraid of all men. Miss Celie’s life was full of darkness, which gave her motivation to leave the…show more content…
With Shug Avery’s help, she became more independent. Celie took her new hobby; a hobby which she originally started to distract her from killing Mr.___ and expanded it into a business. Celie was now a business woman, her own boss, no longer taking orders from anybody—especially a man. Not only was she now physically and emotionally independent from Mr.___, with her pants business she was now financially independent from Shug. In a letter to Nettie Celie wrote “Dear Nettie, I am so happy. I got love, I got work, I got money, friends and time” (pg. 215). Her new life not only brought her money, it brought her happiness, gave her life. Celie was now fully dependent on
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