-
An Analysis of
Celie
’
s Psychological
Processes in
the Color Purple
Introduction
A fourteen-
year-old black girl Celie is repeatedly raped by
her stepfather and
her two children
were taken away by her stepfather. Her sick mother
who does not
know
the
truth
at
all
gets
extremely
angry
with
her
and
dies
finally.
After
her
mother
’
s death,
Celie is forced by her stepfather to marry a
widower, Mr. who has
three children. To
Mr., the fact that he marries Celie isn't because
he loves her but
because he needs
someone to look after his three children. So,
Celie becomes Mr.
’
s
servant
and
an
occasional
sexual
convenience.
For
a
time,
Celie
endures
Mr.
’
s
abuse and domination silently. Mr. has
a mistress, her name is Shug,
Shug
’
s arrival
has a great impact upon
Celie
’
s gloomy life. Celie
gives Shug a good attendance
while Shug
is seriously ill, Shug is quite moved by what
Celie has done for her and
decides to
do something for Celie to help her to get out of
the oppression and win
the
independence.
Under
the
influence
of
Shug,
Celie
leaves
Mr.
and
goes
with
Shug
to
Memphis
and
starts
a
business
of
making
pants
eventually.
Thus,
Celie
becomes independent
physically and spiritually. Generally speaking,
Celie
’
s growth
in
her
self-awareness
and
her
fighting
against
racism
and
sexism
represents
the
road to self-liberation of many black
women.
The Color
Purple
is a novel that reflects the
protagonist Celie
’
s growth
from
the oppressed to the liberated
physically and spiritually. Clearly, there are
several
stages
in
Celie
’
s
psychological
development
through
the
novel.
What
stimulates
Celie to stand up
to fight for independence and freedom? This is her
fate and it is
determined
by
many
factors:
Mr.
’
s
oppression
to
her,
Nettie
’
s
sisterhood,
Shug
’
s
help, and Sofia
’
s
courage, etc. On the one hand,
Celie
’
s road is from
oppression to
liberation
roots
in
her
identification
with
herself
and
with
her
own
personality
development. One
the other hand, the tough road to liberation is
also induced by
her time. It will be
discussed in detail about the processes of
Celie
’
s psychological
1
An Analysis of
Celie
’
s Psychological
Processes in
the Color Purple
changes.
1. The Background
of the Novel
1.1 The Brief Introduction
of the Author
The Color
Purple
is written by American author
Alice Walker. She is one of
the most
important
and prominent
contemporary black American woman
writers.
She is a novelist, a critic,
and a poet at once. Her novel
The Color
Purple
causes
the critics’
attentions due to
her new
conception and unique techniques.
After its
publication
in
1982,
the
novel
immediately
became
the
best
seller
in
the
United
States. In 1983, it
won both the Plitzer and the American Book Award.
In 1984, it
was adapted into film by
Steven Spielberg. Alice Walker became the first
Plitzer
winner
among
the
American
black
woman
writers.
She
rose
in
the
stage
of
the
American
literature
like
a
brilliant
star
and
became
known
to
every
family
in
America.
1.2 The Plot of the Color Purple
Celie,
the
protagonist
and
narrator,
is
a
poor,
uneducated,
fourteen-year-old
black
girl
living
in
rural
Georgia.
Celie
starts
writing
letters
to
God
because
her
father,
Alphonso,
beats
and
rapes
her.
Alphonso
has
already
impregnated
Celie
once. Celie gave birth
to a girl, whom her father presumably killed in
the woods.
Celie
has
a
second
child,
a
boy,
whom
her
father
also
abducts.
Celie’s
mother
becomes ill
and dies.
Alphonso brings
home a new wife, and
continues to
abuse
Celie.
Celie and her bright,
pretty younger sister, Nettie, learn that a man
known only
as Mr. wants to marry
Nettie. Mr. has a mistress named Shug Avery, a
sultry lounge
singer whose photograph
fascinates Celie. Alphonso refuses to let Nettie
marry, and
instead
offers
Mr.
Johnson
the
“ugly
women”
Celie
as
a
bride.
Mr.
eventually
2
An Analysis of
Celie
’
s Psychological
Processes in
the Color Purple
accepts the offer, forcing Celie into a
difficult and joyless married life. Nettie runs
away from Alphonso and takes refuge at
Celie’s house. Mr. still desires Nettie, and
when
he
advances
on
her,
she
flees.
Never
hearing
from
Nettie
again,
Celie
assumes her death.
Mr.'s sister Kate feels
sorry
for Celie, and tells
her to
fight
back
against Mr.
rather than submit to his
abuses. Harpo, Mr.'s son, falls in love with a
large, spunky
girl named Sofia. Shug
Avery comes to town to sing at a local bar, but
Celie is not
allowed to go to see her.
Sofia gets pregnant and marries Harpo. Celie is
amazed by
Sofia’s
defiance
in
the
face
of
Harpo’s
and
Mr.’s
attempts
to
treat
Sofia
as
an
inferior. Harpo, kinder
and gentler than his father, still assumes this
means that he
is doing something wrong
and under the advice of Mr. and a momentarily
jealous
Celie,
attempts
to
beat
Sofia
into
submission.
However,
he
consistently
fails,
as
Sofia is at least as
strong and a more experienced brawler.
Shug falls ill and Mr. takes her into
his house. Shug is initially rude to Celie,
but
the two women become
friends as
Celie takes
charge of nursing Shug. Celie
finds herself infatuated with Shug and
attracted to her sexually.
Frustrated
by
Harpo’s
consistent
attempts
to
subordinate
her,
Sofia
moves
out,
taking her children
with her. Several months later, Harpo opens a juke
joint where
Shug sings nightly. Celie
grows confused over her feelings toward Shug.
Shug decides to stay when she learns
that Mr. beats Celie when Shug is away.
Shug
and
Celie’s
relationship
grows
intimate,
and
Shug
begins
to
ask
Celie
questions
about
sex.
Sofia
returns
for
a
visit
and
promptly
gets
in
a
fight
with
Harpo’s new
girlfriend,
Squeak.
In town one day, the
mayor’s wife, Miss Millie,
asks
Sofia
to
work
as
her
maid.
Sofia
replies
with
a
sassy
no!
When
the
mayor slaps Sofia for
her
mayor down, for which she is sent
to jail.
Squeak’s attempts to get Sofia
released
are futile. Sofia is sentenced
to work for 12 years as the mayor’s maid
during which
3
An
Analysis of Celie
’
s
Psychological Processes in
the Color
Purple
she is eventually released six
months earlier.
Despite her new
marriage, Shug instigates a sexual relationship
with Celie, and
the two frequently
share the same bed. One night Shug asks Celie
about her sister
and Celie tells her
she assumes Nettie is dead because she'd promised
to write Celie
but
never
did.
Shug
helps
Celie
recover
letters
from
Nettie
that
Mr.
Johnson
has
been
hiding from her for decades. Overcome with
emotion, Celie reads the letters
in
order, wondering how to keep herself from killing
Mr. Johnson.
The
letters
indicate
that
Nettie
befriended
a
missionary
couple,
Samuel
and
Corrine, and accompanied
them to Africa to do ministry work. Samuel and
Corrine
have
two
adopted
children,
Olivia
and
Adam.
Nettie
and
Corrine
have
become
close
friends,
but
Corrine,
noticing
that
her
adopted
children
resemble
Nettie,
wonders if Nettie
and Samuel have a secret past. Increasingly
suspicious, Corrine
tries to limit
Nettie’s role within her family.
Nettie becomes disillusioned with her
missionary experience, as she finds the
Africans self-centered and obstinate.
Corrine becomes ill with a fever. Nettie asks
Samuel
to
tell
her
how
he
adop
ted
Olivia
and
Adam.
Based
on
Samuel’s
story,
Nettie realizes that
the two children are actually Celie’s biological
children (whom
Alphonso -her father-
abducted), alive after all. Nettie also learns
that Alphonso is
actually only Nettie
and Celie’s
stepfa
ther, not
their biological
father, who
was
a
storeowner
whom
the
white
men
lynched
because
they
resented
his
success.
Alphonso told Celie
and Nettie he was their real father because he
wanted to inherit
the house and
property that was once their mother’s.
Nettie
confesses
to
Samuel
and
Corrine
that
she
is
in
fact
their
children’s
biological
aunt.
The
gravely
ill
Corrine
refuses
to
believe
Nettie.
Corrine
dies,
having
accepted
Nettie’s
story
and
reconciled
there
to
just
before
her
death.
Meanwhile, Celie vis
its
Alphonso, who confirms Nettie’s story, admitting
that he is
only the sisters'
stepfather. Celie begins to lose some of her faith
in God, but Shug
4
An
Analysis of Celie
’
s
Psychological Processes in
the Color
Purple
tries
to
get
her
to
reimagine
God
in
her
own
way,
rather
than
in
the
traditional
image of the old, bearded white man.
Celie
moves
to
Tennessee
and
designs
and
sews
tailored
pants,
turning
her
hobby
into a business. She returns to Georgia to learn
that Mr. has resorted back to
his old
ways and that Alphonso has died. Celie inherited
that land and moved back
into the
house.
Meanwhile, Nettie and Samuel
marry and prepare to return to America. Before
they leave, Samuel’s son, Adam, marries
Tashi, an African girl. Following African
tradition,
Tashi
undergoes
the
painful
rituals
of
female
circumcision
and
facial
scarring. In
solidarity, Adam undergoes the same facial
scarring ritual.
Celie and Mr.
reconcile, and begin to genuinely enjoy each
other’s company. Now
independent
financially,
spiritually,
and
emotionally,
Celie
is
no
longer
disturbed
by Shug’s passing fling
s
with younger men. Sofia remarries Harpo and now
works
in
Celie’s
clothing
store.
Nettie
finally
returns
to
America
with
Samuel
and
the
children. Emotionally drained but
exhilarated by the reunion with her sister, Celie
notes that though she and Nettie are
now old, she has never in her life felt younger.
1.3 Historical and Cultural Background
Walker's works are all inseparable from
her deep understanding of the history
and culture of the South which provides
her with a way of seeing the contemporary
world
and
a
field
of
expressing
the
true
meaning
of
life
for
the
black
people,
especially
black
women.
Walker
sensed
the
misery
of
black
people,
especially
women,
many
of
whom
have
lived
the
most
miserable
life
at
the
bottom
of
American society for long. Black people
suffered from inhumane slavery, plunder
and
oppression.
And
today,
they
still
live
in
a
dreadful
plight
under
racial
discrimination and segregation, which
has been difficult to ravel out since the black
stepped
on
the
land.
The
history
of
black
people
itself
has
been
imbued
with
5
An Analysis of
Celie
’
s Psychological
Processes in
the Color Purple
humiliation. The division of lines of
color was, and is still rigidly in place, though
the
civil
rights
movement
constantly
claims
credit
for
desegregation
in
schools,
housing and public
transportation.
In the
state Georgia where Walker grew up, it was illegal
for a black person to
enter a public
restaurant, library or swimming pool. Her marriage
to a white man
was
also
illegal
in
the
state
of
Mississippi.
It
is
thus
clear
that,
black
females,
together
with
black
males
have
undergone
great
hardships
from
racial
prejudice,
yet
they
have
also
been
fretted
by
sexual
discrimination
inside.
Black
men
frequently
vent
depression,
frustration
and
indignation
on
their
long-
suffering
wives,
who
can
find
nowhere
to
take
it
out.
Suffering
from
racial
and
sexual
oppression, black
women have to endure more than black men and white
women.
They
even
live
beyond
the
margin
where
black
men
and
white
women
are
respectively
kept,
in
the
white
patriarchal
society.
Miserable
life
experiences
stimulated
black
women
to
write
for
themselves.
However,
it
had
been
excluded
out of the
“mainstream” of American literature for a long
time.
2. Literature View
2.1 The Relationship Between Mr. and
Celie
2.1.1 The Brief
Introduction of Celie
Celie is the main
character, who has been oppressed by men in her
whole life.
As an adolescent she is
raped by her stepfather and soon thereafter gives
birth. Her
children are taken away. Her
stepfather gives her away to be married to Albert.
She
becomes friends with Shug, which
leads to a sexual relationship between the two.
Celie
learns
many
things
about
herself
and
her
body
due
to
Shug.
She
models
herself
after Shug and
becomes more independent
the more she
listens to Shug's
views and opinions.
Shug influences not only the way that Celie allows
Albert to
treat her, but also her
religious views. In showing Celie that it is all
right to commit
6
An
Analysis of Celie
’
s
Psychological Processes in
the Color
Purple
sin but still believe in and
live for God, she broadens Celie's view on
religion. It is
also
Shug
who
frees
Celie
from
Albert's
bondage,
first
by
loving
her,
then
by
helping her to start a
custom sewing business. From Shug, Celie learns
that Albert
has been hiding letters
written to her from Africa by her sister Nettie, a
missionary.
These letters, full of
educated, firsthand observation of African life,
form a moving
counterpoint to Celie's
life. They reveal that in Africa, just as in
America, women
are persistently
oppressed by men.
2.1.2 Who is Mr.
Mr. has his own name-- Albert, but in
order to show her respect and fear, Celie
calls him
“Mr.”. Albert is
the man to whom Celie is married. Albert was
married
previously, but his wife was
murdered by a lover. Originally, he seeks a
relationship
with Nettie, but settles
for Celie. Albert mistreats Celie just as her
father had, and
she allows it, not
understanding that she doesn't have to. Albert
uses Celie to help
raise his children,
who gives her a hard time for not being their real
mother. When
Albert's mistress Shug
Avery comes to town, he falls all over her as he
normally
does. Shug begins to take an
interest in Celie, and leads Albert to start
treating her
better. In the end, Albert
realizes that he has mistreated Celie and seeks a
friendship
with her.
2.1.3
Their First Meet
Their first meet
happens in her father`s wedding in a church. There
is a man
looking at her little sister
---Nettie, and that man is Mr. After meeting in
church, Mr.
comes to see Nettie on
every Sunday evening.
2.1.4 After Their
Marriage
One day, Mr. comes with a
horse, and seriously says to her father
“I want to
marry you,
Nettie”.
But Alphonso
refuses to let Nettie marry, and instead offers
Mr.
the
“ugly
women
offer, forcing Celie into a
difficult and joyless married life. Thus, when
Celie is 22,
7
An Analysis
of Celie
’
s Psychological
Processes in
the Color Purple
she is discarded by her stepfather like
discarding an old thing and marries Mr. who
has three children. Mr. does not love
her at all, and he marries her just for the sake
of the children, the household
chores
and his
farm.
He beats
Celie arbitrarily. At
this
time
Celie
has
become
accustomed
to
suffering
already.
It
represents
Celie's
emotion from pain and suffering to
numbness. Celie finds that she has just moved
to another place, and also has no
status. Her husband treats her as a worker. All
the
work in the house and farm need her
to do. And her husband doesn`t love her. She
also feels alone.
2.2 Nettie and Celie
2.2.1
Who is Nettie
The
sisterhood
plays
an
important
role
in
Celie`s
growth.
Nettie
is
Celie's
younger sister, whom Celie saves from
living the tragic life that she had to endure.
Due to the fact that Nettie is prettier
than Celie, who has been dubbed ugly,
originally interested in Nettie as a
wife, but settles for Celie. When Nettie finds
life
at home unbearable, she runs away
to stay with Celie. When
leave, she
promises to write to Celie and that only God can
keep them apart. Nettie
is eventually
taken in by Samuel and Corrine, a missionary
couple. She travels to
Africa
with
them
as
a
missionary.
In
Africa,
she
writes
Celie
a
series
of
letters
which depict the life that
she is
living. Nettie finds
that while there isn't a racial
disparity there, a gender disparity
exists. The women of the tribe aren't treated as
equals,
and
aren't
permitted
to
attend
school.
When
Corrine,
the
mother,
dies,
Nettie
fills
her
role
and
marries
her
husband.
In
the
end,
Nettie
travels
back
to
America, and brings Celie's children
with her. By telling Celie the things she has
seen and done, she helps Celie become
more enthusiastic about how the world can
be.
8
An Analysis of
Celie
’
s Psychological
Processes in
the Color Purple
2.2.2 The
Sisterhood’s
Effect on Celie
Although the story is full of sorrow,
grief and gloom, it seems to me that it is a
story filled with warmth and love. At
the beginning of the film, the heroine Celie
and her sister Nettie were singing a
children`s song and playing pat-a-cake in the
field. They loved each other always and
forever. When Celie suffered the pain of
childbirth, Nettie was worried and
panic. What she could do was to kiss Celie and
gave
her
courage.
When
Celie
was
in
pain,
Nettie
was
always
around
her.
They
were
young girls. Maybe accompanying is the best love
for them two. Nettie can`t
bear
her
father,
and
turned
to
Celie
for
help.
Because
of
their
low
position
and
gender,
Celie
and
Nettie
were
forced
and
doomed
to
separate.
When
Mr.
carried
weak
Nettie to the outdoor and drived her away, I am
moved and full of tears. Celie
and
Nettie were crying and screaming at the top of
their voice. They didn`t want to
separate
any
more
and
hugged
tightly
with
each
other
like
conjoined
infants
seemed
they
can`t
be
separated
by
anyone.
The
touching
and
sincere
sister-love
was exposed. At this moment a cast
occurred to me that Nettie was teaching Celie
new words in the kitchen. Nettie tagged
a note to each obstacle in order to teach
Celie. They interacted happily. Maybe
the good times of studying became their best
memory and the most carefree and sweet
time of their whole life. When Nettie ran
out of the yard and shouted out,
“
Why?
Why?
”
. Mr. raised his fist
to her. Actually
Nettie was scared. She
ran farther and shouted out
“
Nothing but death can make
us
apart.
”
Mr. was
conquered by this powerful sentence to some
extent, as he put down
his
fist.
Nettie
song
the
children`s
song
again
”
You
and
me
are
never
apart......
”
.This
song kept their contacted. And it is the symbol of
their happy times.
After that, Nettie
seems to disappear, and Celie didn`t receive any
letters.
9
An Analysis of
Celie
’
s Psychological
Processes in
the Color Purple
2.3 Shug and Celie
2.3.1 Who
is Shug
Shug
is
a
very
extroverted
and
transcendental
character.
She
is
Albert's
mistress, the one
who always got away. When she comes back to visit
Albert, she
shakes up not only his
feelings, but also those of Celie. Celie harbors
an admiration
for Shug and the life
that she has lived. Shug enters and exits Celie's
life, normally
making it for the
better. She influences Albert to the point that he
ends up treating
Celie
better
than
he
ever
had.
Eventually,
Shug
herself
develops
a
physical
relationship
with
Celie.
By
showing
Celie
the
wonders
of
life
and
her
body,
she
helps
Celie
develop
herself
emotionally
and
spiritually.
Shug
also
helps
Celie
discover the long lost letters that her
sister Nettie had written to her. In allowing
Celie
to
view
these
letters,
Shug
is
supplying
her
with
even
more
hope
and
inspiration, letting Celie see that in
the end, everything works out for the best.
2.3.2 Shug
’
s Love
to Celie
Later,
under
the
influence
of
Mr.
’
s
mistress
Shug,
Celie's
character
has
undergone great changes.
At the beginning of the story, Shug seems to be a
showy
and
florid
blues
singer,
a
selfish
and
arrogant
lady.
But
she
has
the
quality
that
Celie
doesn`t
have.
She
is
confident
and
beautiful
sexy,
and
most
of
all,
she
is
independent.
Shug
and
Celie
are
both
black
women,
but
their
difference
is
that
Shug refuses to obey
the fate, to bow to the bad luck, and refuses to
be slaves of
men. Celie`s character
begins to change a lot since Shug came to her
home. Shug is
ill seriously when Mr.
brings her back home. Celie and Mr. try their best
to help her
to
recover.
This
is
the
very
first
time
that
Celie
can
collaborate
with
Mr..Shug`s
existence changes
Celie`s life. She also appreciates the joy to her
for her help, she
begins to care about
her and love her,
this is the beginning
of Celie’
s personality
changes.
Shug
helps Celie to explore her own body, especially
her own generative organ.
10
An Analysis of
Celie
’
s Psychological
Processes in
the Color Purple
Shug finds it surprising that Celie
doesn`t know her own body, and she defines that
Celie
is
a
virgin.
In
addition,
she
helps
Celie
to
attract
other`s
attentions.
Shug
writes a song in the name of Celie. It
is Miss Celie. This song plays an important
role in the process of
Celie
’
s self-understanding.
In a letter she wrote:
first
time
someone
writes
things
with
my
name.
Later,
with
Shug`s
help,
Celie
finds the letters that
Nettie wrote to her. These letters are hidden by
her husband for
nearly
30
years.
The
discovery
of
these
letters
has
a
great
influence
on
the
development of character and her
religious faith. She hates the mean man and even
wants to kill him. Shug stop Mr.
beating Celie, at the same time, she helped her
get
rid
of religion
faith crisis,
and
also
help
her
to
rebuild
a new
god in
mind. Shug
tells
Celie:
your heart and people around
you in the heart of god. You
come
down
to
the
company
of
this
world,
but
only
those
who
search
for
god's
talents in vest to find god. And
sometimes even if you don't find him he would also
automatically
visions,
or
don't
know
what
you
are
looking
for.
Celie
began
to
understand the important thing in life
is more than love, she learned to appreciate
the beauty in the life. This is good
for her to get rid of male pressure in the mental
preparation. Shug brings strong power
to Celie. And then Celie controls her anger,
and starts to go on the road of the
financial independence. Celie makes a decision
to leave Mr., and together to Memphis
for development with Shug. She wants to
depend on her own strength to make a
living. She learns to make trousers, and soon
makes a success. She finds herself a
very capable woman. She wins the economic
independence,
and
get
more
social
knowledge.
Her
character
has
changed
tremendously.
She
won
the
dignity
of
herself
and
also
won
the
respect
of
her
husband.
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