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Sydney Whitehorn Mrs. Murdock Language and Composition 12 12 July 2013 The Color Purple: Bildungsroman In The Color Purple, the protagonist Celie began her story with the belief that she was nothing. She had no confidence, no self-worth, and believed that all the horrible treatment and situations she stumbled upon were either normal or well-deserved because she was of no value. However, by the end of the book, Celie was a new woman with a more positive outlook on life and view of herself. She finally understood that she was in deed worth something and that she truly does have a place in the world, but this resolution didnt just spontaneously appear. It took a variety of people and events both traumatizing and uplifting to help shape Celies self-esteem and bring her to better terms with her true value. Although it cannot be denied that all the different major events in the book such as being raped by her father (Walker 1) and beat by her new husband (Walker 22) had some kind of impact on her self-preservation, there is one pivotal event and more specifically pivotal person whose influence was a positive catalyst in Celies psychological and moral development, and that character is Shug Avery. Shug Averys arrival brought the hope, excitement, love, and happiness back into Celies life which was lost when she and her sister Nettie were separated. Being a woman, and a very confident, fearless, and experienced one at that, Shug was able to provide Celie with a certain wisdom and sense of empowerment that no man, past or current, could. One reason being because most men frowned upon strong minded women, therefore could not understand and inspire an obedient woman to stand up for herself, and also because due to

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the traumatizing abuse from her father and husband, Celie had lost all interest in men, so only a women would be able to get through to her. When Shug Avery came there was an instant change in Celies character. Her arrival sparked a curiosity within Celie to find out everything about her because she had already been fantasizing about her since she saw the picture of her from her husband Alberts pocket. For the first time, Celie actually felt the feeling of attraction toward someone, as she expressed in the quote First time I got the full sight of Shug Avery long black body with it black plum nipples, look like her mouth, I thought I had turned into a man (Walker 49) and even more feelings arose within Celie because for the first time someone showed interest and had an attraction for her which was communicated in the quote She say, I love you, Miss Celie. And then she haul off and kiss me on the mouth (Walker 113). Beyond the lust factor, Shug also played a mother and sisterly role in Celies life. They talked about any and everything from Celies Husband Albert to the horrific details of her past which provided Shug with the opportunity to comfort Celie and continually strengthen their relationship. The love and sisterhood introduced with Shugs character began to build the confidence and self-identity in Celie that she possessed by the end of the book. Shugs influence however not only played a role in the progression of Celie throughout the book, but also to the overall theme and meaning of the book as a whole. Feminism is a very prominent idea expressed within the novel, with men feeling the need for dominance over women whether it was Celies step father feeling dominant when raping her or her husband feeling dominant when beating her, Mary Agnes uncle feeling dominant when raping her, Harpo feeling the need for dominance and trying to make Sofia obedient, or even in Africa where only the men were expected to go to school because they were dominant over the females. Men could

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get by with infidelity and abuse but this was unacceptable when it came to the women. Shugs character however challenged these circumstances. She hopped from lover to lover and spoke her mind regardless if it concerned a man or not. The idea of love is also an important factor to the meaning of The Color Purple and it is very clear that Shug Averys character is love driven. When Shug enters into Celies life she plays a big role by showing her what love is but plays a bigger role in the book because their love depicts the idea that love is both blind and endless. Blind because theyre both women which is not the typical love relationship and is certainly not accepted amongst society. Endless because although Shug Avery had a variety of lovers throughout the novel, she continuously came back to the ones she loved: Albert and Celie. She never gave up or moved on from the ones she loved. Without the introduction of Shug Avery into Celies life, the important themes and meanings of the novel could not have been communicated. Through her relationship with Celie it was revealed that with love comes confidence, empowerment, and the feeling of self-worth and that love is love regardless of gender or appearance. Shug gave Celie the will to move on from her abusive past and to see how valuable she is to the world. Because of the unusual yet strong love expressed from Shug Avery, Celie was able to grow into a strong, empowered woman free from the male dominance that once controlled her which also helped to shape the idea of feminism in the novel as a whole and the need for women to stick together to overcome it.