The color purple which is a epistolary novel by Alice Walker. The book is mostly about a young girl who is facing a lot of trouble in her life,but she can’t get herself from it because she don't know how to fight. All she knows how to do is survive.
Celie and Nettie are two sister who lived with their stepfather who they knew as their Pa. Celie was raped by Pa and became pregnant.Her mother died because her young daughter was pregnant and didn't know who the father was.
Nettie’s Celie sister was being looked at by Mr One of the men in the church. He went to her Pa to ask for her hand in marriage but Pa said no because he thought she was too young and pretty to get married to Mr. Pa decided to give Celie up because she was good with children and she already had some her self.
When Celie got married to Mr, she went through hell. She got beaten most of the time because she was a women and also because Mr never wanted to marry her. After spending some time with Mr, her sister Nettie beg to move in with her because Pa was starting to look at her. Mr said yes because he thought he was gonna get a chance with Nettie while she is in the house.
Nettie and Celie was happy to be together again because they were the only two people they have. Nettie had Celie and Celie had Nettie.
Nettie was still going to school when she was in the house. So when she went to school and came back she would teach Celie what she learned. with that Celie was able to read.
While Nettie was walking to school one day Mr followed her.He tried to force her to have sex but she refused. She was so scared that she started swinging her bag with her school book at him. After that she decided to run home.
When Mr got home He was angry that Nettie refused to have sex with him so he decided to throw her out. Separating the two sisters all they can do to stay in contact was to write.
Nettie left the house trying to find somewhere to live. She also wrote Celie to see if she was safe but Celie never reply. This was how both of the Sister was separated and were trying to unite again.
Reading the color purple had a lot of differences in the two sisters, Nettie and Celie. The difference between Celie and Nettie is their religion spirituality and their gender inequality.They both had a different way of dealing with it and also experiencing it.
Celie religion and beliefs is not really strong she likes keeping it to herself. For example,
“Dear Nettie I don't write to god no more I write to you. What happen to god? ast Shug. who that? I say.. What god do for me ..But deep in my heart I care about god” (pg 195).
This quote prove that Celie is not only scared of men but also what people might think of her. Celie say she don't care about god because she might get ask why she care about someone who have not be there for her. Another reason why Celie is keeping her thought to her self is because she cant fight for what she believes in. For example when Celie first moved into the house She let the kids run over her and let them do what they want because she couldn't fight.
“Don't let them run over you, Nettie say. You got to let them know who got the upper hand . They got it, I say. But she keep on, You got to fight. You got to fight. But i say i don't know how to fight. All I know how to do is stay alive” (pg 17)
Celie don't know how to stand up for herself.She cant fight for what she believes in. All she knows how to do is keep to her self,follow people direction and stay alive. To her staying alive is not getting in people way and not getting herself in trouble even though if she want to do what right or what she even believe in.
Nettie on the other hand is very different from her sister Celie in Religion beliefs. Nettie's stand for what she believes in and say what she want to say.She is a very strong women who don't think anybody is greater then her or even control her.Everybody is equal in some way. Nettie and Celie was force to stop their education by their Pa, but with Nettie strong beliefs that she could make she never listen to him.and she spoke her mind. Later on in the year Nettie join a missionary group.
“ Corrina and Samuel and the children are part of a group of people called missionaries, of the American and African missionary society. They have ministered to Indian out west and are ministering to the poor in this town”
Nettie and the family she stay with went to Africa to minister to people during that time Nettie minister unto the little children of African and even open up a school. She did what she wanted to do which was to tell her beliefs for god to people.
Celie and Nettie’s gender Inequality are also very different. When Celie was growing up the situation she went through made her believe that guys are better.
“He beat me today cause he say i winked at a boy in church. I may have have got something in my eyes but i didn't wink. I don't even look at men's. That the truth. I look at women, tho, cause I'm not scared of them”(pg 5)
Celie feared guys and thought they were better because of how Pa treated her.He raped her and got her pregnant.Nobody ever listen to her part of the story because everybody listen to the men of the house. She also thought guy was better because they take total control. For example when ever a guy want to get married they can just take the girl no matter how young they are or even if they want it or not.
Nettie even though had people who experiences the harsh part of gender inequality,Nettie never did. Nettie unlike Celie believes that with education everybody can be equal even if they are a men or women or even black and white.
