The Color Purple (Book Review)

I am an expression of the divine, just like a peach is, just like a fish is. I have a right to be this way…I can’t apologize for that, nor can I change it, nor do I want to… We will never have to be other than who we are in order to be successful…We realize that we are as ourselves unlimited and our experiences valid. It is for the rest of the world to recognize this, if they choose.

Overview

The Color Purple is a rare gem. It’s a wide range of emotions served in a platter for the readers. One can expect to fairly predict the storyline as it progresses, but invariably it’s a page-turner. Regardless of the narrative being somewhat foreseeable and flat, this book with its cast of bright characters is certainly a devastatingly delightful read.

It is an epistolary novel by Alice Walker published in the year 1984 which spotlights on the lives of African-American women during the 1930s and the intense sufferings they faced by virtue of outrageous bigotry, sexism, and destitution. Our prime storyteller is a young girl named Celie who is unable to address any other person about her inner turmoil and composes letters to God in broken yet decipherable English.

Isolated as young girls, sisters Celie and Nettie continue their loyalty to trust in each other across time, separation and silence. Through a progression of letters traversing twenty years, first from Celie to God, later between Celie and Nettie, the novel brings readers into its rich and critical depictions of Celie, Nettie, Shug Avery and Sofia, and their experiences. Walker through the consistent stride of Celie and Nettie ends the hush around the household and sexual maltreatment, portraying the lives of women through their agony and battle, friendship and development, strength and dauntlessness. Profoundly sympathetic and flawlessly envisioned, Alice Walker’s epic takes readers on a soul insisting venture towards redemption and love.

Writing Style And Tone

Walker writes the novel in the first-person narrative style. The predominant idea of this epistolary is to help us self-discover through Celie’s eyes as she faces hardships, struggles and achieves goals through inspiration. Walker’s writing through black vernacular English and the poor spelling and grammar throughout the letter enables us to pay more attention to what Celie is saying and might slow down your pace of the book. As we begin to take the roller coaster ride with Celie and Nettie through their ups and downs we somehow unknowingly develop a bond with them. This might also be because of Celie’s Naive belief in addressing letters to god or her grappling acceptance towards the harsh reality of life. The opening of the book would take you by surprise with regard to the language used and I bet you will be drawn into it instantly hoping to give answers to her pleas for help.

Vocabulary

The writing is simple and subtle for most parts of the book. The vocabulary used is easily decipherable. It is a well-knitted piece for it deals with sensitive content which people would easily be allured to read. Hence this particular book will have a wide range of fan base even among peculiar readers. Its unique presentation and description of characters will leave the audience wanting for more. What takes us by surprise in the first few pages of the book is indeed the poor language and broken vocabulary.

Target Audience

In this book, Celie is an epitome of different kinds of struggles and raging emotions among women of all time. Her suppression and oppression due to her gender and race is something that women across the globe would relate to. Not just women, even men who have been victims of gender stereotypes and humiliations. This piece of work definitely would attract a matured audience who can put themselves in the shoes of Celie. For all that I know, if you are a person who can experiment with emotions and the darker side of society, this is definitely going to be a precious copy on your shelves for the rest of your lives.

Return On Investment And Conclusion

Who should Pick this book? Definitely it is for a certain group of bibliophiles who have a pristine taste for classic literature and focus more on the historical background and set-up of a story. Apart from that, it is also a treat to the general audience who explore different genres and do not mind wandering a little deep into the forest of misery and solitude from within. It is a spectrum that emits different shades of emotions that we are unaware of. Every person who’s painted America as a dream destination or as the only ideal locus to be in should venture in between these pages to explore and unravel a different notion altogether. You would either feel exhilarated about uncovering the unknown or disappointed as to how everything dreamy is not so dreamy. There’s nothing in between.

In conclusion, we would be left with a daunting question!

It is the year 2020, and we all somewhere believe and are convinced (or rather say living in a comfortable zone of illusion) as to how advanced we are in gender roles and equality. But the moment you put down Walker’s The Color purple, you might end up reminiscing about all the fleeting instances where you did relate to Celie’s vehemence.

And we are left with a question as to Why is this 1930 set-up book relevant in 2020? What are we fundamentally lacking as society as a whole?

Thank you.

Open for critics and discussions.

Cheers and Blithe until next!