Set in Georgia, USA, in 1982, The Colour Purple is a novel that deals with issues of domestic abuse, racism, sexism and imperialism. At the core of the novel, however, is a tale of two sisters and their separation and longing for each other.
A quick summary
You better not never tell nobody but God. It’d kill your mammy.
Celie is raped repeatedly by a man, she assumes to be her father, called Alphonso or “Pa”. She lives with him, her sister, Nettie and her mother, who passes away early in the novel. At a very young age, the girls are expected to be sold into marriage and Nettie, who is younger, is eyed by Albert, referred to as Mr.—- for much of the novel. In order to protect Nettie, Celie offers herself for marriage instead and later Nettie is forced to run away, fearing Mr.—‘s continued advances towards her.
Henceforth, the two sisters are separated and live completely different lives. Celie continues to live with Mr.— and later meets the dazzling, Shug Avery, after which her life changes completely. Through the course of the novel, Celie learns to voice her opinions. What starts off as short, harshly worded letters to God, later transforms into a powerful narration of the lives of multiple women, whose voices were otherwise silenced and appropriated in canonical literature. Walker also allows Nettie to use the epistolary form to put forward the truth of the imperial rule and point out the overt racism built into our society. Nettie travels to Liberia with Samuel and Corrine, who are part of the African and American missionary society and forms a bond with their children, Adam and Olivia, who share a remarkable resemblance with Celie.
At the end of the novel, the sisters are reunited and an unconventional family is formed. One led by women, who create a space where even Mr.— is allowed an opportunity at redemption and is finally referred to by his real name.
The theme of imperialism
Nettie’s letters to Celie have postage stamps. To Celie, these stamps are trivial. She only wants to know where Africa is or where the stamps are from, so she can know how far from her Nettie is. To the reader, however, these stamps become a symbol of imperialism. In her essay, ‘Race and Domesticity in The Colour Purple’, Linda Selzer points out the juxtaposition of the two stamps on the envelope Nettie sends. One is England’s, that showcases their royalty and wealth and the other is Africa’s which shows only rubber trees. Even though, even today, the British Museum holds several artefacts/ prized possessions that rightfully do not belong in England, the image of wealth is only associated with their royalty and the image of the poor, ‘savages’ associated with countries they colonised. The two small stamps serve as a clear reminder of the politics of colonisation and the mindset that was developed and enforced by the British rule.
Walker highlights racial tension using Nettie’s narrative, where she brings in the Olinka tribe as well as English aristocracy like Doris Baines. Several critics have commented on the novel’s inability to offer an analysis of race and class. To me however, the novel offers a critique of society, free of the bounds of time and linear history, and truly tells a tale. It uses “family relations” as Selzer points out, as a textual trope for race relations, placing histories of narrators in a wider context, and not limiting them to the European, linear timeframe.
Adam, Eve and their skin colour
One of the most interesting elements in the novel is the Olinka tribe’s Adam and Eve story. This story to me is fascinating and offers a completely new perspective on an age-old, Christian tale. According to the Olinka tribe, who Nettie meets in Africa, the first white man was treated as an outcast for being colourless. The whiteness of the skin was seen as nudity because he did not have his black covering. This discrimination caused racial conflict leading to the White wanting revenge and deciding to “crust” the Black like “a snake”. The tribe states that the White’s extreme hatred will turn them into “the new serpent” and that the only way to end this “cycle of discrimination” is with acceptance. The Olinka tribe expresses a “domestic ideal for race relations”, one that counters the sin of discrimination.
Whether this story is true or not, depends on who listens to it and what it makes them feel. But what can certainly be said is that the tribe, even when facing cruelty, remained sure of their idea of spreading acceptance. Walker in the novel, may not overtly comment on history and facts, but she uses narratives, ideas and emotions to convey the effects of colonialization, gender discrimination and racial othering. She convinces the reader to recognize the cycle of hatred that mankind is stuck in and bring an end to it.
Conclusion
Through The Colour Purple, Alice Walker brings forward the heart-wrenching tale of not just two sisters but several different women coping with their race, class and gender position in society. It highlights the beauty that lies in ending the cycle of discrimination and joining together to form an unusual, unconventional and extremely loving family similar to the one that Celie and Nettie form at the end of the novel.
