TITLE: The Color Purple
AUTHOR: Alice Walker
- Born: February 9, 1944
- Raised in Georgia
PUBLICATION DATE: 1982
SETTING: Rural South, during the early 1900's. In the movie, an atmosphere of strong sisterly bonds exists alongside abusive marriages (and sexism).
THEME: The theme of this movie was for women to stand up for themselves and to be strong. There also was some religious undertones, especially between Shug Avery and her father (a priest, who did not approve of her lifestyle, because it wasn't exactly adhering to the current concept of God).
PLOT: Celie is a woman who has been abused by multiple people, and with the help of others, she finds the strength to stand up for herself.
MAIN CHARACTERS:
PROTAGONISTS:
- Celie-abused, married to Mr., was subserviant
- Nettie-Celie's younger sister, missionary in Africa
- Sofia-outspoken, strong, hit the mayor
- Shug Avery-slept with Mr., dancer/singer
ANTAGONISTS:
- Mr.- name is Albert, abusive, in love with Shug
- Millie- mayor's wife, made Sofia be her maid
- Celie's father- cruel, abused Celie
SYMBOLISM: The main symbol in the movie was the color purple, which stood for hope and miracles. The little girl running alongside the train at the end of the movie symbolized Celie returning to the time when she was happy (her childhood).
DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS: This movie showed all of the hardships that women in the past had to overcome due to sexism. The themes covered in this movie are still somewhat relatable today, because traces of sexism and domestic violence still exist.
RESPONSE: Well, when I watched this movie, I was really confused at first, because I didn't realize there was two sides to the CD and I accidentally watched the second side of the DVD before I watched the first, and I didn't really understand the movie until I went back and watched the beginning. Once I figured out the movie, I decided that I liked it. I really liked how a lot of the characters helped each other through their problems. It's kind of sad to think that some people in the past actually did live like Celie. I never really understood Shug Avery though: she was mean to Celie at first, had an affair with Mr., then went to kissing Celie, and then married some guy, and then helped Celie gain enough confidence to escape from Mr. She was trying to get Celie to stop letting people walk all over her, but she had been one of the people who had taken advantage of Celie. Anyways, it was obvious that the movie was intended to empower women, especially African American women.