“The Color Purple” delves into various meanings, hidden messages, and moral teachings. The theme that resonated with me the most is women overcoming their difficulties and uncovering their inner resilience. Trials truly test one’s perspective and endurance. Three women exemplify this message exceptionally: Celie (played by Whoopi Goldberg), Shug (portrayed by Margaret Avery), and Sofia (acted by Oprah Winfrey).
Despite facing suppression, self doubt, and mistreatment, these women all found strength and truly became invisible. The film utilizes various film edits, angles, and camera shots to highlight the theme of individuality. Throughout the story, Celie, the protagonist, constantly endures criticism from others which leads to self doubt and a constant sense of inadequacy. Essentially, she never feels worthy enough. In her early years, she experienced sexual abuse by a man she thought was her father but later learned he was not biologically related to her. This abuse ultimately resulted in Celie becoming a mother.
Celie faced several troubling aspects in her life. Firstly, after giving birth to her babies, each one was taken away from her and sent to another country. Additionally, as a teenager, she had to leave home and marry Albert, which unfortunately turned out to be another abusive relationship. The main challenge Celie encounters is the patriarchal society she lives in. This societal structure compels Celie to endure mistreatment from men based on her strong belief in the Bible. Despite the abuse she experiences from men, including her father and husband Mister, Celie feels bound by religious teachings: “I couldn’t be angry at my daddy because he’s my daddy. The Bible says to honor father and mother no matter what… Well, sometimes Mister gets rough with me. I have to talk to the Lord. But he’s my husband.” Consequently, Celie simply shrugs off these hardships.
This passage implies that the speaker’s life is temporary, but the afterlife will last forever. It suggests that a major change was needed to bring happiness into her life. She realizes she belongs to the world and gains confidence and value from her interactions with others. Eventually, she finds the inner power to defend herself, despite facing prejudice due to her race and gender.
According to Witalec (5), as Celie curses Mr. ——, she experiences a newfound strength. Eventually, she learns to advocate for herself and not allow men’s demands to overpower her or determine her value. Kamp adds that Celie has become a mature individual, possessing enough self-awareness and self-confidence to challenge the oppressive nature of tradition. It is clear that Celie has the power to control her own life. Furthermore, Witalec makes a thought-provoking observation about Celie, noting that she has adopted a survival-of-the-fittest mentality due to the masculine violence she endures. Shug also exemplifies strength in the face of adversity.
Shug, an adept vocalist, garnered the attention of men, both positively and negatively, by captivating them with her physical attractiveness. She was acutely aware of her own beauty and never hesitated to showcase it in various ways. However, she faced numerous challenges in life. Shug’s father, who was a preacher, strongly disapproved of her singing in bars, immodest clothing choices, and overall lifestyle. As a consequence, he completely severed ties with her and ceased all communication. Despite the perception that Shug had everything she desired, the profound guilt stemming from her father’s rejection and continuous sense of disapproval greatly impeded her.
When introduced in the movie, Shug is depicted as being very secular. However, upon meeting Celie, she reconnects with her roots and begins to find strength. Trudeau argues that Shug, in contrast, becomes a powerful partner and together with Celie, they assert the strength of female solidarity. In the pursuit of creativity, they turn to traditional female activities such as singing, sewing, cooking, and showing affection (41). Shug’s strength is further amplified as she embraces her origins and appreciates the simple yet beautiful aspects of life. Additionally, Shug’s belief in God helps her overcome the control her father exerted over her. She asserts that everyone has God inside them from birth, but only those who search inwardly can discover it (Shug letter 73).
Her religion empowers her in dealing with her suppression, using her own understanding of God as her belief and making it a priority in her life, thus strengthening herself. In the film, Shug becomes friends with Celie and mentors her. She exposes Celie to a different way of life, teaching her skills like cooking and cleaning. Shug goes beyond societal expectations by expressing gratitude towards Celie, dedicating a new song to her, and demonstrating that she is important. By devoting time and attention to Celie, Shug not only finds value within herself, but also conveys a theme of strength in conquering any challenge.
Shug’s worth and confidence are demonstrated when she stands up to her father by singing in the church he preaches in. Despite years of no contact, she continues and after the song, she states, “See Daddy, sinners have soul too.” This courageous act leads to a warm hug between the two and fills Shug’s drawbacks and worries with love.
Despite facing challenges with men, friends, and her family, Sofia found inner strength that enabled her to overcome. Sofia’s story is a testament to the ability to endure in difficult situations. Despite societal expectations, Sofia never let men control her decisions and showed this assertiveness in all of her relationships. Even when encountering physical abuse from her husband, she refused to surrender and bravely left him while still holding deep affection for him as she expressed, “I love Harpo, God knows I do.”
“I’ll kill him dead before I let him beat me” (The Color Purple Film). However, she was eventually separated from her children and made to serve the president’s wife for many years without ever seeing her family. As a result, she underwent a complete emotional shutdown. Her previously bubbly and cheerful demeanor vanished from within her. It almost seemed as if she was experiencing a state of “double consciousness,” which describes the struggle of a person caught between “his twoness-an American, a Negro, two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings…” (Kamp1). The author went on to elaborate on this concept in relation to African American women, stating that “the uniqueness of African American women’s experience demonstrates that intra-cultural conflicts are capable of producing equally detrimental effects on a person’s sense of selfhood and dignity” (Kamp1). In other words, due to Sofia’s ethnicity, her experiences were quite distinct, resulting in various incidents and conflicts.
Sofia went through various extraordinary and unfortunate events, including being imprisoned, which ultimately led to her experiencing depression. Despite her naturally cheery disposition, Sofia also battled with profound and enduring sadness. However, at the film’s conclusion, she regains her voice. At a dinner scene where families are gathered, something unusual happens. Celie stands up to her husband, prompting Sofia to burst into laughter. She quickly composes herself and engages in a public conversation with Celie, saying, “I sat in that jail, I sat in that jail till near about done rot to death.”
In the film “The Color Purple,” there is a character named Sofia who understands the feeling of being unable to go somewhere or express oneself. She also knows what it’s like to have her spirit crushed. However, Sofia later remembers the kindness Celie had shown her and expresses gratitude, acknowledging that Celie restored her faith in God during a difficult time. Through their shared experiences and personal challenges, Sofia finds strength and becomes a resilient woman, mother, and friend. Director Steven Spielberg portrays these women as warriors rather than objects, emphasizing their perseverance despite the hardships they face. Without the adversity they endured, they would not have become inspiring examples of finding strength through affliction.
