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Celie s character highlights the detrimental effect of silence on black women. Individuals are silenced when they are denied agency in shaping their own experiences. Agency is the concept that individuals make choices that shape their own lives and that they are solely the product of their environment. The character of Celie emphasizes the silencing of African American woman as experienced through male family members, in particularly fathers and husbands. Surprisingly enough, woman within the African American community also serve as vehicles that perpetuate silencing. Celie s stepfather is able to silence Celie through abuse and isolation.
The beginning of the novel offers the reader an intimate view of Celie s oppression by her stepfather. The many obstacles that Celie must overcome in her life are, the abuse and silencing from her stepfather, the further abuse and silencing from her husband, and Celie s breaking of silence. The reader quickly discovers that Celie s stepfather has impregnated her twice. First he put his thing up gains my hip and sort of wiggle it around. Then he grap hold my titties. Then he push his thing up inside my pussy.
When that hurt, I cry. He start to choke me, saying You better shut up and git used to it. (Walker 1) Rape, as a form of abuse, has conquered Celie s desires under her stepfather s authority, thereby psychologically training her mind to accept submission and silence. Celie s stepfather continues to silence her by exploiting the notion of love. By denying Celie the love that a father and daughter should share, the stepfather trains her mind to accept herself as an expandable being.
An instance of such deprivation occurred when Albert came to ask permission to marry Nettie but convinces him to take Celie. She ugly. He say. But she ain t no stanger to hard work. And she clean. (9) He say s this as if the two daughters could be interchangeable.
Albert accepts the offer and is seen riding a horse with Celie walking behind him. This is symbolic because it appears that an analogy can be drawn between Celie and a mule. The symbol of black woman as mules not only means that they were beasts of burden; but also that they were given as little thought and consideration as dumb animals. This transaction between Albert and the stepfather is similar to men trading cows, thereby dehumanizing Celie. The stepfather also assumed that if Celie believed herself to be unloved then she would naturally deem her own desires unimportant because others did not care about her. Similarly, if Celie had people to love, such as her children, then her kids would most likely respond to this love.
By denying Celie any form of love, the stepfather isolates Celie and increases her dependence on him. Walker s use of Celie s letters to God highlights Celie s feelings of isolation. She ast me bout the first one Whose it is? I say God s. I don t know no other man or what else to say. (3) The very idea that Celie is talking to God signifies that perhaps she does not have many people to confide in. In Celie s relationship with Albert, her husband, domination is also perpetuated.
One external sign of this authority is how she addresses Albert. Celie calls him Mr. as seen many times in the novel. The term Mr.
indicates emotional distance and is similar to how slaves addressed their owners as Master. Furthermore, if Celie is given the opportunity to express her own opinions, Albert sees it as a direct challenge to his authority. For instance, when Albert demands that Celie quiets his daughter while brushing her hair, she immediately responds that she is unable to do so. As a result, Albert slaps her as a warning that disobedience to his orders is unacceptable. Albert along with her stepfather isolates her from those she loves. One example that demonstrate this statement is Albert s deliberate act of separating Nettie from Celie.
Nettie was a source of comfort and love for Celie. Nettie is the one who teaches Celie how to spell and read. Nettie is aware that literacy empowers individuals to move upwards in stratified society. I know I m not as pretty or as smart as Nettie, but she say I ain t dumb. (10) Thus, Alberts removal of Nettie from Celie s life is strategically intelligent because he has removed the source of Celie s strength and ability to validate herself. The only piece of mail Mr. ever put directly in my hand is a telegram that comes from the United States Department of Defense. (262) The letter read that Nettie and the family had been sunk on the boat to Africa by German subs.
The novel not only depicts the silence of woman, but the breaking of silence. Shug, Albert s mistress, actually becomes Celie s voice in protesting the injustices committed against her. He beat me when you not here, I say. I wont leave, Shug say, until I know Albert won t even think about beating you. (78 - 79) Shug acknowledges Celie s struggles through many avenues, the first being music. One caption of the novel highlights Shug s explicit support of Celie is at Harpo s juke joint. Shug s song, Miss Celie s Blues emphasizes and gives voice to Celie.
Shug also advocates Celie s independence by announcing that she will take Celie with her when returning to Tennessee. Thus, she becomes Celie s voice until Celie finds her own, near the end of the novel. Another significant event that strengthens Celie s ability to demand independence from Albert is the discovery of Nettie s letters. Nettie s letters are the method that reveal Celie s children to their mother. These letters encourage Celie that she may one day see her family again. This hope empowers Celie to break away from Albert, as read in the dinner scene near the end of the novel.
Celie is able to reverse her silence to such an extent that she has authority over Albert. In Albert s effort to show that Celie can do nothing without him, he insinuates that she has no talent and or worth through his comment, You black, you poor, you ugly, you a woman. (213) Yet, Celie is unable to be silenced as seen through her remark, Until you do right by me, I say, everything you even dream about will fail. (213) The Color Purple concludes with the effects of Albert s decision to help Celie s family immigrate to the United States. This conscious choice reflects the strong influence of Celie s last remark on Albert, which is an indication that Celie has not only broken out of submission and silence, but found her own voice. The final scene is compelling since Celie, now independent, has joined with the very person, whom from childhood, has encouraged the growth of a confident and vocal Celie. Celie has overcome obstacles in her life such as abuse, rape, and silence as an African American woman in a society that condones all blacks, especially women.
The Color Purple reveals the inner strength of it s main character, celie. 320
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