The Color Purple #3

I finished the book tonight, finally. The letters between Celie and Nettie got very very boring, to the point that I really couldn't bring myself to read. Today in class though, I decided I should finish the last hundred pages. The last letter I read during class was from Nettie, explaining where exactly Adam and Olivia were adopted from, which gave away more juicy details about Nettie and Celie's past with their father. I read this section multiple times, and still was lost. All I could grasp was that "Pa was not our Pa." But details were still really unclear. Sparknotes cleared this up for me...Celie and Nettie's father had been lynched because his successful store was competetion for the white store owners. The crazy stranger was named Alphonso, a.k.a. the crazy man Celie and Nettie were raised calling "Pa." He knew Samuel, Nettie's newfound husband, and gave him Celie's children because she couldn't take care of them. Because Samuel's wife Corinne didn't know this entire story, she and Nettie's relationship suffered greatly.
Hearing this story, Celie 's life was changed. Shug became her confidant, and her real true friend. Since moving to Memphis, their relationship developed even more. Alphonso soon died after Celie found out the truth, and she was surprised with a great inheritance. Her mother left the house to her and Nettie when she died, so the house that they grew up in was now all hers.
The end of the book dealt with a lot of loss, but in the end, it was for the most part tied back together.  Mr. _____ had a kind of epiphany, resulting in a complete change in his behavior and personality. Shug left Celie with her 19 year old boyfriend. Again, I started losing interest because I didn't really know if this was going to be worth reading. Nettie ended up coming home to Celie with her children and Adam's new wife, as well at Nettie's new husband Samuel.
Overall, I feel like this book had a really good message and it was portrayed very indirectly and directly at the same time. Walker showed me the importance of love, more than just between two people, but more importantly loving oneself. Celie lost faith many times, in herself,in her relationships, and even in God. That other point--that God never leaves us even if we give up and look away--is also stressed, and I think that might be the greatest message of all.

The Color Purple #2

This time, I'm almost 200 pages into the book, so over halfway. Shug and Celie have a new relationship, closer than any other two characters in this book. Celie looks up to Shug not only in success, but also in her freedom and outspokenness. She is looking for a way to love herself, that's really her main goal throughout the whole book. Since her childhood, Pa beat her down, physically and emotionally, just as Mr. _______ does. Shug is Celie's way of finding a new way out.
Where I am now in the book, Shug just discovered that Mr. _______ was taking Nettie's letters and keeping them from Celie. As soon as Celie found out, she wanted to kill him. (This reminded me of One Tree Hill last week!) Shug again came to the rescue, explaining that she mustn't kill him because Shug needs her. Shug is acting as Celie's reason for fighting.
I'm starting to lose interest in this story now, because Nettie's letters aren't very eventful or interesting. They only describe the events of her acting as a missionary in Africa with her new "family". Even though I'm dreading finishing this section, I think I'm starting to realize the importance of it. Nettie emphasizes how Olinka doesn't believe in educating girls. This is to again motivate Celie to not stop trying and to stay in it, for Shug and for Nettie, and for her own daughter Olivia.
I have no idea how this story's going to end...I have a feeling Nettie will come home soon, and meet Shug. Since they're both so confident I think Mr. ______ is going to have a bad consequence when all three ladies are together, but that's just me.

The Color Purple...#1

Only fifty pages into the book, I feel like there are many unanswered questions, but at the same time I feel like I have a somewhat good understanding of what's going on in the story. Celie started out in a really rough situation as a childhood. She suffered through horrific scenes with her father, and from many other people in her life. As her sister Nettie is being asked to marry a Mr ______, her father insists he wants Celie instead. She goes to marry him, while Nettie fights for her life with the other siblings. Celie's new husband has three children, with an ex named Shug Avery. Celie sees a new found hope in Shug Avery, because she represents everything she wants to be-- strong, brave, successful. Harpo, her new stepson, comes off as rude at first. He tells Celie about the girl he is in love with, and from there the relationship blossoms to new heights. Mr. _______ insists on the old fashioned way of women- pg 37-- "Wives is like children. You have to let 'em know who got the upper hand. Nothing can do that better than a good sound beating." Celie is used to being treated like this, and doesn't know what to do anymore. Explaining it to Sofia, she says she feels nothing anymore when she is angry. She doesn't know how to do much of anything except for doing whatever it takes to live. She doesn't worry about being happy, she just focuses on staying alive. Shug Avery is now living with the family, and Mr. _____ is spending all his time with her. Celie doesn't take it too personally, but deep down the reader knows it must bother her. Shug is very sick, and at this time I'm working on figuring out what is wrong with her, and how Mr. _____ ended up picking her up and taking her in. Shug is acting as a role model for Celie, but this may end up as a disappointment because she is now realizing that the picture she once viewed doesn't represent the same attitudes the real life Shug Avery has.