I first attempted to read The Color Purple, decades ago, when I was still in my youth. While my brain certainly understood the words on the page—it being a book written almost entirely from the point of view of a woman with no more than a third-grade education—I found I could not connect with them.
Instead, I was annoyed that Walker chose to tell the story in such an unsophisticated voice. Celie’s voice challenged the inner voice I had developed; her voice challenged my praise for English culture and literature.
The Play
Seeing the play earlier this year, gave me a new appreciation for The Color Purple. Actually, that’s an understatement. I was completely blown away. With more life experience, too, I had a greater understanding of the nuanced characters, unlike the two-dimensional characters that we see in the original movie (sorry, Whoopi, Danny, Oprah, etc.—it really didn’t do the book justice).
A Fabulous Book Store & A Reintroduction
Having a greater appreciation for the work, I paused in front of a paperback copy of the book while browsing in a wonderfully delightful second-hand bookstore in Sarasota, Fl.—Parker’s Book Bazaar. After an unsuccessful search for a hard copy, I decided to purchase the paperback among (many) other things.
What Makes This Book Outstanding
Unsurprisingly, the book gives even more depth to the characters, which was a real treat. It also more aptly conveys the extremely violent realities of the Jim Crow era South.
For example, anyone who has seen the movie or play knows that Sophia’s character is mercilessly beaten after she punches the mayor. In the book, the reader can see that Sophia might not survive. The reader can see that Sophia’s nose, having nearly been torn off, hangs from her face. While Sophia ultimately recovers, even many years later, the reader sees Sophia still has a scar on the side of her nose.
Yet another example of the violence is Squeak’s/Mary Agnes’s rape at the hands of her estranged, white uncle, who is the town’s prison warden.
Another great feature of the book is the resiliency of the individual characters and their community as a whole.
Celie’s “husband” brings his mistress into their home, and she finds love.
Following her brutal attack, Sophia essentially serves as a slave in the mayor’s household and misses the bringing up of her children. Yet, eventually, she is free and raises Mary Agnes’s daughter while Mary Agnes is on tour.
Mr. ________ (Albert), has a spiritual awakening and learns to be a companion to the wife he once beat mercilessly.
And, despite the messy and sometimes violent relationships between the characters, they form a community that serves as a survival mechanism for each of them.
Parting Thoughts
Ultimately, this seemingly simple text was quite complex, fascinating, and brilliant. I came away from the whole experience wishing I knew more of Alice Walker’s work and was thankful to find another one of her titles (hard cover this time): The Temple of My Familiar.
I haven’t had a chance to sit down with it in any serious way (I have since been distracted by a few other titles), but it is in the stack of books I look forward to reading when the time is right.
For today, though, when I drive by purple wildflowers, I smile and give thanks.
