The Color Purple is a well-known piece of literature about African-American people during a time of widespread racism. I can empathize with the suffering that African-Americans have gone through after I read this novel by Alice Walker. The Color Purple stands out from all the other African-American literature I have read in high school. This book starts with a negative beginning and ends in an uplifting way, highlighting the positive attitude of African-American people under oppression.

Abuse, transformation, and bonds between women are the major themes in this novel. The protagonist, Celie, has gone through a lot of abuse from her stepfather and her husband. In this novel, male figures tend to be abusive in general. But some male figures go through a transformation from abusive to caring. Female characters transform as well, from inexpressive to outspoken. The strong relationships between Celie, her sister, Nettie, and her lover, Shug, and her son’s wife, Sofia, are shown through sisterhood, mentorship, friendship, and sexual relationships.

The part of the story that caught my attention was the emancipation Celie felt after she met Shug, her lover. This section of the story has a dramatic change. Suppressed by the men in her life and enduring male chauvinism and abuse, Celie no longer has fear.

The author of this novel is very bold because she is not afraid of addressing issues of family abuse, homosexuality, affairs, and interracial relationships. I think it is quite interesting how Alice Walker was able to put all these topics together into one not-too-long novel.