Female Support
The motive of female support is very strong in The Color Purple. Characters such as the singer Shug Avery, the strong Sofia, and her sister Nettie are women of colour who show the subservient Celie how women can achieve as much as men do.
Ever since Celie has received a photograph of Shug, she has looked up to her as a powerful woman and seeks Shug’s approval.
“Shug Avery was a woman. The most beautiful woman I ever saw.”
(8/13)
The statement “Shug Avery was a woman” is a remark of Shug’s female power. It seems that from Celie’s perspective a woman is a strong individual being, who is more equal to a man, for example compared to a girl’s equality. As this idea is presented by means of a statement, it also highlights the fundamental differences between men and women which appear in the novel. Compared to Celie who has more girlish features and less experience, Shug is able to teach her about the world and men. Eventually she becomes the main supporter in the form of a role model.
“Shug Avery teaches her to value herself as a woman, and as a black woman with creative talents and the ability to earn her own keep. Shug helps to educate Celie out of her ‘triple oppression’, step by step.”
The triple oppression mentioned here consist of the factors poverty, racism, and sexism which are general
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Her main supporter is the teacher Blue Rain who continuously encourages Precious to bring her life story to paper. As well as Celie in The Color Purple, Precious was refused a scholar education due to teenage pregnancy. The programme Higher Education Alternative/Each1Teach1 led by Ms Rain makes education available for girls who are not as far in school as others. This is not exclusively African Americans, but also includes girls with Jamaican and Hispanic origins. Ms Rain is a supporter for all those girls who more or less share their worries with Precious, as one is