Shug And Sofia In Alice Walker's The Color Purple

Finding fulfillment in life is something everyone struggles to achieve. In Alice Walker’s novel The Color Purple, Celie struggles with abusive relationships and expectations to be subservient. Becoming increasingly independent gives Celie an increasing amount of contentedness in her life. As she grows her feminist outlook through the encouragement of Shug and Sofia, Celie becomes more proud of herself and is able to live without worrying about her abusers. She transforms as she gains an understanding of feminism at the urging of her polar opposites. The Color Purple ultimately proves feminism leads to happiness and a greater fulfillment in life as seen most specifically through Celie, Shug, and Sofia. In The Color Purple, characters such as Shug and Sofia show the truth of the thesis. Shug and Sofia refuse to conform to societal rules, often garnering harsh comments from others in the novel. Shug and Sofia especially serve as foils to Celie. Sofia is Celie’s opposite in happiness, attitude, and mannerisms; ”Where Celie is meek and quiet, Sofia is forceful and outspoken. She has a realistic viewpoint of the world, and is not afraid to counter the oppressive patriarchy to achieve her own goals” (Martin 30). Sofia accepts the fact she must go without public approval in order to truly live. Sofia decides to help Celie learn to live similarly, encouraging Celie to be independent. Sofia

Their oppositional lifestyle is one they develop and expand in Celie. As Celie’s sense of feminism of develops and allows her to be independent, her happiness with her life grows. She is able to live outside of the expectations set by her abusers, proving that her feminism is directly correlated with her inner contentedness. It is the fulfillment in life through the employment of a feminist mindset that is main theme in the novel written by