Confidant Relationships In The Color Purple

Confidential relationships are an integral part of day-to-day life, as they allow for growth and independence within a person. These trusting relationships can stem from family, friends, and faith, all alike. The Color Purple, written by Alice Walker, shows Celie, as someone deeply affected by these 3 types of relationships, as a way to show the personal effects of confidant relationships. Celie uses these relationships as a guide to grow and become more aware, of herself and the world around. Alice Walker's The Color Purple utilizes Nettie, Shug, and God, as Celie’s trusted and guiding confidants, to demonstrate how strong interpersonal relationships are necessary for growth in identity and confidence. Nettie acts as a role model for Celie

In the beginning of the text, Celie turns to God as her only resort, instead of seeking an intimate relationship with Him. The very first line of the novel reads, “You better not never tell nobody but God¨ (Walker 1). The beginning of Celie’s relationship with God is forced, meaning Celie cannot grow from it. The first time Celie confides in God about the way Pa treats her and Nettie, is only due to the fact that she is not allowed to tell anyone else. Celie uses God as a coping mechanism by writing to Him, instead of creating a personal relationship through the letters. Celie changes who she writes letters to, from God to Nettie, showing her relationship with God was not significant. Celie later writes, “Dear Nettie, I don’t write to God no more. I write to you” (Walker 192). Celie is able to change who her trusted confidant is very quickly, showing God was never a friend; instead He was a placeholder for someone Celie could openly trust. This was a turning point in the novel because Celie is rejecting God from her life. Mahdi Deghani attributes this rejection to the “fear of God [which] has prevented her from standing up to her tyrannical patriarchal force which is imposed upon her” (Dehghani 452). At the start of the relationship, Celie was afraid of God instead of loving Him, showing the fear Celie had on all the authoritative men in her life. To Celie, God is just another man who never responds to help her, which is why the relationship never allowed her to become more self-confident. On the contrary, at the end of the novel, Celie creates a stronger relationship with God as she is able to connect with Him more spiritually. Celie’s final letter starts with, “Dear God. Dear stars, dear trees, dear sky, dear peoples. Dear Everything. Dear God” (Walker 285). The last time the reader hears from Celie is at