Transformation was a common thread in the lives of the people of twentieth and twenty first century. There was a constant engagement with self discovery as a repercussions of the unrest that was taking place during those ages. The novel The Color Purple is an authentic fusion of transformations of people. The play between opposites, light and shadow marks the life of the protagoanist, Celie.
Religion, in this respect, is always said to have paved a road for transformation. This way that leads humans through transcends the mundane. But this aspect of change is paradoxical which ranges from self-denying to self-affirming, world affirming to world negating. Celie’s world in the novel is a miniature of this paradox. Her immense suffering and pain
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Many a times, the change comes from within, i.e. the innate desire to improve yourself. While the other times, change is directly the result of outside influences such as a significant event or inspiration from other individuals or role models. The latter is the case in Alice Walker’s novel. In the novel, Walker uses the inspiration and influence of other strong female characters to act as the change stimulants in the journey of Celie’s transformation. Highly inspired and influenced by Sophia, Celie is able to establish her independence from her abusive husband. Celie understands the faact that she is manipulated and controlled by Mr. ___ and acknowledges this when she ”think ’bout how every time (she) jump when Mr.____ call(her)” (Walker, The Color Purple, 38) we can justify Celie’s weakness considering that male domination has always been a part of her life. However, when she witnesses the relationship between Sophia and her …show more content…
Letter writing, the means to Celie’s liberation and the reader’s understanding into the inner workings of her life, constitute her rituals of rebellion. Celie’s writing to God puts her into a symbolic life which results in her repudiation of the life she has been leading and a desire for a more expensive daily