Celie's Growth in the Color Purple by Alice WalkerThe Color Purple is an award-winning novel written by Alice Walker. Originally published in 1982, the novel chronicles the difficulties of life as a black woman. Celie, the main character, is a dynamic character and changes from an abused and insecure character to a strong and loving woman. She learns to love and fight for the things she needs and wants. Most importantly, she struggles against the cruelty of M. At the beginning, the reader is immediately captivated when Celie is forcibly raped by her father and forced into an incestuous relationship with him, resulting in the birth of two children. Her father's controlling nature then forces her to marry a man she does not love. This shows the reader the feeling of insecurity that Celie experiences at the beginning of the novel. By moving in with her new husband, M., Célie endures continual verbal and physical violence. Whether or not Celie does what M. says, he beats her. This is where the relationship between Sofia and Harpo, Mr. Son, enters the novel. Célie is confronted with Sofia, whom she would like to resemble in a certain way. She learns a lot from Sofia and Harpo's relationship; like the fact that a woman does not have to suffer violence from her husband. She also discovers Sofia's outlook on life, which is important for her growth. “You should open Mr.’s head. Think about heaven later.” (47). This quote is said by Sofia while she is talking to Célie. She tries to open Célie's eyes and make her understand that she doesn't have to put up with the way M. treats her. This is one of the first stages in which Celie begins to care about her life and takes progressive steps to improve it.Shug Avery enters the novel...... middle of paper...... ch shows us that she is finally feeling equal or better than the "male" and no longer feels inferior to him, and secondly, because she finally has control of something of her own, with people who work for her. Celie's growth throughout the novel is shown through her. letters to and from Nettie. Letters are the key to his knowledge of the outside world and his children. With these letters, she sees the world and sees her children grow up. She learns that she is not the only one fighting and that gives her the strength to continue. When she finally gets her own house and reunites with her sister, it's a huge step in her growth as she goes from a woman who has nothing to a woman who owns a house and has friends, family and control of his life. Bibliography: Walker, Alice. The color purple. New York paperbacks, 1982.