Journal No.4

Completed!

The Color Purple: Journal Entry #4
pages 217-288

I felt very happy upon finishing this novel. The conclusion left me with a very strong understanding of each character's struggles and of what each character has learned through those struggles. The Color Purple is so powerfully written that I feel as if I have learned along with them. In this last quarter, transformations are made and our characters learn what it means to be content.

In the beginning of this section, Celie goes back to Georgia first for Sofia's mother's funeral and again to live in the house of her now dead stepfather. She discovers that Mr.____ has become a new person. After Celie left, Mr.____ lived in squalor until Harpo began to take care of him. Mr.____ was going crazy with guilt, I think, and didn't begin to improved until he sent Celie the rest of Nettie's letters. He then changed remarkably. He does work, he cleans his house, and he begins to think about God and the meaning of life. He even makes this observation to Celie later when she comes back to live in the house of her now dead stepfather, “I think us here to wonder, myself. To wonder. To ast. And that in wondering bout the big things and asting bout the bigs things, you learn about the little ones, almost by accident....The more I wonder...the more I love.” This quote was my favorite in the entire novel, and I would never have guessed that Mr.____ would be the one to say it.

However, one thing that angered me in this section was Shug's affair with the young man, Germaine. Even though she says she still loves Celie, Shug begs Celie to let her have one last fling before she's too old. I felt so sorry for Celie and very angry at Shug because she was hurting Celie so much. Nevertheless, I believe that Celie finally comes fully into her own once she learns to live without Shug.

At first, Celie is devastated as you can see in her letter to Nettie, “My heart broke. Shug love somebody else.” She also blames her absence from their house in Memphis for Shug's wandering eyes, but I believe that Shug would have fallen for Germaine even if Celie had been around. Eventually though, as Celie begins to spend more time with the transformed Mr.____, Celie begins to cope with Shug's absence. The two become friends and talk about how much they love and miss Shug, about their families, about their friends, and about life. I believe that it is through this reconciliation with Mr.____ and their deep discussions that Celie finally understands that she does not need Shug because she has become her own, independent woman.

Celie reflects, “I be so calm. If she come, I be happy. If she don't, I be content. And then I figure this the lesson I was suppose to learn.” In this sense, Shug's affair with Germaine was a good thing for Celie. However, I don't believe that it was Shug's intent to help Celie grow by having a tryst with the young man, so I am still angered by Shug's actions. Everything is alright in the end, though, as Shug returns to Celie.

In the end, Celie is also reunited with Nettie and her family. This was a very emotional event for Celie and for me as well. It was such a happy moment for everyone, and it gave me such a feeling of completion. Finally Celie has found the life she has always longed for, a life with her sister, with her children, with Shug, with her friends, and with a stronger self. When she sees how grown her children are, Celie feels that her generation has gotten older, but Celie's contentment with this fact is clear when she says, “But I don't think us old at all. And us so happy. Matter of fact, I think this is the youngest us ever felt.” This line, the last in the novel, really made me hope that when I am older, I will feel the same way.

This novel, as a whole, made me think about many things. It made me think about the issues that were prevalent in this novel and how they are still pertinent to today. Racism and sexism are major problems in this novel, especially for Celie, Sofia, and Tashi. It is obvious that racism and sexism are still issues all throughout today's world. The women in this novel who were victims of sexism, mainly Tashi overcame it by becoming educated and using their education. Those who were victims of racism in this novel strove to overcome it through narrative, such as Celie's letters, Nettie's letters, and Shug and Mary Agnes' singing.

Also, this novel made me think about the way I see God. It made me realize that I imagine God the way that Celie used to, which is someone that I can't relate to. Celie addresses her final letter, “Dear God. Dear stars, dear trees, dear sky, dear peoples. Dear Everything. Dear God.” When I read that, it really hit me that God is really in every one of those things Celie mentioned. Perhaps, just as a new view on God helped Celie become a strong, independent woman, it could help me become a better, more faithful person.

I truly enjoyed reading this novel and learning from all that it has to offer about life, relationships, God, love, identities, redefinition, transformation, family, and the importance of using one's voice. I would recommend this novel to anyone. It is sincerely an inspiring book.