Celie's growth in "The Color Purple"

Celie’s growth is evident in a number of ways throughout The Color Purple. In the beginning of the novel, Celie is very much a docile and battered woman with no voice or will of her own. She is afraid to express her own opinion and lives under the reign of a man. At first she is dominated by her step-father and then by her husband. Due to the abuse and sexual assaults Celie suffers throughout her life, she is afraid and submissive. However, as the novel progresses, she becomes strong and independent. Her growth is partly due to the cruelty she is subjected to. She is emotionally hardened and strengthened because of all that she endures during her lifetime.

As a child, Celie is sexually abused by her step-father and becomes pregnant twice. Her step-father takes the children from her, and Celie assumes that he kills them both. Celie has no control over her life or her body. This lack of control causes her to become passive, silent, and hidden inside of herself. This is the way that she learns to deal with the pain of the abuse. She begins to write letters to God because he is a distant and seemingly unresponsive figure. It is her only method of expression. She will not talk to any of the people who are around her and will not defend herself.

However, a major change in Celie’s character occurs when she meets Shug Avery. Shug is strong and independent. Celie not only looks up to her, but is also attracted to her. She begins to express her feelings to Shug and is able to speak for herself. Shug gives Celie advice and makes her feel that she is worth more than how she has been treated during her life. Shug also helps Celie in that she changes her vision of who God is. Celie previously viewed God as a domineering white male figure. Shug tells Celie to look at him in a more nontraditional sense, and this greatly helps in her religious growth.

Celie’s greatest growth occurs when she becomes enraged with her husband. She discovers that he has been hiding letters from her sister and, through reading these letters, discovers many things about her husband and step-father. This new knowledge of the wrongs that the two men have committed against her pushes her over the edge. All the emotions and pain that Celie has kept inside come to the surface in the form of anger. She finally defends herself against her husband’s abuse and control. Because of this, she is finally able to free herself from the grasp of an abusive man. She learns to accept herself as an individual outside of any relationship. She is able to express her own opinions and feelings. Celie is finally able to find happiness in her independence. Celie is a round character because she experiences many different situations throughout the novel. She has many dimensions and experiences a great amount of growth. She is able to come into herself as an individual and as a woman.