CIA III - The Color Purple

CIA III – THE COLOR PURPLE

Submitted To: Dr. Arya Aiyappan,

                        Assistant Professor,

                        Department of English,

                        Christ University

Submitted By: Oindrila Mukherjee,

                        1313263, II PSEng

WRITING STYLE OF THE NOVEL – THE COLOR PURPLE

An epistolary novel, The Color Purple by Alice Walker was initially not received in a positive manner. This was primarily because it went against the standard societal norms, exploring themes like the disruption of traditional gender roles, racism, patriarchy, sexual identity, etc. However, it may be said that it was Walker’s beautiful and unique style of writing that elevated her and her novel to the position of being the recipient of the Pulitzer Prize.

The novel comprises of 51 letters written by Celie to “God”, the rest are letters exchanged between Nettie and Celie. In this way, the novel is a double-voiced/dual narrative. All the letters are written in first person. A major part of the story unfolds through Celie’s letters which are addressed to God, probably out of isolation and despair.

The writing style of the novel refutes the prevailing literary culture and is characterized by spelling errors, sentence fragments, lack of subject – verb agreement, incorrect verb tenses, etc. The sentences are not grammatical and lack proper punctuation indicating Celie’s poor education. This is because Celie’s environment is characterized by racism, oppression and patriarchy. She gets married very early and this stops her from completing her education.

          In the novel, Celie uses eye dialect – she writes her sentences the way she speaks them – which results in numerous spelling mistakes. For e.g. she uses words like “tho” (though), “flue” (flu), “neumonia” (pneumonia), “orkestra” (orchestra) and “two berkulosis” (tuberculosis). The letters do not contain the date or time which makes it difficult for the reader to understand the time period during which the events take place.

Celie writes in her vernacular, what Walker calls Black Folk English instead of Standard English. Walker has Celie speak vernacular because she wants Celie to maintain her autonomy. The two women who attempt to teach Celie to talk properly believe in speaking white people’s language, but they fail to persuade Celie to do the same thing. Celie’s style of writing dialogues between two people has an effect of verisimilitude and vivid characterization on the reader.

After reading Celie’s letters to “God”, when the reader is introduced to the letters written by Nettie, a contrast in language, style, rhythm as well as in the subject matter can be noticed. Due to a difference in their individual life experiences, Nettie has a good command over her English and writes about a variety of topics such as slavery, women’s position in society, colonialism, and environmentalism.

In the first half of the novel, Celie’s letters are very short. She only mentions her difficulties in the shortest possible way and her letters touch upon topics very briefly. Celie’s letters focus only on what she does, hears, sees, and feels. She narrates the events that occur but fails to comment on them. Over time, her letters grow to include more complex themes and insights. After Nettie and Celie reconnect, Celie’s letters get longer and more detailed. She is happier in her life, and tends to express joy by writing more.¹ Her letters are more elaborate, expressive and embellished. Her vocabulary is increasing, her sentences are getting complicated and she develops an assertive tone. Now, she not only narrates events but also comments, argues and describes her feelings. However, the letters from Nettie are still read through Celie’s eyes.

Throughout the novel, what strikes the reader the most is Celie’s simplicity and naturalness in her way of writing. She pays a lot of attention to the oral sounds of words rather than their actual spellings which emphasizes the truth in her letters. The reader can feel the honesty and truth in Celie’s words while reading it. Her poor language is incredibly powerful and this power forces the reader to empathize with Celie’s situation.

She addresses all her letters to God saying “You better not never tell nobody but God. It’d kill your mammy.”² There is an element of fear in this statement. She thinks that she is not supposed to confide in anybody but God and therefore does not emotionally connect to any other human being. She has faith in God which gives her the strength to carry on in spite of the tormenting misery she feels everyday.

Celie has a very low self-esteem and sense of self worth. She feels very valueless, unimportant and has little self-confidence. So, she turns to God. She also doesn’t sign any of her letters in the beginning. All her letters are very direct and private, like journal entries.

From the novel we learn that it is crucial to express one’s thoughts and feelings in order to develop a sense of self. Initially, Celie has a low self worth and cannot express herself through action or words. When Shug comes into her life, she learns that she can create her own narrative, a new interpretation of herself and her history that counters the interpretations forced upon her.³ Gradually, after constant interactions with Shug and after discovering Nettie’s letters, Celie realizes that she has the capability of creating her own powerful narrative.

Walker, through her novel tells her audience about the importance of words and speech to assert the self and stand up for oneself in order to stop oppression. However, sometimes, such opposition can also be dangerous. For e.g. when Sofia vigourously refuses Miss Millie’s offer to work as her maid, she ends up going to jail because of her use of words.

          On the whole, Walker’s style of writing in this book succeeds in pushing the reader to reflect on the plight of such women like Celie, Nettie, Sofia and Shug who were doubly cursed by being born as a member of the female sex in the Afro-American community. 

CITATIONS:

1.    The Color Purple Analysis. www.shmoop.com. 2008. Web. 27 August 2014.

2.    Alice Walker. The Color Purple. London, Phoenix, 2004. Print.

3.    The Color Purple – Themes, Motifs & Symbols. www.sparknotes.com. 2002. Web. 27 August 2014.

REFERENCES:

1.    Alice Walker. The Color Purple. London, Phoenix, 2004. Print.

2.    The Color Purple Analysis. www.shmoop.com. 2008. Web. 27 August 2014.

3.    The Color Purple – Themes, Motifs & Symbols. www.sparknotes.com. 2002. Web. 27 August 2014.

4.    Pi-Li Hsiao. “Language, Gender, and Power in The Color Purple: Theories and Approaches”. Feng Chia Journal of Humanities and Social Science. 17 (2008): 93-120. Print.