The Color Purple Quotes Analysis

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Pakistani writer Mohsin Hamid once said, “Empathy is about finding echoes of another person in yourself” (Brainy Quote). Hamid is implying that this quote means the reason humans feel empathy for others is when they can relate to that person in some way. In The Color Purple, Shug is shown to have had empathy for Celie after seeing how terrible Mister treats her and hearing about Celie’s troubled and abusive past. This empathy lead Shug to take in Celie and protect her from Mister before eventually revealing her love for Celie. At one point the pair even absconded to live together in Tennessee after acknowledging the feelings they had for each other. Their relationship affected Celie in an extremely positive ways: by her initial coming to live …show more content…

This love took all forms whether physical, emotional, or even unspoken. From the second Celie laid eyes on Shug, she felt some sort of attraction. Celie wrote about this in her letters saying, “First time I got the full sight of Shug Avery long black body with it black plum nipples, look like her mouth, I thought I had turned into a man.” (Walker 49). The culmination of this love was revealed late one night while the men were away from home. Celie and Shug talked about their lives and husbands and after a very emotional discussion they realized their mutual infatuation had sex. This was the start of a love between the two that culminated in them ultimately absconding together and going to Tennessee where they lived together. During their time in Tennessee, Celie occupied her time by making pants. The pants were a symbol of freedom and individuality that allowed her to escape the conformity of the typical low level class of a woman at that time. Celie also took great joy in making pants and would often spend hours a day making them. She told of how many she made, “I sit in the dining room making pants after pants. I got pants now in every color and size under the sun.” (Walker 211). Shug and Celie loved each other greatly and made many memories together during their time living …show more content…

Celie went through an amazing transformation throughout the course of the story and nobody played a larger part in this transformation than Shug. She helped Celie to realize her full potential as a person, and she aided her in overcoming her greatest fears and obstacles in life. Without Shug, Celie may have never seen Nettie again and would have been miserable for the entirety of her life. Celie learned that she was able to stand up for herself even against a man. Shug taught her that it was okay to love someone even if it was not considered to be “normal”. Most of all, without Shug, Celie would have never been reunited with her beloved sister Nettie. The Color Purple is a tale of epic proportion and is beautiful, tear-jerking, passionate, and suspenseful. Even after all of the abuse that Celie received and after all of the struggles that she faced, she found it in her heart to forgive and move on. Her life was truly remarkable, and she was a brave woman who defied the odds in a time of division and hatred. The love that was shared between Celie and Shug was extraordinary and went against all customs of the time period. This love helped both Shug and Celie to be better people and also aided in reforming other characters such as Mister and Harpo. After realizing the love between Shug and Celie and learning that they were both leaving

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