In the novel, The Color Purple by Alice Walker portrays the lives of two sisters who have difficulties throughout their life. The book is narrated by the main character named Celie where she writes letter to god throughout most part of the story. Later on, she starts writing letter to Nettie who was her sister in Africa being a missionary. The story starts when Celie is being sexually abuse by her pa and had made two children with her pa. Her children have to leave her after they were born. Later,Celie was married to a guy named Mr___ where she gets beaten and abuse.Celie and Nettie are growing up with differences base on separation and their living styles. They have their differences towards religion, education, and personalities, but they are sisters..
Celie believes god is a human. When Shug asks her to describe what she thinks god looks like, she realizes she’s never thought about it much before. “He big and old and tall and gray bearded and white. God wrote the bible, white folks had nothing to do with it.” (195) Celie believes that god is the color white but god is unlike the white folks. Celie thinks god is her guidance to a place where she can be free. She thinks she is hopeless without god. She never thought about how god looks like because she doesn’t care since she knows god is always by her side no matter what. She finds that god had always been inside her heart and she doesn’t have to know how god looks like. Celie gives readers to think of why Celie thinks god is white and not her skin color.
Although Celie and Nettie believes in god, Nettie doesn’t depend on god as much as Celie. Nettie is a missionary in Africa. She tries to help people in Africa how to speak English and go through hard times.“ Joseph said no, that I was a missionary just like Samuel and Corrine.” (129) Nettie turns to be a missionary who tries to help African people to convert to Christianity. Nettie doesn’t go to church like Celie but instead she tries to convert people. Nettie is not like Celie since there was no evidence that Nettie believed god is her guidance and only Celie said that.
Celie is not as educated much as Nettie. Nettie is able to go to school but Celie can not.“ I know I’m not as pretty or as smart as Nettie, but she say I ain’t dumb.” (9) Celie shows confidence in herself that she’s not dumb. Celie wasn’t as educated as much as Nettie. Celie wasn’t able to go to school after her dad say she’s too dumb to go to school. Although Nettie is smarter, Celie knows that she’s not dumb neither. They both have their differences in education and it is hard to answer who should have good education. There is inequality not only based on gender but by smartness.
Celie and Nettie both have differences toward their personalities. Celie does not know how to stand up for herself while Nettie actually stands up for herself and for Celie too. “ I don’t fight, I stay where I’m told. But I’m alive.” (22) Celie can’t stand up for herself. She was scared that she will get hurt. She does not want to get hurt. She fear that she won’t be able to survive. Celie thinks the best way to stay alive is to listen to what people tell her to do. Celie had enough of always being beaten, so she learns that the best way to save herself is to not fight back and just enjoy the rest of her life.
Nettie is different from Celie because she knows how to stand up for herself. She tries herself to defend for herself or even Celie. “But Pa, Nettie say, Crying, Celie smart too.” (9)Nettie is able to stand up for Celie when their pa told Celie that she isn’t smart. Celie does not give out a word about how she feels when her pa called her dumb. Celie tries to pretend that she does not care about what her pa said about her. But inside her heart is hurt that she is told the dumb one. Instead, Nettie is able to tell their pa that Celie is smart and stand up for Celie. But what can Celie do, she just keep it quiet.
Nettie and Celie have more differences than similarities and that makes them to be themselves. Celie is not as educated as Nettie or can stand up like Nettie, but Celie have confidence in herself. Their personalities are different, but the personalities identifies them as who they are. Throughout this book, the two sisters have gone through many hard times and they try their best to survive. They may have many differences in life, but they understand each other really well.
