The Color Purple shocked me – at first. What with all the vulgarity from the get-go, the language put me off balance, making it uncomfortable to read (especially with Mr. Macknight narrating for the class). Also, the grammar/vocabulary was exceptionally terrible. I understood that it was attempt at embodying a less-educated, black woman of the earlier 1900’s – and a good attempt – but it took some getting used to. After adjustments and bracing took place, reading The Color Purple became easy.
I’d first like to point out and discuss the boldness of the novel. Now, by “bold” I mean “holy heck, I was not expecting that, and I kind of wish I wasn’t shown that, but now that I’ve seen it I guess I can also find some truth in it.” I felt The Color Purple’s bold voice as soon as Mr. Macknight started the first letter to God. My stomach shrunk inward, my breathing grew rather stifled, and I could feel the blood rushing to my face (also a side/main effect of our school lunches). To be perfectly honest, I do vouch for women’s rights and I am very aware of the cruelties of man throughout history, but learning the facts as history is different from hearing them through a story and a victimized character. Reading through Celie just made it all the more real and unsettling. Automatically, I was put in a position of sympathy for Celie and shame for my gender. It was humbling though. Saddening.
The relationships confused me though. Greatly. Simply all the cheating and infidelities, they were met by responses that were… not enough? It was strange to see the calmness of Harpo towards Sofia’s new man, and of Celie towards Shug’s sudden appearance. Not to say that Celie actually had any feelings for Mr. ___, but she treated it quite well and adored Shug instead. While she was having sex with Mr. ___. More confusing bits circled around the incident of Sofia’s arrest. Sofia punches Squeak and leaves in a huff with her man, only to be arrested soon after. Immediately, Squeak decides to take care of Sofia’s children, showing almost zero remorse towards Sofia, at all. She even goes as far as to visit her uncle, the warden, to help Sofia, and ends up getting raped. All for Sofia. It was extremely awkward to read and rather unbelievable. And also Buster’s strange tendency to just stick around waiting for Sofia was not expected. I guess what I’m trying to say is that the Color Purple has a world with alien values and expectations to me; alien not only in that I have never experienced them, but never fathomed them either.
Still, with that single “complaint”, I’d have to say that it was a good novel. Good because it touched real close to home on a tragic, real-life scale. Good because it expressed in such interesting and powerful ways. Good because, hey, it wasn’t about snobby rich women looking for adventure and eventually getting themselves killed. Straight up, Mr. Macknight. Straight up.
It’s cool that Mr. Macknight put a ‘Like’ option lol
“To be perfectly honest, I do vouch for women’s rights…”
That was not very apparent when you told me to “pass the damn Sprite, woman” and “get back in the kitchen”.
Chi, Chi, Chi. Do you really think it’s fair to judge Kevin by his behaviour rather than his intentions?
Kevin is a man of very mixed messages, Mr Macknight.
I’d opt to insert that annoying quote by Mr. Whitman, but yall get my point.
teasing women and siding with women are two, completely different things!