The Color Purple

The beginning of the passage we read, you can tell that Celie definitely has some hostility towards God. She finally stopped writing to God because she figured he isn’t doing anything to help her with her problems. When her friend Shug pointed out that God helped bring all of the things she loved into this world, Celie was quick to point out that he also brought an awful step dad and a sister she probably won’t ever see again. She doesn’t feel like God has been all that useful in her life. She then goes on to complain about why people go to church. No one has ever actually found God in church so to her it doesn’t make sense to go. The negativity from Celie continues. She goes on to talk about how onceshe found out that God was a white man, she lost all interest in him. She didn’t understand how that white man would be any different from any other white man she has encountered. None of them pay any attention to the black people, so why should she be talking to him under her breath asking for help? She knows what the results will be. Finally, towards the end of the passage, we start to see Celie’s opinion on God change. Shug tells her to imagine God as It, not a man or a woman. Then she starts talking about God loves everything he has created, from feelings, all the way to the color purple, and he wants people to be able to enjoy everything around them. She starts thinking about all of the wonderful things God has made, especially in nature, and at the end of the passage, we feel a sense of peace coming from Celie. There is still some hostility coming from Celie because she still can’t get the white man image out of her head, but at least she is able to admit that because of this image she hasn’t been able to notice all the wonders God put on this earth.