‘The Color Purple’ is a coming-of-age drama written by Menno Meyjes and directed by Steven Spielberg. The drama explores how African American women live in a world of racism and sexism. Additionally, the film revolves around the life of Celie, the hardships and struggles she has to endure, and the role of the relationship she has with her sister Nettie and friend Shug (Leclair, 2020). It follows her coming of age, marriage, and self-discovery amidst the abuse and neglect; she perseveres. Shug is an ailing blues music star and a former mistress to Mr. Albert. Celie is forced to take care of her and does it willingly because she adores the star (Leclair, 2020). However, Shug despises Celie at first but later begins to like her, which signifies the beginning of their relationship. Despite a clear distinction between Shug and Celie, they share a striking resemblance in reciprocating kindness and loyalty and the ability to speak their mind and stand up for their beliefs.
Celie and Shug share the same perception of reciprocating kindness as their relationship flourishes. When Celie is tasked with the responsibility of nursing Shug, she does the work joyfully. She adores Shug and is happy to help her in any way she can (Leclair, 2020). The kindness that Celie shows Shug causes her to have a change of heart and thus begins to like her even though she despised her before. Shug engages in conversations with Celie to return the kindness and even advises her about life. Mr. Albert expresses his observation: “He loves looking at Shug, I love looking at Shug. But Shug does not love looking at but one of us. Him.” (Walker,1982, p. 74).). She volunteers to educate Celie on having a good marriage and sex life after discovering that Celie has never enjoyed either of these two. This plays a significant role in ensuring their relationship flourishes since they hold similar values.
Celie experiences kindness from Shug Avery, and this contributes to her fondness. Initially, Celie had only met Shug by seeing her in a photograph, but now she was taking care of her while interacting. Additionally, she was kind and easy to engage with, making Celie fonder of her. “Shug halfway tween sick and well. Halfway tween good and evil, too. Most days now she shows me and Mr X her good side.”(Walker, 1982, p. 60). Celie says that despite her personality and temperament, Shug tries to be kind to her as a sign of appreciation for taking care of her. The relationship between these two characters is based on their similarities in kindness and loyalty. As such, this led to the flourishing of their relations since they tried to pay back the deeds they were accorded.
After showing kindness to one another, Celie and Shug show loyalty by helping each other to stand up for themselves. Celie displays allegiance to Shug, she adored celebrity, by agreeing to take care of her when no one would: “You don’t want her here, just say so, he say. Won’t do good. But if that the way you feel… He don’t finish. I want her here, I say, too quick” (Walker, 1982, pp. 51-52). When Shug was brought to her home, Mr. Albert was unsure whether Celie would agree to take care of her; however, he was surprised when Celie accepted the responsibility without hesitation. Shug returns the favor by rescheduling her plans after Celie tells her that Mr. Albert always beats her. Shug assures Celie, “I won’t leave, she says, until I know Albert won’t even think about beating you” (Walker, 1982, p. 77). As such, Shug extends her stay to ensure Mr. Albert stops beating Celie. These two characters try to protect each other throughout the show, demonstrating their appreciation for kindness and loyalty to each other.
Through their relationship, both Celie and Shug have grown to value their independence and ability to stand up on their feet and defend their opinions. Throughout the film, Shug portrays the character of a self-driven woman who can successfully support herself and achieve her goals (Leclair, 2020). She is fascinated by people with skills who can advocate for their opinions without fear. Shug is curious about Mr. Albert’s wife: “She a tall or short? Shug ast. What kind of dress she likes to wear? What her birthday? What her favourite colour? Can she cook? Sew? What about hair?” (Walker, 1982, p. 67). Shug asks these questions to get a clear picture of the woman. She enquires about the skills she possesses to evaluate her quality and importance. Shug asks Albert about Celie and what she can do, and upon learning that she has no skills, she begins to despise her.
Celie feels liberated after she learns how to sew and thus becomes a confident woman. Possessing the sewing skill means she does not have to depend on Mr. Albert for support and provisions since that gives him power over her. She feels liberated because she can secure a job using her skills. Celie proceeded to express her feeling regarding her recent achievements: “I am so happy. I got love, I got work, I got money, friends and time.” (Walker, 1982, p. 105). Through her relationship with Shug, Celie learns the importance of being independent, which can only be achieved if one has a skill one can use to get money. When she can sew, she becomes happy because she understands that she has achieved her freedom from Mr. Albert. Additionally, she is happy since she is in love with Shug and her sister is safe (Leclair, 2020). For both women, being independent is an essential and liberating feature. Furthermore, it is a character trait that mirrors society and the efforts of women toward attaining liberation.
The drama ‘The Purple Color’ elaborates on the struggles and challenges women of color endure in a world characterized by sexism and racism. Women are often subjected to abuse from childhood and even through their marriages. The film’s protagonist, Celie is no different; she endures suffering and mistreatment by her abusive husband. However, this changes after meeting Shug, a blues singer whom she adores, and they become close. Shug is a sultry mistress to Mr. Albert. Even though Shug does not like Celie at first, she begins to like hers over time. These two characters, though different, have similar perceptions of kindness and loyalty. Their relationship is built on the need to reciprocate the deeds that they do for each other. Celie’s loyalty allows her to accept the responsibility of nursing Shug; consequently, she pays back the by staying longer to ensure Mr. Albert stops beating Celie. Celie learns to sew and thus secures a job, giving her freedom.
References
Leclair, C. (2020). The Color Purple film and discussion – Chloé Leclair. The University of San Diego. Web.
Walker, A. (1982). The color is purple. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.