The Color Purple, by Alice Walker, is a very spiritual novel that shows the lives of two sisters, Celie and Nettie. Celie sees god as somebody to talk to whereas Nettie thinks god can help people and make their lives better. Celie doesn’t really like men, while Nettie thinks marriage is sacred. They might have different views on important subjects, but they are still so close together.
When it comes to spirituality the sisters are two different people. Celie uses god as just a person to talk to because she feels nobody else will listen. She asks god for help on page 3 which is significant because she doesn’t really believe in god. She even says so later in the book. On page 192 she tells Nettie how she doesn’t write to god any more, and how she writes to her first. She writes to Nettie now because she has tried to get help from god before, but nothing ever helped her. Also on page 192 she says “What god do for me?” This proves she doesn’t believe any more because if she did she would still pray to god. Because Celie doesn’t believe in god she sort of feels bad about it. When she goes out in public she acts like she still believes and is faithful, but deep down she is scared to tell anyone. I know where she is coming from because when I was in third grade I said I didn’t believe in god. All of the kids in my class would say things like ‘you’re going to hell’ or ‘what is wrong with you. Of course he is real’. Overall I was sort of an outcast the rest of that year because I had different beliefs. Celie has every right to tell people what she believes in, and she shouldn’t be shunned for it.
Nettie definitely will always believe in god because she is a very faithful character. She even lived in Africa to help build schools and teach kids religion. Nettie is a missionary in Africa which means she has a strong belief in god. On page 133 she says “And now god send me to watch over them”. This shows that she will listen to god and believe. Since Nettie is a missionary in Africa she feels as if it is her duty to help convert people to a higher power. Nettie seems to be open to all ideas and except them, but she will always stay true to hers. Nettie is a very free spirit, but manages to stay grounded. The two sisters are two very different people when it comes to religion, but they still manage to get along.
Gender equality is a very big problem between them two. When it comes to Celie she hates men and doesn’t like them. Celie just listens to her husband and does everything he says, and just tries to get it out of the way. This happens during many pages of the book, but mainly in the beginning. When Albert tells her to clean the dishes or wash the dishes she just says okay and goes to work. It is almost like she is a slave to her husband. Nettie doesn’t like to deal with the problems of men. On page 5 Celie says, ‘I may have got something in my eye but I didn’t wink. I don’t even look at mens. That’s the truth. I look at women. Celie is a very sheltered person and doesn’t let anybody in, unless they are really close to her. Because she is so introverted she is more likely to listen to people who are bigger and stronger than her. Sometimes during the story it feels like she almost likes doing work for Albert. This really comes out in the movie when she is helping Albert get ready to go out. He is struggling to find his clothing and all of his necessities, and she knows where everything is. As she gets his stuff she has a little smirk on her face that shows that she finds the whole situation funny.
Nettie is an almost exact opposite of Celie because she likes men and believes that they should be equal. This is shown very brightly when she marries Samuel. Even though Nettie believes in equality the women in her village are not able to do all of the things men can. For example the village women are not allowed to go to school. This is weird to me because if she is so pro women’s rights, why does she not fight to get equal. If she started a group with the other women of the tribe I’m sure that she would be able to make some sort of difference. Nettie is a very confident person and I’m sure her brightness would shine through.
Nettie and Celie are two completely different people, and it amazes me that they are so close. Celie doesn’t believe in god, and Nettie does. Nettie likes men, and Celie doesn’t. it seems as if they barely ever argue with each other. I feel like the same thing happens with my brother, except we don’t always get along. I hope that one day everyone will get along despite their differences.
