Religion, God, and How They Change in The Color Purple

The Color Purple is written from Celie’s unique perspective, in letters addressed to God (for the most part). From the very beginning, it is clear that Celie’s relationship with God is not necessarily a loving, devoted one. The letters are written like journal entries, not prayers.

Writing to God gives Celie some direction. I don’t believe if she wrote simply journal entries, she would be getting the same amount of fulfillment out of it. She has to write to something rather than just write because she is so alone. At the very beginning, Celie is separated from her sister Nettie, and it is the biggest source of her pain throughout the novel. She is forced to marry, separated from Nettie, her father, and her children. The book takes place over such a long span of time it seems as if she’ll never see any of these characters in person again. So if she doesn’t have family, the only source of consistency in her life has to be God. She has nobody else to share her thoughts, feelings, and struggles with.

A major turning point in the book, however, is when Celie no longer writes to God, but writes to Nettie instead. It is implied that Celie doesn’t send these letters, likely because she doesn’t know Nettie’s exact location. Celie discusses God with Shug at this point in the book, who makes her look at God and religion differently: “Don’t look like nothing, she say. It ain’t a picture show. It ain’t something you can look at apart from anything else, including yourself. I believe God is everything, say Shug. Everything that is or ever was or ever will be. And when you can feel that, and be happy to feel that, you’ve found it,” (Walker 195).

From this moment on, Celie is much more spiritual even though she is no longer writing letters to God. Seeing Him as an “It” rather than as a “Him” made all the difference. The pressure she used to feel from religion changed to freedom; Shug’s character causes this shift from restriction to freedom multiple times for Celie in the book.

The last letter Celie writes is addressed to God; not only God, but also the stars, trees, sky, peoples, and everything (Walker 285). The moment she writes of is the one she’s always been waiting for. It is the perfect ending, and the only letter to God that is a prayer, beginning with “Thank you” and truly showing her character development.

Walker, Alice. The Color Purple. London: Women's Press, 1992. Print.