A POETIC POWERHOUSE
By BRADY JONES
@modernangelo
Written in 1982, Alice Walker’s “The Color Purple” is widely considered a modern literary classic. Presented as a series of letters written by the main character, Celie, and her sister Nettie, the novel focuses on many themes surrounding the lives of black women in the south. Set in 1930s Georgia, the book touches on issues of female empowerment and misogyny, racism, domestic violence and sexual assault, gender norms and sexuality, religion, education, and family through the lens of Celie’s evolving perspectives on life. Celie’s life experiences and observations of those around her is contrasted by letters from Nettie, who travels to Africa with some missionaries.
The novel won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Award in 1983. In 1985, it was made into a movie directed by Steven Spielberg and starred Whoopi Goldberg (Celie), Oprah Winfrey (Sofia), and Danny Glover (Mister). The film was nominated for 11 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actress, and twice for Best Supporting Actress, but it failed to win any Oscars. In 2005, it was adapted into a Broadway Musical and was also nominated for 11 Tony Awards, winning only one: Best Leading Actress in a Musical for LaChanze. That production lasted until 2008. A revival debuted in 2015, and it won the Best Revival Tony award in 2016.
“The Color Purple” has ranked 17th on the American Library Associations list of most challenged or banned books, primarily for its language, violence, and homosexuality.
“I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don’t notice it.”
REVIEWS
“What makes Miss Walker's exploration so indelibly affecting is the choice of a narrative style that, without the intrusion of the author, forces intimate identification with the heroine.”
Mel Watkins, The New York Times
“Walker has not turned her back on the Southern fictional tradition. She has absorbed it and made it her own. By infusing the black experience into the Southern novel, she enriches both it and us.”
The Nation
* GRAPHIC CONTENT *
From plot debriefs to key motifs, Thug Notes' summary and analysis has you covered with themes, symbols, important quotes, and more.
Oprah shares how she overcame immense disappointment to then be cast in “The Color Purple.”
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Alice Walker talks about the lasting impact of her novel, "The Color Purple."
AWARDS
Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (1983)
National Book Award for Fiction (1983)
National Book Critics Circle Award Nominee for Fiction (1982)
Townsend Prize for Fiction (1984)