Book Review: The Color Purple by Alice Walker

 Written by Safa Alhassan 

Tell me, do you ever dim your light? Crouch, shrink, or make yourself smaller just a tiny, weeny bit to accommodate someone else? To massage their ego, to make them feel like they are more than what they are? Do you feel undeserving of good things or maybe even anything at all? Have you been scorned, ignored, belittled? What's that small voice whispering to you that you will never be good enough? Do you feel forgotten, ugly and unworthy? Do you ever catch yourself relating with someone who doesn't think of themselves as anything or anybody like they are not even worth being noticed, acknowledged, or spit on? Someone who has been convinced they do not deserve to be called a person? If you have, then read about Celie in The Color Purple.

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"Why any woman gives a shit what people think is a mystery to me."

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Celie is the very definition of someone who was made to believe she was nothing. From her childhood, she's been taught to shrink, to disappear. Her own stepfather, the man she's supposed to look up to for protection, rapes her repeatedly and tells her she is ugly, poor, worthless, she is black, a woman, and that, in his eyes, is the lowest of the low. Her entire existence is based on surviving the blows of a world designed to crush her spirit, her soul, her very being. But this is what I want you to ask yourself: How many times have you shrunk in the face of someone else's idea of you? Maybe it's not as dramatic as Celie's story, maybe its that subtle, everyday shrinking we do without even realizing it. You find yourself sitting on the sidelines, letting someone else take the spotlight because, somehow, you've internalized the idea that you're not worthy of that space. You dim your brilliance just so someone else can feel good about themselves. And the worst part? You might not even notice when you're doing it.

How do I even start with this book? Normally, when I love a book, I’m at a loss for words, not because I can’t find any, but because I internalize the experience so much that it takes a while for me to process it. This was one of those books. I read it cover to cover, hardly stopping, and by the end, I was emotionally spent. And as expected, it’s taken me time to get over it. I’m still not fully “over it” yet. I doubt I ever will be.

Alice Walker's The Color Purple is a force, and I can tell you right now, no matter what you've heard about it, you are not ready for what this book is about to do to your emotions. Let me take you back to the cold harmattan night when I picked it up, sitting in the stillness of the evening, and bam, I was thrown into the world of Celie. Right there and then, I knew this book was not about to let me go.

It's a story of Celie, a young black girl in the deep South, told through letters initially to God, and then to her sister, Nettie. Celie’s journey is full of unimaginable pain and loss, but it's also a story of standing up again, of defiance, and finally, empowerment. It’s a story of abuse, misogyny, racism, and the oppressive weight of patriarchy. But above all, it’s a tale of resilience and survival, an ode to womanhood and blackness. Celie's story is one of pain, betrayal, resilience, and, ultimately, survival. From being raped repeatedly, to bearing her father's children, and then being married off to another brute, Mr. Celie faces every unimaginable cruelty. I don't think there's any way to describe the weight of her suffering, except to say, nobody deserves to be treated that way.

Her spirit is crushed, and yet, she survives. Celie, who’s never known love, is shown kindness and understanding by Shug Avery, the woman everyone labels loose and immoral. This unexpected friendship is her salvation, her source of strength. Celie did not realize how much she had dimmed herself until Shug Avery entered her life. It took another woman; strong, unapologetic, confident to teach her that she did'nt have to live in the shadows. Shug taught Celie that her worth did not come from the opinions of men or the violent circumstances she found herself in. Shug made her see that she was more than the labels slapped on her: poor, black, woman. And i feel like even in our reality today, it is what we all need sometimes. A reminder, a push or even a shove to take up the space we deserve. But let me ask you again: Do you crouch? Do you make yourself smaller to fit into spaces that do not deserve you? If you do, I beg you to stop. Because what happens when you stop shrinking is incredible. When Celie finally stood up to Mr., after years of abuse and neglect, after he had hidden letters from her beloved sister Nettie, after he had made her feel like nothing, constantly hitting her unprovocked, belittling and mocking her, she cursed him. It was one of the most powerful scenes in the book.

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"I curse you, I say.

What that mean? he say.

I say, Until you do right by me, everything you touch will crumble.

He laugh. Who you think you is? he say. You can’t curse nobody. Look at you. You black, you pore, you ugly, you a woman.

Goddam, he say, you nothing at all.

Until you do right by me, I say, everything you even dream about will fail. I give it to him straight, just like it come to me.

And it seem to come to me from the trees.

Whoever heard of such a thing, say Mr. ____. I probably didn’t whup your ass enough.

Every lick you hit me you will suffer twice, I say. Then I say, You better stop talking because all I’m telling you ain’t coming

just from me. Look like when I open my mouth the air rush in and shape words.

Shit, he say. I should have lock you up. Just let you out to work.

The jail you plan for me is the one in which you will rot, I say."

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One of the standout features of the novel is its language. Alice Walker writes in the uneducated dialect of the South, using Celie’s voice, unpolished and raw, to tell the story. It’s irregular, rough, but it pulls you in and it makes the experience and the book feel the more real. You will feel Celie’s pain, her anger, and eventually, her triumph. The book is not polished or pretty. It is  very raw, very direct and that’s exactly what makes it hit so hard. Celie’s voice is authentic, vulnerable, and as you read, you start to see her grow and change, to find herself in the face of all the abuse and suffering she endures. 

Then there's also Sofia, Harpo's wife and Albert's (Mr-) daughter in-law. Sofia’s story shows how deep racism and the inhumane treatment of black women are in society. Sofia is a strong black woman who stood up to her husband Harpo, had her life completely turned upside down for refusing to be a maid to a White man. She was jailed, beaten, humiliated, and reduced in every way possible. It’s like her strength and her refusal to bow was a threat and a challenge to the foundation of the system. And that's where the deeper message lies.

It’s as if the strength of a woman is limited, as though society demands that we shrink ourselves, endure the worst of what the world throws at us, and still keep moving. Sofia’s story shows the brutal reality: that being a woman, especially a black woman, often feels like a constant fight for survival. Every single woman in The Color Purple fought for the right to simply be, to exist in a world that didn't want to give them that space. The disrespect, the violence, the suffering all of it was an attempt to strip them of their humanity. But even in the face of this cruelty, these women found ways to reclaim their voices, their power, and their dignity. Racism in the book isn't just about being Black; it's about being less than, in the eyes of the world. 

In this book, Alice Walker shows us that a woman’s life is a series of battles not just with others but with herself, her pain, and her trauma. We see the journey from enduring to surviving and then, eventually, to winning. The women in this story: Sofia, Celie, Nettie, Shug Avery, Squeak and the others represent empowerment in its rawest form. They remind us that no matter how hard life gets, we have the strength to rise. Yes, being a woman is hard, and yes, the world can be unspeakably cruel, but the victory of these women lies in their endurance, in their refusal to give up on their right to live fully and freely.

Celie represents countless women who have been diminished, belittled, and broken. The beauty of The Color Purple isn’t just in its plot but in its unique and genuine portrayal of black women’s experiences. It’s about identity; what it means to be black, to be a woman and to be both. Through her, we see the layers of sexism, the deep wounds of slavery, and the challenges of defining identity when you’re not accepted by anyone, not Africans, nor Americans. It holds up a mirror to society, reflecting the raw and brutal reality of black womanhood.

The book also touches on the way African-Americans, whose ancestors were sold into slavery, don’t feel accepted as true Africans by those on the continent. It raises questions about identity, belonging, and culture, and it forces you to think about how history has shaped the way black people see themselves and how they’re seen by others.

Alice Walker is an icon and this book proves why. She won the Pulitzer Prize for this, and rightly so. It is a masterpiece. I highly recommend it to young girls, women, anyone who’s ever felt like they didn’t belong or that their voice didn’t matter. You’ll cry, you’ll feel, you'll reflect and you’ll come out the other side changed.

Also, for anyone interested in adaptations, it was made into a musical film in 2023. Honestly, i didn't like it and I've never been a fan of musicals, they annoy me. The movie felt rushed and didn’t capture the depth of the book, though the casting was excellent, especially Fantasia as Celie. But nothing compares to reading this masterpiece, trust me.

It’s a heavy read, no doubt. It took me days to fully process what I had read. The themes of rape, violence, and degradation are hard to stomach. It's very intense, very emotional. You’re not the same person after you read The Color Purple. And that’s the mark of truly great literature. If you’ve never read The Color Purple, you're missing out on an essential part of black literary history. It’s the best book I’ve read this year, and I would recommend it to every young woman. It reminds you that even in the deepest pit of despair, you can rise. You can survive. And you can thrive.

So I'll say, do not make yourself smaller for anyone. Don't live in the shadow of somebody else's ego. Don’t accommodate their need for validation by shrinking yourself down to nothing. Stand tall! Take up space. The moment you stop crouching, the moment you embrace your full self, you'll realize just how much power you’ve been holding back. Read The Color Purple. It will remind you that you're more than what anyone says you are. You're more than the box they’ve tried to fit you in. You're worthy of being seen, being heard, and taking up every bit of space you were born for.