The Color Purple Letters 44 - 60
Sofia voices her grievances about the regressive nature of the mayor’s family. She narrates an incident to highlight their backwardness: Miss Millie, after much insistence, convinced her husband to purchase a car for her, but he declined to instruct her on how to drive it. Eventually, Sofia was requested by Miss Millie to teach her driving, which she did, achieving some degree of success. As a Christmas gesture, Miss Millie offered to drive Sofia to her children, whom she hadn’t seen in half a decade. Miss Millie assured Sofia that she could spend the entire day with her children. However, just a few moments into the visit, Miss Millie attempted to drive back to town but found herself stuck in the driveway, unable to maneuver the car in reverse. Annoyed that she had damaged the car’s gears, Miss Millie declined Sofia’s brother-in-law’s offer to drive her to town, stating she couldn’t ride in a car “with a strange colored man.” Miss Millie insisted that Sofia drive her home, despite Sofia only having a brief fifteen-minute reunion with her children. Whenever Sofia brings up this incident, Miss Millie labels her as “ungrateful.”
Shug pens a letter revealing a significant surprise, which is her new spouse, Grady. Grady’s ostentatious spending of Shug’s wealth irks Celie. Celie and Mr. ______ feel a sense of exclusion as the person they deeply care for has returned with another man. During the Christmas festivities, Grady and Mr. ______ indulge in drinks while Shug and Celie share quality time. Shug’s career in singing has seen a swift rise, and she is acquainted with numerous renowned musicians. Shug inquires about the progress of their relationship, to which Celie responds with a lack of improvement, leading her to believe she remains a virgin. Shug shares Celie’s bed, where they engage in intimate sisterly discussions. Celie eventually confides in Shug, narrating her life’s journey. It’s the first instance of Celie opening up about the abuse from her stepfather, her silence, her pregnancies, and Nettie’s disappearance. As Celie concludes her narrative, she is overcome with emotion, and Shug expresses her love for Celie.
In the quiet of the night, Shug inquires Celie about Nettie, for apart from Shug, Nettie is the sole soul Celie has truly cherished. Celie expresses her dread that Nettie might be no more, given the absence of any letters from her. Shug reveals her observations of Mr. ______ clandestinely retrieving enigmatic letters from the mailbox and secreting them in his coat. A week hence, Shug manages to procure one such recent letter adorned with African stamps. The letter is a missive from Nettie. Nettie reassures that she is in good health and has been consistently sending letters. Aware of Mr. ______'s nature, she presumes that Celie hasn’t received any of them.
Celie comes to the understanding that Mr. ______ must be hoarding all of Nettie’s correspondences in his secured chest. Shug procures the key, and the duo pry open the chest one solitary night when they are the only ones at home. Within, they discover a multitude of letters from Nettie, some unsealed, others yet to be opened. Shug and Celie gently unseal the closed letters and replace the void envelopes in the chest. Shug assists Celie in arranging the letters in a chronological sequence. Overwhelmed with emotions and grappling with unfamiliar terms, Celie manages to read merely the initial seven letters before Grady and Mr. ______ make their return.
Celie discovers that when Nettie initially departed from Mr. ______‘s residence years prior, he pursued her and attempted to assault her. As Nettie resisted, Mr. ______ damned her, declaring she would never hear from Celie again. It emerges that the woman Celie encountered in the fabric store years ago, whose daughter bore a striking resemblance to Celie’s own, is called Corrine. Nettie forged a friendship with Corrine and her spouse, Samuel, who were part of a Christian ministry intending to embark on a missionary journey to Africa. Nettie cultivated a voracious thirst for knowledge, and after perusing all of Samuel and Corrine’s books on African history, resolved to join them in Africa to aid in establishing their missionary school. Nettie also discovered that Samuel and Corrine’s children, Olivia and Adam, are indeed Celie’s lost offspring. Nettie journeyed to New York and was awestruck by the black society in Harlem, where emancipated blacks possess opulent residences. Nettie then traversed the Atlantic by ship, making stops initially in Senegal, then Liberia, and finally a tiny village where she is engaged in missionary work. Nettie pens that she is astounded by the wealth of African culture and the deep hue of the native Africans’ skin.
Celie is almost consumed by fury when the realization dawns on her that Mr. ______ has been concealing Nettie’s letters from her. She is engulfed by a sense of sickness and numbness, coupled with a potent urge to murder Mr. ______. In an attempt to maintain tranquility, Shug regales Celie with extensive tales of her past encounters with Mr. ______, who was once a lively, attractive young man who brought immense joy to Shug. However, Celie continues to exist in her realm, devoid of fear for Mr. ______ and even indifferent to Shug.
Analysis
Shug’s attentive listening allows Celie to express her emotional turmoil, transforming her from a stoic figure to a woman capable of tears. Despite the sorrow of her life story, Celie finds hope in her blossoming relationship with Shug, who serves as both a role model and a mirror for Celie. Their mutual influence leads to a reciprocal transformation, with Celie’s love softening Shug and Celie herself becoming more assertive.
Their relationship, centered on storytelling, breaks Celie’s silence. Nettie’s letters, once suppressed, are discovered, giving Celie independence and strength. Nettie’s experiences, from her African village to prosperous Harlem, broaden Celie’s worldview, linking her oppression to wider themes of domination and exploitation. Nettie’s exposure to independent blacks in Harlem empowers Celie, hinting at her future economic independence, and bringing the concept of black prosperity into Celie’s consciousness.
