Contrasting Lives 2

The lives of Celie and Nettie took two very different turns in this novel. From early in the novel, Nettie is labeled as the pretty and smart sister, while Celie is seen, in comparison, as dumb and ugly. Celie is bound to a loveless marriage, where she is often mistreated and verbally abused; while Nettie is taken in by a loving family and sets out on the adventure of a lifetime, going as a missionary to Africa. However, through all of this, Nettie never forgets her sister at home, and the sacrifices Celie made for her own freedom. Celie is a dedicated wife, cleaning and cooking, carrying for the children, looking after their home, and even working in the fields when her husband is too lazy to do it. She endures hardship after painful hardship, and through it all, remains faithful. Nettie also demonstrates this "faithfulness" in her work in Ethiopia. She is often looked down on for not having a family of her own, for being a single missionary woman with no husband or children. She continues her work there until she eventually finds happiness of her own when after loving and caring for Corrine until her death, she marries Samuel. In Samuel, Nettie finds happiness beyond anything she could have ever imagined. In Shug (a woman!) Celie finds that for the first time in her life, she is in love. These two women are so incredibly different, and yet the same in their dedication to what they have found to live for.