The different family dynamics in The Color Purple fascinated me. The family unit doesn’t seem to carry much weight in the book; sexual partners changed often; children were left with other people to care for them without so much as a tear from their parents. Deceit and incest also came into the picture in Celie and Nettie’s father/stepfather. It just seemed strange to me. The book almost makes it seem like family doesn’t matter, like a person can choose when to be a part of a family and when not to. But then there is the contrast of Nettie and Celie’s relationship. Those two characters share such a tight bond that lasts through years of separation and no communication. They remain sisters through all of the hard times; they never give up on each other. The happiest part of the book is when Celie and Nettie are finally reunited after being apart for so long. So rather than showing that family means nothing in The Color Purple, Alice Walker demonstrates different ends of the family relationship spectrum by showing detached, dysfunctional family relationships and very close family bonds.
I was wondering about the relationship between Celie and Nettie and why they were so close and why they held onto one another so tightly. I think about my little sister and I. When we were small, we never truly understood the importance of each other, family relationships, or of bonding. We simply were playmates that fought every once in a while. Celie and Nettie were small when they were separated. Celie is a teenager when she is forced to leave her family's house. The relationship between the two sisters would have been more of a mother/daughter than sisterly.
Considering all the issues and setback that occurred throughout their lives, I would have thought that Celie and Nettie would have given up hope. Like foster children. Separated forever. However, a resounding point rings true: difficulties generally bring people closer and make their relationships that much stronger. Especially family. They were all that they had left in this world of cruelty. They were eachother's familiarity.
The different family dynamics in The Color Purple fascinated me. The family unit doesn’t seem to carry much weight in the book; sexual partners changed often; children were left with other people to care for them without so much as a tear from their parents. Deceit and incest also came into the picture in Celie and Nettie’s father/stepfather. It just seemed strange to me. The book almost makes it seem like family doesn’t matter, like a person can choose when to be a part of a family and when not to. But then there is the contrast of Nettie and Celie’s relationship. Those two characters share such a tight bond that lasts through years of separation and no communication. They remain sisters through all of the hard times; they never give up on each other. The happiest part of the book is when Celie and Nettie are finally reunited after being apart for so long. So rather than showing that family means nothing in The Color Purple, Alice Walker demonstrates different ends of the family relationship spectrum by showing detached, dysfunctional family relationships and very close family bonds.
ReplyDeleteI was wondering about the relationship between Celie and Nettie and why they were so close and why they held onto one another so tightly. I think about my little sister and I. When we were small, we never truly understood the importance of each other, family relationships, or of bonding. We simply were playmates that fought every once in a while. Celie and Nettie were small when they were separated. Celie is a teenager when she is forced to leave her family's house. The relationship between the two sisters would have been more of a mother/daughter than sisterly.
ReplyDeleteConsidering all the issues and setback that occurred throughout their lives, I would have thought that Celie and Nettie would have given up hope. Like foster children. Separated forever. However, a resounding point rings true: difficulties generally bring people closer and make their relationships that much stronger. Especially family. They were all that they had left in this world of cruelty. They were eachother's familiarity.