Purple

Purple. I read through half of the book and still found myself wondering what on earth the title meant. The color purple is a huge symbol throughout this book. Purple is often a symbol of grief and suffering. When Sofia was beaten, “her face was the color of eggplant.” Bruises are purple. At the same time, purple represents royalty. Celie rose to a place of royalty later in her life. She rose to her full potential. I believe that she had always had the potential to blossom and fully embrace who she was, it just took her longer because of her terrible set backs throughout her life. Although she began life with a submissive and beaten air, she harbored a dream within her heart that nearly died down to a flicker but never completely went out. Purple. In one part of the book, Shug tells Celie to look out at the purple flowers and to revel in their beauty. Celie’s life was riddled with ugliness. She even considered herself to be ugly. And yet at this point, Shug is suggesting that she begin to look at the world around her and see beauty despite the ugly.