Feminism

I was struck by how the theme of feminism is so strong throughout this book. We can see the issue being broached even at the very beginning of the book when we see the abuse and exploitation of the Nettie and Celie. As I read the book, its motto kept running through my head, "Men are the problem, men are the problem, men are the problem."

We see this in every breath that Celie takes throughout her life and as she becomes more aware of this thought herself. Her love for Shug is based on this: that men were nothing but abuse, force, and brutality, why should there be any love for them? In a world where women have nothing, where they are worth nothing, and where their dreams are nothing, the only thing that they have is each other. I have to ask, would Celie and Shug have loved one another if Celie would have experienced the love of a man?