Color Purple, The, a novel by the American author Alice Walker, won the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for fiction. The book, published in 1982, focuses on the life of Celie, an African American woman in Georgia during the early 1900’s. The novel is written as a series of letters by Celie and her sister, Nettie, who is a missionary living in Africa.
The story covers 40 years, tracing Celie’s development from self-hatred to independence and fulfillment. While living through an abusive childhood and an arranged marriage, Celie receives support from other African American women, especially her sister and her friend Shug Avery. Celie later leaves her controlling husband and becomes a seamstress. The title of the novel refers to one character’s belief that purple signifies peace and beauty—positive feelings that Celie gains over the course of the novel.
In The Color Purple, Walker celebrates the oral tradition in African American literature through her use of speech rhythms, figures of speech, and folk language. Although Celie’s story is serious, Walker inserts subtle humor into the narrative.
In 1985, The Color Purple was adapted into a motion picture, directed by Steven Spielberg. The book was also made into a stage musical that opened on Broadway in 2005.
