http://students.umf.maine.edu/~laroserl/thecolorpurplewebquest/celie%20purple.jpg
The first thing I thought of when I started this book was of Toni Morrison's Beloved. Both Sethe and Celie are oppressed black women who have been severely abused by men. They are both controlled by forces beyond them. They also live in an odd secluded community of women. In a way Sophia and Shug are as Beloved is to Sethe. Sophia and Shug are everything Celie is not. They have independence from men, and love and respect from them. They stand up for themselves and do what they think. They also find some joy in life. Celie is chronically joy deprived. She has used numbness as a defense mechanism, yet because of that she has never felt real happiness. Her happiness only comes as she finds people that care about her. So far it has only been Sophia and Shug who have shown any hinting of affection. Even the church attendants don't show love. They can't accept her for who she is and how she is. Just like Sethe she has been socially quarantined.
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