Hope As The Central Theme In The Color Purple

Hope is a powerful thing. It can give people the courage to climb the hills they thought were insurmountable. Hope is what people try to kill in the downtrodden. For with hope, they will rise. Hope of a better life is what pushed the slaves to become free, hope is what Rosa Parks had when she unknowingly inspired a series of black protests. Hope is what women had when they took to the streets asking for equality. Hope is the central theme of the novel Color Purple.

Hope is what Celie needed to change her life. Celie’s life seems devoid of all hope. She was passed on like chattel from an abusive stepfather to an abusive husband. Her kids were sold off. She never had a say in deciding anything for herself. Hope is what Celie couldn’t afford to have, not without reason. Celie never thought she could take control of her life. The letters she writes conveys this repressed role she plays in her life. Almost all her letters to God describes what’s happening around her, never what she feels or what she wants. She is merely an observer of her life, not the owner of her life. She doesn’t realise what she is missing out on until she saw Shug Avery.

Shug Avery gives Celie something to look forward to, someone who she was in awe of. I ast her to give me the picture. An all night long I stare at it. And now when I dream, I dream of Shug Avery. She be dress to kill, whirling and laughing. Life gives Celie the chance to meet Shug and took care of her in her weakest moment. They became very close. She say this song I’m about to sing is call Miss Celie’s song. Cause she scratched it out of my head when I was sick. First she hum it a little, like she do at home. Then she sings the words. It all about some no count man doing her wrong, again. But I don’t listen to that part. I look at her and I hum along a little with the tune. First time somebody made something and name it after me. (Walker 47) Celie finally has someone appreciate her and this makes her want to do things that make her happy. She finally felt like she has someone who she wants to do things for, unlike others where she was forced to do things for them.

Celie opens up about all the terrible things in her life to Shug, hoping to find comfort. What he beat you for? she ast. For being me and not you. Oh, Miss Celie, she say, and put her arms around me. Us sit like that for maybe half a hour. Then she kiss me on the fleshy part of my shoulder and stand up. I won’t leave, she say, until I know Albert won’t even think about beating you. (Walker 48) Shug’s words and her staying back to make sure nobody hurts Celie, gives Celie hope that life will get better. For the first time, she dared to believe that something good will happen to her.

My life stop when I left home, I think. But then I think again. It stop with Mr. ___ maybe, but start up again with Shug. Celie never thought her life could be fun again or that she would be happy until Shug. With Shug, she found a new hope for life. Shug taught her to dream, to be the heroine of her life. Because of Shug’s support and her sheer will and hope, Celie was able to start her own pant making business and thus earn her own living.

Another important figure which has an impact on Celie is Sofia, she doesn’t stand the abuse from her husband and stands up to him. She doesn’t listen to Harpo and does as she pleases. When asked why Celie told Harpo to hit Sofia, she says “I say it cause I’m a fool, I say. I say it cause I’m jealous of you. I say it cause you do what I can’t. What that? she say. Fight. I say………. I loves Harpo, she say. God knows I do. But I’ll kill him dead before I let him beat me. ……… I stop the little trembling that started when I saw her coming. I’m so shame of myself, I say. And the Lord he done whip me little bit too. Celie knows that what she said to Harpo was wrong. She feels guilty about it but she didn’t say anything different until Sofia confronts her. She was simply walking along the way society was even if she didn’t agree with that ideology. Sofia’s way of doing what makes her happy and not being a slave to someone else gives hope to Celie to fight for herself.

Nettie’s letters were the major revelation in Celie’s story, the thing that gave her the power to break away from Mr______, to stand up to her abuser. Despite everything that has happened to her, she never felt anger towards her abusers. But when she realised that Mr_____ was hiding Nettie’s letters, she was angry enough to kill him. I stumble bout the house crazy for Mr. ___ blood. In my mind, he falling dead every which a way. Celie always missed Nettie, those letters meant that she could be so much more happier in life. If she fought and broke away from people treating her like a mule, she could also be happy. She ultimately did leave Mr______ and went on to lead a fulfilling and happy life.

Apart from Celie, the other characters in the novel also have hope as an important part of their journey. Shug was very sick and would not have made it without the help of Albert and Celie. She got hope that she would survive when she saw that she will be taken care of. Hope gave her the power to fight through her illness.

For Nettie, she left her home and shelter without knowing where to go or what to do. But despite that she had a hope for a better life within her. She went on and made a life for herself. Despite not receiving any letters from her sister, she never stopped writing in hopes that somehow it’ll reach Celie. In the same way, Celie also keeps writing to Nettie and hopes for her to come back despite a letter from the government saying that she is dead.

But I don’t think us feel old at all. And us so happy. Matter of fact, I think this the youngest us ever felt. These are the last lines of the novel, she was forced to grow up early but after years of struggle she finally found childish joy and hope.

As seen from the essay, throughout the novel, no matter what the characters were going through, they always had hope that something better will come along. This kind of hope is what Alice Walker had for a better world where racism and sexism no longer destroy people’s lives. One of the many things that can be seen in the novel is that no matter what life has been like, no matter how hard the circumstances, with hope, everything can be changed. Although hope is not very obvious in the text, hope most definitely is one of the main themes of the novel.