Due to miscegenation, the complexion of black Americans varies from milky to ebony. Many black people attach status to being lighter and avoid darker members of the race. The roots of this colorist distinction come from slavery. Lighter people, who were often the descendants of white masters and black female slaves, were given the easier tasks, usually household chores. The rest of the slaves, the darker ones, were put in charge of field work. Carrie's acerbic observation about Shug - "She's too black" - means that Shug's skin tone is probably close to ebony. However, all these prejudices refuse to take root in Célie's consciousness; she is more intrigued than ever by the illusory Shug Avery. In fact, now that Shug is the personification of adventure, magic, and beauty, Celie associates a shopping trip with Shug glamour. It also seems that Celie knows that purple is associated with royalty; this is why she says "purple" out loud when she and Kate are discussing the color of Celie's new dress. Celie thinks of Shug and simply pronounces the color synonymous with Shug: purple. But just like there's no Shug Avery in Celie's life—yet—there's no color purple in the dress store. Not yet. For the moment, Célie must settle for blue. But Kate expresses one of the central ideas of this novel which is part of Celie's soul. She