Abuse, particularly against black women, occurred often in the early 20th century. The novel The Color Purple by Alice Walker addresses the abuse Celie suffered as a child and expands on the struggles she continues to face throughout her adult life. With a husband who has an ongoing affair with the mother of his children, Celie realizes that her husband has been hiding letters from her for years addressed to Celie and written by her sister Nettie. She and Shug Avery rescue the letters and read the fascinating story that unfolds. Early in the book, Celie first acknowledges the activities her father coerces her into, and she also briefly mentions her mother before her unfortunate death. Nettie, Celie's sister, then brings home a man she would like to marry, but Celie marries this man out of obligation from her father. She moves in with the man and begins to take care of the house and take care of her children. The son, Harpo, marries Sofia and they live in a small house right next to Celie's. Harpo believes that women are supposed to always obey their husbands, so he tries to beat her like Celie beats, to no avail. Sofia's stubbornness forces her to go to prison when she defies the mayor's wife, whose maid she later becomes. Shug Avery, the mother of Celie's husband's children, becomes ill and Celie and her husband eventually take her in. Celie and Shug become extremely close as Celie nurses Shug back to health. Once Shug becomes aware of the letters, she informs Celie and the duo to retrieve the letters and open them, returning the envelopes to their hiding place. Celie and Shug read about the escapades that Nettie had gone through on her journey through...... middle of paper ...... existing before. She abandons her attackers and becomes her own woman. Although she is the main protagonist, she is not the only character gaining power. Tashi is a fantastic example of another young woman gaining confidence. As a knowledgeless (there must be a real word that works here) and helpless child, Tashi discovers the possibilities of learning and growing like the boys in her village do, which eventually leads her to achieve its own type of empowerment. Purple is a story about learning to become a strong adult. This courageous family learns to take care of themselves and refuses to be oppressed by an unrealistic facade of power. The women in the book move on to greener pastures, learning to live for themselves, not to be under the thumb of society. Works Cited Walker, Alice. The color purple. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1982. Print.