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Letter 13
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Color Purple, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
God and Spirituality
Race and Racism
Men, Women, and Gender Roles
Violence and Suffering
Self-Discovery
Summary
Analysis
Shug is coming to town to sing. Mr. ____ prepares himself to meet her (he has not seen her for an undefined but significant period of time). He shaves and asks Celie to wash and iron his clothes, in order to make a good impression on her. Shug's arrival has dramatically improved Mr. ____'s mood, and he is nicer to Celie as a result.
One way that Shug helps Celie, without even knowing it, is by simply arriving in town. Shug's very presence is enough to make Mr. ____ happy, and when Mr. ____ is happy, he tends to take out his aggression on Celie less frequently.
Themes
Celie sees a copy of the bill advertising Shug's show. Celie wants to go: not to dance or drink, but just for a chance to see Shug in the flesh.
