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Letter 8
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
On the day of her wedding, Celie is attacked by one of Mr. ____'s children, the oldest boy, aged twelve. This boy, who is later revealed to be named Harpo, hates Celie and is still distraught over the death of his mother, Annie Julia, Mr. _____'s first wife. Harpo hits Celie with a rock. Celie finds out that Mr. _____ has four children, not the three she had initially heard about—two boys (Harpo and a younger boy named Bub), and two unnamed girls.
Ironically, it is Harpo, whose initial aggression toward Celie is so shocking, who will be the only of Mr. ____'s children to develop a loving relationship with Celie. The two younger girls, whose hair Celie braids, get pregnant later in the novel, and run away from Mr. ____'s home. They are not heard from again.
Themes
Celie tries, after the wedding ceremony, to detangle Mr. ____'s daughters' hair, and realizes the two girls haven't had baths since their mother's death. The girls go to sleep angry with Celie, because their heads hurt after the detangling. Celie lets Mr. ____ have sex with her, and thinks of her sister Nettie's safety, and then of Shug Avery, during the act.
