study questions Color Purple p. 1-56 Flashcards
To whom does Celie address her letters?
To God (and later to Nettie)
What does Celie’s father mean when he says, “You gonna do what your mammy wouldn’t”?
Have sex with him
What does Celie mean when she says she’s “big”?
She gets pregnant
How many times has Celie given birth? Who is the father?
2 times, by her father
What does Celie believe has happened to her babies?
One was killed and the other got sold away by her father
Who is Mr. ___?
A boyfriend of Nettie, that they know from church. He is later Celies husband
Celie’s father refuses to let Nettie marry Mr. ___ but says he can marry Celie. How does Celie’s father describe her to Mr. _______?
‘she ugly … but she ain’t no stranger to hard work. And she clean. And god done fixed her. Tou can do everything just like you want to an she ain’t gonna make you feed it or clothe it.’ –> Ugly, liar, experienced, hard-working, owns her own cow.
What does Celie discover about her daughter? How does she make this discovery?
That she’s sold to another woman, the wife of Reverend Mr.___, and doesn’t know about that Celie is her biological mother. So she sees her daughter and knows that she is alive. She discovers this when she is in town, while mr. ___ is in the dry good store.
When Mr. ___ tells Celie that Nettie must leave their house, what does Celie give to Nettie? What does Nettie promise Celie she will do?
The name of Reverend and to ask for his wife. She tells her to go to them. Nettie promises to write to Celie.
Who is Shug Avery?
She is a singer that is Mr.___ old girlfriend, she is a sexy woman. and Celie admires her.
Who is Sofia, and for what reason does she get pregnant?
She is the girlfriend ( and eventually wife) of Harpo, the son of Mr.___, she gets pregnant so they could stay together.
Harpo’s father and Celie advise Harpo to beat his wife. What happens when he does this?
Sofia beats him back and he gets hurt pretty bad.
What do we know about Celie’s sexual orientation so far?
She got raped so she’s not impressed by men at all. She likes one woman; Shug Avery.
What can you say of the use and meaning of colours in the story? Think about the colours of the fabrics in the shop, and the colour or Shug’s dress for example.
Shug’s dress is red, this implicates passion, love. When she sees her daughter she sees yellow and blue, these are happy colours. These colours implicate her feelings towards her own life; that she is not feeling happy and doesn’t really live her life. The red dress gives her a bit of life and the colours of her daughter make her feel happy.
Why is Celie jealous of Sofia?
Because Sofia fights back.
