In the epistolary novel, The Color Purple There are many differences between the characters Celie and Nettie. They are both sisters who share a really close bond and help each other throughout their live problems. This is a story of two sisters who seem to have a strong connection to each other while one is on a missionary trip to Africa and the other is a young wife in the south. Celie and Nettie were together for a while when Nettie left home, but Mr. (Celie's husband) told her she had to leave. Nettie then went to Africa and worked on a missionary trip. Both sisters said they would write to each other, but Mr. took the letters that Nettie had written to Celie. The sisters had no communication, but Shug (one of Celie's good friends) helped Celie grab a hold of the letters and soon Celie got to read what Nettie had been trying to tell her for years. After a long period of time away from each other, Celie and Nettie are rejoined and are happy to see each other. As the story progresses, we can see that there are differences between the sisters in their faith in religion, character, and sexual discrimination; seeing that Nettie has achieved more in life from being a more strong willed girl, but Celie has been stuck in her life's problems from the torture she received as a young girl.
Celie and Nettie have both been very much exposed to religion all their life. However, as they go into their separate lives, we reveal that there are some differences between the relation each sister has with religion. Celie writes all the letters to God in the story. Her reason for doing this is because she is dependent on the “image of God” that she has. Celie has been through a terrible life of rape, mistrust, death, and torture. “Dear God, I am fourteen years old, I am I have always been a good girl. Maybe you can give me a sign letting me know what is happening to me... But I say I’ll take care of you. With God help” (p 1 and 3). Her only hope from where she can get love and comfort is writing letters to God. This is her dependency on which she describes her thoughts, actions, and worries to God, and thinks of him as a tool to help her through her life. Celie has little support if not any from her family, only from Nettie. Celie doesn’t think really know the “real image” of God.
“Well, us talk and talk bout God, but I’m still adrift. Trying to chase that old white man out of my head. I been so busy thinking bout him I never truly notice nothing God make. Not a blade of corn (how it do that?) not the color purple (where it come from?). Not the little wildflowers. Nothing.”(p192)
She relies on God, she just thinks of him as a representation of a obliging person. Another image that she has is a white man, which is influenced by other people who she attends church with. Overall, Celie is a person I need of help and the only way of getting console is God.
Nettie is a very different person towards her relation to religion in the book. She left Celie after Mr. said she had to go, and went to Africa. There she worked as a missionary.
"The reason I am in Africa is because one of the missionaries that was supposed to go with Corrine and Samuel to help with the children and with setting up a school suddenly married a man who was afraid to let her go, and refused to come to Africa with her. So, there they were, all set to go, with a ticket suddenly available and no missionary to give it to… But I have never dreamed of going to Africa! … People who need Christ and good medical advice." (p133)This shows that Nettie is more into her obligation of religion than Celie and that it is also very important to her. Her work as a person is very much involved with the whole missionary job. Nettie has her own purpose that she made to go out and help with the people (dominantly children) of Africa. Her work is all supported by the missionary team and she is a part of it.
The character of Celie and her personality is very different compared to Nettie. Celie is very quiet and timid. This is caused by her childhood and distress she was facing. Celie does not have enough courage in herself to stand up or even talk. Celie is also very kind. For having bratty kids to look after, (that some weren’t even hers) and having to look after her bossy and obnoxious husband. Nettie during her childhood spent with Celie, she is sort of the same. She and Celie would both listen and were good mannered. But, as they grew up Nettie started to stand up for herself. She left her home, because it was too much for her and it was not a place that she wanted to be in She had enough integrity and courage to fightt Mr. when he tried to rape her.
Nettie also gave Celie some advice on how to stand up for herself. Nettie was not afraid of doing this because she knew how to fight. Her sense of mind was being a strong woman who would not let anyone make her feel down.
The sisters also experiance a lot of sexual discrimination throughout the story. Celie was seen as "property" to her husband Mr. He treated her bad, like she wasn't worth anything, and always took advantage of her. Nettie also gave Celie some advice on how to stand up for herself. Nettie was not afraid of doing this because she knew how to fight. Her sense of mind was being a strong woman who would not let anyone make her feel down.
"After a while I had to rest, and that's when he got down from his horse and started to tro to kiss me,and drag me back to the woods. Well, I started to fight him, and with God's help, I hurt him bad enough to make hime let me alone. Be he was some mad. (p.126 )
"Harpo ask his daddy why he beat me, Mr. say, Cause she my wife. Plus, she stubborn. All women, good for-he don't finish. He just tuck his chin over the paper like he do. Remind me of Pa... He beat me like he beat the children"(p22)Celie has been througha lot with her dad already, (rape, torture, and taking her out of school. Mr. is no better than her dad. Celie is taken over becasue she is too shy and would never say anything. Her hard work is always taken advantage of or credit. Mr. never appreciated that celie did all the hard work of cleaning the house and looking after him and the kids; even after the way he treated her.
Nettie has also had experiance with sexual descrimination. Although, not as much as Celie. Nettie experiances more of a devestaion of having to go away from places, and it makes her sad. She aslo experiances some with her own family
." Nettie liver here with us. She run away from home. She say she hate to leave out stpma, but she had to git out, maybe fine help for the other little ones. The boys be alright, she say. They can stay out his way. When they get big they gon fight him." (p16)Nettie had a similar experiance as Celie did. But, Nettie actually ran away from her home and sought help. Nettie also almost got raped my Mr. He took advantage of her knowing that he already had a wife, and Nettie was married. Throughout the whole story though, we reveal that women are not treated right. They are taken over becasue of gender and men are the dominant ones. This effects the lives of the charaters relationships.
In the end, the two sisters are rejoined. They have been so sad that they haven’t seen each other and feel better. Their lives now seem complete and the sisters both make a happy ending. With the difficulties throughout their lives, and similar situations they have gone through; they have made them both strong.
