Curated set · answers marked
At the start of the novel, Celie's stepfather tells her to keep quiet about the abuse she endures. Who does she write to in the letters that open the story?
Rationale
Celie writes letters addressed to God, since her stepfather has forbidden her from sharing her experiences with anyone else. This choice of format highlights Celie's voice and her quest for spiritual connection and understanding throughout the novel.
In The Color Purple, the letters that Celie writes beginning with "Dear God" mainly serve as what type of narrative device?
Rationale
Alice Walker crafts The Color Purple as an epistolary novel, telling the story through letters. Celie's letters to God act as a private, confessional narrative tool that allows the reader to see her thoughts, feelings, and journey toward self-empowerment, despite her lack of a safe person to talk to.
At the start of the novel, who does Celie address her letters to?
Rationale
Celie writes letters to God in private as a means of dealing with the abuse and trauma she endures, having been instructed by her stepfather to confide only in God about her experiences.