Changing from the Start Naive means to show a lack of experience, wisdom, or judgement. It is to be innocent, unsophisticated, artless, ingenuous, inexperienced, guileless, unworldly, trusting; gullible, credulous, immature, callow, raw, green, wide-eyed (Naive). Everyone starts off as a naive child, but by exploring the world, experiencing the battles and challenges of life, dealing with whatever is thrown at them, people are molded into becoming more knowledgeable and understanding of what they can and cannot do. People are dynamic. People are always changing. Their entire life is a Bildungsroman, a coming of age story, coming to understand who they are, what they are worth, and who they love. Celie, the main character in the novel “The Colour Purple” by Alice Walker, is human. She undergoes changes in the novel just like everyone else. Celie starts off her life as a young, naive girl. She was manipulated into being submissive to men and oppressed by patriarchy. She was beaten and abused to the point where her love for herself, and her self-respect, had diminished to nothing. By the end of her life, with the help of other strong, independent women, she had become a strong, independent woman herself. She finally knew who she was and what she was worth. She freed herself from being week and submissive, and became an equal to men because that is what she fought for. She started off the novel with an understanding that life was a story of abuse, and in order to protect herself, she hardened her heart. Celie had also rid herself of any expectations or goals in order to avoid disappointment. These methods were to help protect her from emotional pain. Though, Celie’s heart did soften for the one thing she loved, her sister Nettie, who she had wanted to keep safe since the beginning of the novel. Protecting and loving Nettie foreshadows how by the end of the novel, Celie will learn to love and protect others, but also herself. The first sign that Celie’s character begins to develop is when she secretly decides to stand up for the person she loves, Shug Avery, “Old Mr._____ say to Mr._____, Just what is it bout this Shug Avery anyway, he say. She black as tar, she nappy headed. She got legs like baseball bats. Mr._____ don’t say nothing. I drop little spit in Old Mr._____ water,” (Walker 54). By spitting in his water Celie is already taking a huge risk defying someone who is “above” her, but also because he is a man and is depicted as superior during the era of the 20th century. She does not like what Old Mr._____ has to say about Shug, and wants to do something but has no power over him, nor the power to say something. By spitting in his water, it is her little way of revenge and standing up for the people she loves. This foreshadows that she will defend herself against Mr._____ later on in the novel which shows that her need for freedom, to do what she believes needs to be done, only continues to grow. Another sign of Celie’s development is when she finally does something for herself. Something that makes her happy, which is sewing, “What the world got to do with anything, I think. Then I see myself sitting there quilting tween Shug Avery and Mr._____. Us three set together gainst Tobias and his fly speck box of chocolate. For the first time in my life, I feel just right,” (57). Sewing makes her feel like everything is okay. It is her escape. This was the first time that ever happened. It enhances the theme of how even in the worst of times, there will always be at least one thing that is loved. There will always something safe whenever it is needed. This also foreshadows when Celie starts to sew pants, which becomes a symbol her ultimate escape, and the reason for her independence. Sewing is her passion and is something she continues to do throughout the novel. Eventually Celie makes the courageous decision to leave with Shug, even though her husband, the authority figure in the house, says no. She finally stands up for what she wants, and her opinion is no where near as subtle as of spitting in someone’s water. The conflicts in this novel are man vs. self, man vs. man, and man vs. society. Celie has already conquered the conflicts within herself by deciding where she wants to go and being confident in her decision, “You a lowdown dog is what’s wrong, I say. It’s time to leave you and enter into the creation. And your dead body just the welcome mat I need,” (199). This shows how she is facing both the conflict against man and society, because generally, no one would say no or even dare to disrespect anyone that has power over them. At this point, she is telling her husband that she no longer cares what he thinks, or what he tries to decide for her. Celie had had enough of Mr._____ trying to control her, and she made the decision to stand up to him. She is not as submissive, and she knows who and what she loves. She is not letting any person, especially a man, hurt her or push her around. Celie is doing what she thinks is best for herself, and is finally trying to live her life without being told how to live it. “All round the table folkses mouths be dropping open. You took my sister Nettie away from me, I say. And she was the only person love me in the world. Mr._____ start to sputter. ButButButButBut. Sound like some kind of motor. But Nettie and my children coming home soon, I say. And when she do, all us together gon whup your ass,” (200). She loves her sister, her sister loves her, and she will not let Mr._____get away with what he did to them. This outburst surprised everyone because Celie had never stood up for herself, never the less even dared to go against someone who held so much power over her. They were in shock, especially since she usually would be protected by Sofia and Shug, who are both strong, independent women. There is change between who she was before, and who she is becoming, because earlier in the novel she would never have dared to say no. She was quiet and obedient, and would let everything just happen, but now, she has finally hit a turning point and is not afraid to demand what she deserves. She is freely speaking her mind, and even making a point about how she will return to get back at her husband for everything he has done. Mr.____ is not a complication for her anymore. She has finally risen up against him, and no longer allows him to control her. A final turning point in the novel is when Celie becomes more self-dependent, and confidant. This is caused by her love of sewing. Since the beginning of the novel, when she married Mr._____, sewing has always been her go to place, where everything always feels just right. Sewing pants is her passion, “I sit in the dining room making pants after pants. I got pants now in every colour and size under the sun. Since us started making pants dow home, I ain’t been able to stop. I change cloth, I change the print, I change the waist, I change the pocket. I change the hem, I change the fullness of the leg. I make so many pants Shug tease me,” (211). Making pants are a sign of change because in the early 20th century, only men were suppose to wear pants. By making pants, for both women and men, she is symbolizing that everyone is an equal. There is no superior sex, no one is above or below another. Making pants symbolizes the realization that she is also an equal. Making the decision to make pants is also a sign of her going against the “norms” of society. She is expected to be at home, doing what a woman “should” be doing around the house, but instead she is living with a woman and sewing pants. It is her own choice and her work. She is doing what she wants, and not what has to be done. “I say, when she brag to Grady and Squeak bout her pants. I sit here thinking how to make a living and before I know it I’m off on another pair pants,” (212). This is a huge confidence boost for her, because she loves making pants, and wants to make people happy, especially those that she loves. Her heart has been softened by her new love of life, and she now cannot stop. This love for making pants for others foreshadows the opening of her own business. This new business that she creates finally enables her to be entirely self-reliant, and have the empowerment to do what she loves without any authority trying to tell her to do otherwise. She has become her own strong, independent woman, and finally is free to do as she wishes. “The Colour Purple” is considered a Bildungsroman novel because it is about the development of the protagonist, Celie, throughout the course of the novel, as proven in previous paragraphs. Celie is a dynamic character who develops from a naive girl, believing she had to obey men and was oppressed by patriarchy, into a woman who liberated herself from the patriarchal values that held her back. She was introduced to strong female characters such as Sofia and Shug who displayed affection and compassion towards her. They helped her learn how to soften her heart and love others, and how to have self-esteem and self-respect for herself. It was about her self-actualization and how, in the end, she finally could stand up for herself and make the choices that would be best for her. Celie used her talent to free herself, and to be independent. Celie started by standing up for those she loved in small ways, and by doing what she loved, sewing. She then moved away from Mr._____ by standing up for herself, and doing what she believed she deserved. Celie learned to love, and loved to sew pants for the people she loved. Sewing pants was her passion. By sewing pants, it proved that she was an equal, and had just as much worth and power as a man. Eventually she made a business out of sewing and selling her pants, therefore becoming self-dependent. Celie now had goals for herself, and was not afraid to protect and love people, especially herself. On a day-to-day basis, humans change, all the time. Humans are like characters, they are dynamic. People live a Bildugsroman life. Everyone starts off as naive children, uncertain of what they can and cannot do. Everyone grows up and hopefully comes to self-actualization. People go through life-changing events that may make them stop loving and caring about things, just like Celie did. Eventually people realize that there is at least one thing that they do love, whether it be a person, an activity, or both. “The Colour Purple” may have been graphic with dark content, but the main idea of evolving over a life span is still there. No matter what someone’s story is, there are always turning points in which they realize something new. It may be hard for the reader to see changes in themselves from day to day, but all the changes that have actually occurred become obvious over time. Sometimes drastic change occurs even without the realization of it. There is no end to change. People can evolve into a form that is more loving and caring like Celie did, or can become dark and miserable. People have to learn to accept the things that cannot be changed, to have the courage to change the things that can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

References:

1. “Naive”. TheFreeDictionary.com. June 8 2014. (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/_/dict.aspx?rd=1&word=naive).

2. Walker, Alice. The Colour Purple. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1970. Print, web, audiocassette, audiotape, digital file.