The Colour Purple 1. Give specific examples of how Celie speaks and understands the world – and how her language and understanding of the world changes as time passes in the novel.
Celie spends most of her time doing chores at home instead of going to school like her sister Nettie. An example of this is: “I ast him to take me instead of Nettie while our new mammy sick. But he just ast me what I’m talking bout. I tell him I can fix myself up for him.” This small passage is a great example on Celie’s use of phonetic language. Basically it is the way a language is pronounced written down. This is the reason why the book is exactly like she talks or pronounces the words, if you will. As mentioned, Celie did not go to school, and as a result of this, Celie does not know how to speak properly English.

Celie has a narrow perspective of the world, and does not think much of it. Only thing that matters, is her sister Nettie. However Celie knows what it’s like for a woman to be married to a man. At least from a black woman’s point of view. She finds out that marriage isn’t all that good – when you get married away by your own farther. In the 1930’s, the main reason to get married was not like we think of it today. It wasn’t every couple who got married for the obvious reason – love. Back in those days, a man needed a housewife to take care of the children and to do chores in the house, while the man’s job was to get food on the table. In Celie’s case, she had experienced marriage as a violent and abusive matter. That’s why she wanted so bad to take her sisters place.

There is a great improvement in her language on the page 95. She finds way more comfort using more advanced words and there are a lot of adjectives that can be very useful about how everything is stated. This passage is about Christmas time and how Shug is at home helping and spending time with “Mr.”