Abuse, particularly when it came to black women, occurred frequently in the early 20th century. The novel The Color Purple by Alice Walker touches on the abuse Celie endures as a child and delves into the struggles she continues to fight throughout her adult life. With a husband carrying on an affair with the mother of his children, Celie realizes that her husband had been hiding letters to Celie from her sister Nettie for years. Shug Avery and she save the letters and read the fascinating story that unfolds. At the beginning of the book, Celie first acknowledges the activities her father forces her into and also briefly mentions her mother before her unfortunate death. Celie's sister Nettie then brings home a man she would like to marry, but Celie marries the man out of obligation to her father. She goes to live with the man and starts taking care of the house and managing his naughty children. Their son, Harpo, marries Sofia and they live in a smaller house right next to Celie's house. Harpo believes that women should always obey their husbands, so he tries to beat her like he beat Celie, to no avail. Sofia's stubbornness forces her to end up in prison when she challenges the mayor's wife, whose maid she later becomes. Shug Avery, the mother of Celie's husband's children, falls ill and Celie and her husband end up taking her in. Celie and Shug become extremely close while Celie is nursing Shug back to health. Once Shug learns of the letters' existence, he informs Celie and the two retrieve the letters and open them, putting the envelopes back in their hiding place. Celie and Shug read about the escapades Nettie had experienced on her journey through… the medium of paper… existed before. She leaves her attackers and becomes her own woman. Although she is the main protagonist, she is not the only character who gains power. A fantastic example of another young woman gaining confidence is Tashi. As a child without knowledge (there must be a real word that will work here) and powerless, Tashi learns about the possibilities for learning and growth that the boys in her village have, ultimately achieving her own kind of empowerment. Purple is the story of learning to become a strong adult. This courageous family learns to take care of themselves and refuses to be oppressed by the unrealistic façade of power. The women in the book move forward to greener pastures, learning to live for themselves, not to be under the control of society. Works Cited Walker, Alice. The color purple. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1982. Print.