The Color Purple by Alice Walker is an epistolary novel criticized for its immoral and sensitive issues, such as incest, rape and physical abuse. The story is set in the early 1900s in the South and symbolizes the merciless social, emotional and economic hardships that African American women faced. The protagonist of the story is Celie, a woman who has suffered abuse since her youth and documents her difficulties through letters written to God and finally to her sister Nettie, a missionary in Africa. Her sister's experiences in Africa are a direct correlation to Celie's life in America and highlight key themes in the novel, such as sexism, racism and power struggles, as well as the importance of women working together to overcome own barriers. Although Alice Walker has received a significant amount of criticism about her novel and its portrayal of African Americans, through all the negativity she suggests a better future for generations to come through the development of the characters throughout the story. In The Color Purple, Alice Walker portrays a patriarchal lifestyle for women in the early 1900s. With a hierarchy of male dominance, Celie has always been inferior to the men in her life. Celie's battle with misogyny mirrors the gender roles and struggles Nettie faces in African culture. In both worlds, women are considered subordinate and are therefore expected to fulfill the needs and desires of the men around them. With the fear of domestic violence from their spouses, women rarely defended themselves and remained submissive; however Alice Walker includes a strong female character in her novel to highlight the contrast between men and women. Sofia is the exact opposite of Celie, she is a woman ahead of her... at the center of the card... history, civil rights history and the story of a group of women coming together and making a difference. Readers from all walks of life find themselves touched by the novel's narrator, Celie, seeing her as a young girl crying out for help, until she blossoms into a strong, invincible woman. Alice Walker uses Nettie's experiences in African culture to both compare and contrast Celie's experience with African American culture. The novel is written with a raw realism that has attracted a considerable amount of critical commentary for focusing on controversial topics such as rape, domestic violence and all forms of abuse. However, through these issues, Alice Walker suggests a better and brighter future for generations to come as a result of character growth through this moving novel. Works CitedWalker, Alice. The color purple. London: Women's Press, 1992. Print.