A Comparison Between the Film, the Color Purple

Collie’s dilemma is masked by way of the beauty of the color purple in the first sequence as two young girls are seen happily singing and playing in a field of tall purple flowers. The scene merely emphasizes the closeness of two young sisters while it leaves questions concerning Collie’s pregnant condition unanswered. Consequently, the subtleness of the opening sequence renders the incident of rape exposed by Collie’s first letter to God as inconsequential. When she is seen giving birth to the baby with her young sister assisting, her father grows impatient and scorns her for taking so long.

Treating Celli with impatience and regarding her as unworthy of consideration rigorously hampers her progress as a person. The actions of the father and later Mr.. Repress Celia and become the main hindrance to her happiness. An impatient tone exercises power over her. Cilia’s ignorance and fear renders her powerless against abuse. She becomes accepting of her fate because she is made to feel ignorant, ugly, inferior, and unworthy of consideration; and therefore, she becomes a prime candidate for male domination. While Celia is kept under male dominance, she works hard to ensure Nettle’s independence.

Nettle does not feel Celli is ignorant. Nettle teaches her sister everything she learns and Celli promises Nettle she will take care of her with God’s help. In the original work, education is the key to Nineties independence and later becomes the key to Collie’s independence as well. In the film however, education is not an issue until after Nettle comes to live with Celli and Mr.. . When a few arises that is about to make a move on Nettle, education becomes significant because Celli needs to be able to read and write to communicate with Nettle if they are forced to separate.

Collie’s life is an education process in itself. As she tests new people, she learns from them. Celli learns from Sofia that love has strength and the capability of conquering the opposition. Sofa’s vitality exposes the weakness of Mr.. – She stands her ground against him and gives Harp the courage to stand up for himself. Sofa’s non acceptance of male dominance serves to contrast Collie’s acceptance of her inferior slave-like position. Chug Avery, Albertan mistress, helps Celli to gain the self-confidence that she lacks by encouraging her to make difficult choices while Chug serves as a living example to her.

Chug says what she wants and does hat she wants without fear of reprisal because she insists on her own right to pleasure. Her reason for not marrying Albert even though she loved him was because “he be week”. Even though Celli learned through Sofia and Chug that Albert is a weak person, she does not take action to eradicate her circumstances until she learns that took away years of joy from her life by keeping her sister’s letters from her. This spiteful action leaves Celli with the courage to speak out and act on her own behalf. As she learns from life’s experiences, she allows herself to grow and become educated to life itself.

Ironically, after her stepfather’s death, Celli gains financial freedom as well as freedom from male dominance. Freedom from male dominance in the original work is stressed through a learning process of both Albert and Celli, this is apparent through Albertan acceptance of Celli as a person and his acceptance of learning the backwardness of his ways as they sit together “sewing, and talking, and smoking. ” The film, however, did not portray this joint learning aspect. Instead, Mr.. Is seen in the field at a distance walking a mule, a symbol of stubbornness that depicts an unwillingness to change.