The Color Purple

The Color Purple Summary | Letters 1-5 Summary

Celie begins her story with a quote from her sexually abusive father and then begins her letter writing to God. At the start of the story, she is 14 years old and her mother is refusing to have sex with her father due to just having a baby. Her father then decides to begin sexually abusing Celie. He also tells Celie he is going to keep doing it.

Celie's mother has died. Even up to her death, Celie's mother was demanding and mean to Celie, especially when Celie became pregnant. After Celie has her baby girl, she believes that her father took the baby to the woods and killed it. Now she is pregnant again.

Celie's father begins ignoring the pregnant Celie and starts looking at Nettie, Celie's younger sister. Celie then has a boy, and her father once again takes the boy from her. Celie believes that her father sold it to a man and his wife in Monticello. Celie complains that she is in pain and constantly lactating.

Celie's father comes home married to a girl about Celie's age from Gray. The girl appears somewhat overwhelmed. Nettie also has a boyfriend whose wife had been killed by her boyfriend. Celie just keeps encouraging Nettie to study.

Celie's letter explains how her father beat her, because he thought she was winking at a boy in church. Celie tells God that she really did not wink, but had something in her eye. Celie continues to keep her father from looking at Nettie, and tells Nettie she should marry Mr. _____ (This is the way that the person is referred to in the story, simply a blank line). However, Nettie is getting big and Celie is also pregnant.