The Color Purple by Alice Walker is considered a classic womanist text. It stars the black woman 'Celie', living in the frame of male civilization, racist and sexist being subject to all possible forms of oppression. The literary historian Trudier Harris in Black American Literature Forum commented that the novel has, "become the classic problem by a black woman" as "the pendulum determining focus on black writers had swung in their favor and Alice Walker had been waiting in the wings of the feminist movement."
The Color Purple bears the formal remark of the 'epistolary novel' sometimes it is called a 'diary novel' too. Basically, epistolary novel means written in the form of letters. The Color Purple is a narrative that parts the way with the "traditional" novel in several formal aspects, and these aspects stress the contrasts established by the setting and the character. The female protagonist of the story describes herself. Celie has the dominating voice in the novel, she controls the words of the people present in her letters not only this but through her Nettie's letters are also depicted. Though, Celie does not consider her letters as anything else than just, a written document saying the things she wishes to tell the recipients she cannot speak to in person.
Unlike many 'traditional' epistolary narrative heroines, Celie's story is set up in a different setting and so her story is unusual. Also through the epistolary form, Walker links a formal and western tradition to an oral and distinctly African American folk expression. It is through these letters that readers were allowed to look into the series of oppression that white people carried on black people. Celie's and Nettie's struggles with their place in a society dominated by white people are brought together towards the end of the novel. The center of the tale is injust suffered by blacks. Thus, the bitter truth is acknowledged in these letters.
Celie uses the letters to allow her to speak and also to get structure to her identity and her sense by writing. As the novel started, the readers can hear her voice only through her letters to God with the command over it- "not never tell nobody but God". These letters give Celie chance to grow and express her thoughts which points out her spiritual development and pave her path to independence. Apart from this, through her letters Celie allows other characters to speak as well as within the letters for instance Nettie's letter, through words the audience got to know about her proceedings in life. Nettie is considered to be the second narrator, as though the letter she used to write was about her experience under different circumstances. It is through, Nettie that readers got to know about her life and oppression in Africa and how Olinka was ruled by European Rubber Planters.
Through the use of epistolary narrative, Celie takes a step forward towards herself assertion. Since Celie gained self-acceptance, she started to speak for herself, for instance, she declared the decision her going to Memphis. As we have seen that initially, Celie did not use to sign her letters but later she started stressing her identity through her family relationships, her business, her love, and her new place in the world. Later, she begins to sign letters as 'Amen', even it is seen that once Celie allows Shug to say 'Amen' in the letter. It was with help of Shug that the letters of Nettie were arranged in chronological order.
The basic narrative of the story is linked with the main theme of gaining an identity and of rebirth and survival. Throughout the narrative we have seen two parties writing letters, that is, Celie and Nettie addressed to each other but these letters were not exchanged as they were never received. The letters which are in the first person were directly addressing God and sometimes Celie. Though the storyline was fragmented just like her life because the letters of Nettie didn't reach Celie at the time, since both parties was separated by force. Thus, the basic function of letters is lost throughout the narrative.
Finally, the story ends with the family reunion as depicted in the last letter we see, Nettie has returned back to Celie, and so Celie can no longer address her; she turns back to God instead, and give her thanks for having let Nettie come back to her. Since Nettie is with Celie, so Celie dedicated her last letter to "Dear God, dear star, dear trees, dear sky, dear peoples. Dear everything. Dear God". Obviously, by the end, Celie overcame her inability to speak and Nettie's absence. Other letters do not play a significant role in the novel as Celie has got everything including her identity and her sister.
The Color Purple parts way with the letter novel not only in the content but in tradition too, and also on the most fundamental function of it as well: it is in her solitude that Celie finds her happy ending. The novel gives Celie, a voice both in the story world and in the American literary tradition. Though, the letter fails to communicate as it does not reach the one to whom it is addressed.
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