TCP themes and relevant sections/events:

Key themes:

• Violence and abuse

• spirituality and religion

• power and powerlessness

• prejudice and oppression (racial, sexual, economic, social)

• Independence and freedom

• self knowledge and fulfillment

• love

• marriage/relationships

• education

violence and abuse:

• Page 3 when Pa rapes Celie

• page 23 referring to when Harpo asks Mr why he beats Celie

• page 35 when Celie is telling Harpo how to get Sofia to listen to him, Mr tells him to beat her

• page 39 Celie explaining to Sofia why she told Harpo to beat her

• page 71-72 when Shug says she’s leaving Celie tells her about how he beats her

• page 82 when Mr and Celie visit Sofia in prison (after she was rude to the Mayor’s wife and knocked the Mayor down)

• page 180 When Celie stabs Mr’s hand and says she is leaving him

• page 14 Celie on her wedding day running from Harpo and him hitting her with a rock

Spirituality and religion:

• page 173-177 Celie going on a path of discovery with God and talking to Shug about it (her showing her pantheism)

• page 138-9 Nettie finding out about the Olinka people worshipping roof leaf and questioning her religious beliefs

• page 119 Nettie talking about Corrine and Samuel, and Olivia and Adam

• page 259 Celie addressing God and mother nature (Pantheism)

• page 233 Nettie talking about pantheism and how God is different to them now having been in Africa

Power and powerlessness:

• Page 180 Celie takes power of her life and happiness (leaves Mr)

• page 222 Celie getting her house now that Alphonso her stepdad died

• page 193 Celie establishing herself as an independent woman by making a living through making pants

Prejudice and oppresion:

racial:

• page 175 when Celie is talking about the image she has of God

• page 141 what olivia says about white people

• page 81 what Sofia says to the Mayor’s wife and what happens with them

• page 90 Squeak being raped by her Uncle, after trying to get Sofia out of prison (links to her being mixed race)

• page 93 Sofia talking about white people and wanting to kill them

• page 120-22 Nettie talking about getting the train to New York City and going to be Missionaries

• page 237-242 Eleanor Jane bring her husband Stanley Earl to meet Sofia and Reynolds Stanley Earl

gender:

• page 173 when Celie is talking about how God represents all the people that have done her wrong (Men)

• page 35 Mr telling Harpo to beat Sofia, in order to make her obey him

• page 13 Celie being offered to Mr, Pa and Mr talking about a cow as her dowry

• page 3 Pa raping Celie

Independence and freedom:

• page 180 Celie leaves Mr and takes control of her life, seeking independence and freedom

• page 193-4 Celie has developed Folkpants unlimited and is in the assimilated stage, on the way to emergence

• page 222 when Celie gets her own house

• page 188 Celie moved to memphis

• page 69 Shug saying how it is good she isn’t Mr’s wife

• page 42-44 Shug Avery comes to stay with Mr and Celie

• page 244 Mr and Celie talking about how Shug and Sofia are different and are independent

Self knowledge and fulfilment:

Love 

• Page 61 Celie talking to Harpo about him loving Sofia comparing it to how she doesn’t love Mr

• Page 165 Shug saying how her and Celie have each other, couldn’t find Celie’s parents in the cemetery

• page 260 when Celie and Nettie reunite

• page 214-5 about Nettie and Samuel falling in love