What a wonderful book by Alice Walker!
I loved the book when I first read it many, many years ago. Then I also loved the movie starring Whoopi Goldberg as the main character – Celie – and so often that is not the case when one has read a book first. But it was SO well down. And more recently – I really loved the musical as well. I did not see the Broadway Play – but I’m assuming the movie musical was based on that – so I would have loved it, too! Yet – The Color Purple keeps showing up on Banned Books list – which is no surprise, because many of my favorite books are on these lists.
Today’s message is going to be twofold. First, I want to explore the theology that underpins this work – and how the main character – Celie – changes her theology from thinking of the divine as the old white man in the sky to something very different, just as I did and maybe you as well. And second – I will share some other lessons that this book teaches us all.
Part One - The Theology
As you may remember, Alice Walker tells this story as a series of journal entries and letters written by Celie. The first ones are all addressed to God. Then to her sister, Nellie, who is living in Africa with missionaries, then at the end – to God again, but a different God of her understanding. In fact, she addresses it: "Dear God. Dear stars, dear trees, dear sky, dear peoples. Dear Everything. Dear God."
Celie was introduced to thinking of God in a different way by a flamboyant blues singer – and Celie’s lover, Shug Avery. I’m going to share this with you by reading that portion of the book – because it’s so beautiful and poignant. These are Celie’s words – sharing about a conversation she had with Shug. (Note to reader: Shug’s words are in italics and were shared with a different voice.)
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| Celie and Shug from 1985 film |
“Here's the thing, say Shug. The thing I believe. God is inside you and inside everybody
else. You come into the world with God. But only them that search for it inside
find it. And sometimes it just manifest itself even if you not looking, or
don't know what you looking for. Trouble do it for most folks, I think. Sorrow,
lord. Feeling like shit.
It? I ast.
Yeah, It. God ain't a he or a she, but a It.
But what do it look like? I ast.
Don't look like nothing, she say. It ain't a picture show. It ain't
something you can look at apart from anything else, including yourself. I
believe God is everything, say Shug. Everything that is or ever was or
ever will be. And when you can feel that, and be happy to feel that, you've found
It.
Shug a beautiful something, let me tell you. She frown a little, look out
cross the yard, lean back in her chair, look like a big rose. She say, My
first step from the old white man was trees. Then air. Then birds. Then other
people. But one day when I was sitting quiet and feeling like a motherless
child, which I was, it come to me: that feeling of being part of everything,
not separate at all. I knew that if I cut a tree, my arm would bleed. And I
laughed and I cried and I run all around the house. I knew just what it was. In
fact, when it happen, you can't miss it. It sort of like you know what, she
say, grinning and rubbing high up on my thigh.
Shug! I say.
Oh, she say. God love all them feelings. That's some of the best stuff
God did. And when you know God loves 'em you enjoys 'em a lot more. You can
just relax, go with everything that's going, and praise God by liking what you
like.
God don't think it dirty? I ast.
Naw, she say. God made it. Listen, God love everything you love? and a
mess of stuff you don't. But more than anything else, God love admiration.
You saying God vain? I ast.
Naw, she say. Not vain, just wanting to share a good thing. I think it
pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don't
notice it.
What it do when it pissed off? I ast.
Oh, it make something else. People think pleasing God is all God care about.
But any fool living in the world can see it always trying to please us back.
Yeah? I say.
Yeah, she say. It always making little surprises and springing them on
us when us least expect.
You mean it want to be loved, just like the bible say.
Yes, Celie, she say. Everything want to be loved. Us sing and dance,
make faces and give flower bouquets, trying to be loved. You ever notice that
trees do everything to git attention we do, except walk?
Well, us talk and talk bout God, but I'm still adrift. Trying to chase that
old white man out of my head. I been so busy thinking bout him I never truly
notice nothing God make. Not a blade of corn (how it do that?) not the color
purple (where it come from?). Not the little wildflowers. Nothing. Now that my
eyes opening, I feels like a fool. Next to any little scrub of a bush in my
yard, Mr. ____s evil sort of shrink. But not altogether. Still, it is like Shug
say, You have to git man off your eyeball, before you can see anything a'tall.
Man corrupt everything, say Shug. He on your box of grits, in your head,
and all over the radio. He try to make you think he everywhere. Soon as you think he everywhere, you think he
God. But he ain't. Whenever you trying to pray, and man plop himself on the
other end of it, tell him to git lost, say Shug. Conjure up flowers,
wind,water, a big rock.
But this hard work, let me tell you. (That man God) been there so long, he
don't want to budge. He threaten lightening, floods and earthquakes. Us fight.
I hardly pray at all. (And) Every time I conjure up a rock, I throw it.”
Shug’s theology – imparted to Celie – is similar to what many of us espouse, seeing the Divine – or God if you will – in nature.
But there is more to explore in this book than just that understanding. Author Dan Cushing sees this entire novel as a type of theological writing. He states:
“At first glance, most readers would not recognize Alice Walker's novel The Color Purple as a typical example of theological writing. After all, theological truths are usually revealed in ancient, often puzzling manuscripts which are neatly packaged and interpreted for us by doctrinal experts. Even some Sunday sermons take on an impersonal and other-worldly irrelevance which is a long way removed from the everyday earth-iness of Walker's novel. But whether they have been exposed to theology in its strictest, formal sense or not, many readers will finish The Color Purple with the suspicion that they have somehow been exposed to a deeply theological experience.”
In fact, Cushing sees it’s theological underpinning as the basic theme and structure of The Color Purple. He summarizes it in the following passage.
“The central character, Celie, enslaved in a kind of physical, emotional and spiritual bondage, is led gradually to freedom (redemption, as the theologians would say) by her exposure to-and her response to-a kind of divine teacher (a redeemer), Shug Avery. The essential similarity to the Jewish experience in the Hebrew Scriptures or the Christian experience in the New Testament is not insignificant. The parallels are strong enough and real enough to qualify The Color Purple as a re-telling (a personal experience) of the basic Judeo-Christian understanding of redemption-in this case from the perspective of one particular black woman. Even more, in a broader and more prophetic way, it translates that traditional understanding into an experience of redemption for women in general.”
I’m glad that this man can see that this is a story of liberation for women. Although, the book certainly addresses issues of race and colonialism – especially in the correspondence with Celie’s sister Nettie when she is in Africa – I see the primary theme as the liberation and empowerment of women (perhaps because I was previously in a church – and yes- somewhat in a marriage – in which I felt trapped by patriarchy and misogyny.) And the interesting part of this theological story is that when the women are liberated – it leads as well to the liberation of men who perhaps felt bound to certain gender expectations. Indeed, even Celie’s husband Mister – becomes more loving as he adopts what his society would see as more domestic, feminine traits.
Part 2 – Other Lessons from The Color Purple.
There are loads of possibilities. I’m going to share just four of these lessons that stood out to me.
Slide
Lesson 1: Stand up for yourself and what’s right. Here are some examples.
Quote – from Celie to Nettie: “Don’t let them run over you, you got to fight.”
Nettie offers Celie some sisterly advice, when she comes to live with her and Mister. She tells her that she has to stand up yourself, and can’t let Mister or the kids run over her. Of course, this results in Nettie being forced to leave – thrown off the property in a agonizing passage. But she doesn’t give in to Mister’s advances.
Another example is when Celie finally stands up for herself and shares with Mister as she is leaving him:
Here’s a clip from the most recent movie.
Quote: “I’m poor, Black, I may even by ugly, but dear God, I’m here! I’m here!”
And there are many more as Celie, Sofia, Mary Agnes (also known as Squeak), and Nettie all come to more self-realization and gain strength and resilience from their experiences and each other.
Lessons like these from The Color Purple and other books have helped me to lift up my own voice for what is right – even when the consequences of loss of the love of so-called friends and even family were inevitable.
Lesson 2: Make connections with people who understand and support you.
This was especially demonstrated in The Color Purple as Celie begins to connect and support other women who were abused and trapped in oppressive situations. These women found strength in their numbers and were able to overcome their fears – or at least move with resilience through them.
Now some of them were already strong.
And the quote that exemplifies this is “Hell-no” shared by Sofia to her would be abusive husband – and explained to Celie in the cornfield as she confronts her about being accepting of men beating their wives and she uses the same phrase with the white mayor who demands that she come be their maid. They beat her, arrest her, and force her to serve the mayor for 12 long years. But she becomes a role model to the other women. The “Hell-no” quote is turned into a song for the play and musical. I’ll play a bit of that.
I really felt the power of this lesson of connecting with others when I traveled to Washington, DC in January of 2017 – and participated in The Women’s March the day after Trump was elected.
The Power of that solidarity was mind-blowing. And women in the smaller marches around the country felt it too and some began to organize more – even here in Glynn County – where Women’s Voices of Glynn County meets in out building and works together for progress locally and nationally. This was an outgrowth of the need to continue after many of these women traveled to Fernindina for the march there.
The Clergy for Equity – of which I and some others here are members was formed after the murder of Ahmaud Arbery and other local groups formed as well to make connections and help each other as we fight for justice.
And of course – our gathering here and working together as Unitarian Universalists is an example that I will always cherish. Connections are so very important.
Lesson #3 – (audio) - “You can’t always get what you want, you can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes – you just might find, you get what you can.”
This is exemplified by many of the characters. Here is Sofia as a old woman. Now – she would have liked to have raised her own kids. When she got back home after 12 years of basically forced slavery that she had to do for the mayor and his wife, she realized that her kids didn’t know who she was and she really didn’t know them. But in her old age, she softened and made the best of things – loving folks and taking them in – even the Mayor’s daughter she had raised who ended up cooking for her. Her hearts longing as a young woman didn’t work out – but she had learned a good lesson and said – (click) “I try to teach my heart not to want what it can’t have.”
Celie also had to learn this lesson. Celie and Shug had a complicated relationship – and passionate, steamy romance (that doesn’t really show up in the films – you have to read the book). Celie loves only Shug. But Shug was not made for one romantic partner. And just as Mister had to give Shug up to Celie – Celie had to give her up as well. In the end – Celie and Mister had a relationship of sorts – not a marriage – and not sexual, but caring. She loved him because he had loved Shug – and he softened and they shared stories – and she even taught him to sew. Later Shug did come back. And so did Nettie, her husband and children – and Celie learned that she may be old in years – but there could still be happy. She said (click)”I don’t think us feel old at all. And us so happy. Matter of fact, I think this the youngest us ever felt.” – You may not get what you want – But if you try sometime, I think you’ll find – you get what you can.
Lesson #4– Pay attention. If we rush by too fast, we may miss the forlorn, the forgotten, the lonely, and that which needs our love and care. Of course, we may also miss the beautiful! Pay attention.
This is most famously demonstrated in the book by Shug’s declaration to Celie that “I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field and don’t notice it.”
I think Sofia, Shug, Celie, and even Mister Albert would have agreed in the end with Mary Oliver who wrote:
Text of poem
I don't know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?
Amen and Blessed Be
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