Comparison of the novel and film "The Color Purple"
Have you ever felt like you could not survive without a certain person? Have you ever felt as if you have been taken away from the only person that has ever meant anything to you? If you have ever felt any of this, then you have felt love. The novel The Color Purple, By Alice Walker, and the movie The Color Purple, directed by Steve Spielberg, are stories about love and the survival between two sisters. The obstacles that the sisters have to face are very life risking. Although the novel and the movie have more similarities than differences, they still explain the major theme of womanhood. The novel and the movie have many of the same themes, obstacles, and resolutions. A similarity is Celie’s stepfather raped her. After she was raped she had two children named Adam and Olivia, they were then given to Samual and Corrine who were not able to have children. Another similarity is that Celie is afraid of men. “I don’t even look at men. That’s the truth. I look at woman, tho, cause I’m not scared of them.” Celie said in her letter to god.(Walker, 6). Celie admires strong beautiful woman like Shug Avery because she knows how to stand up for herself and not let men push her around just like it is described in the novel and shown though out the movie. Differences are harder to depict then similar themes and obstacles. Some differences found were the writing of the letters. In the novel Celie writes letters back to Nettie, but in the movies Celie does not write back. One more difference is how in the novel Shug asked, “How your god like?” and in the movie Shug and Celie do not even talk about god.(Walker, 201). God plays a big role in book because all of Celie’s letters are addressed to God, but in the movie Celie just has faith in God that she can survive. The major theme of the novel The Color Purple and the movie The Color Purple is womanhood. Womanhood is expressed in so many ways. It is expressed through self-discovery and growth, and race relations and racial identity that impact womanhood greatly. It was very hard for Celie to grow, learn, love, and identify herself because she was a woman, she was black, she was poor, and she was abused mentally and physically. Life was pretty much horrible for woman in the same position as Celie. Although the novel and the movie have more similarities than it has differences, it still explains the major theme of womanhood. All in all, both the film and the novel The Color Purple are not only entertaining, but very interesting because it taught the reader about how life was lived when there was discrimination of blacks and woman. Spielberg followed Walkers plot, but had to alter a few scenes to make them appropriate for television. This story was very enjoyable, but may cause you to cry at times. The viewer or the reader is sure to love this heartwarming story and is sure to get addicted to it.
-We have taken it from http://www.echeat.com/essay.php?t=31763.
Harshit & Tejas
