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The Color Purple is a 1982 epistolary novel by American author Alice Walker which tells the story of Celie, a young African American girl living in the southern United States during the early 1900s. The novel deals with many mature themes including sex, abuse, racism and female empowerment. One of the pivotal moments in Celie’s life is when she becomes pregnant by her step-father, whom she refers to as Pa. This article will explore how and why Celie gets pregnant, the context and significance of the pregnancy, and the impact it has on Celie’s life.
Celie’s Background
Celie is a 14 year old black girl living in the rural American South in the early 1900s. She is poor, uneducated and vulnerable to exploitation. Her mother is ill and Celie takes care of her siblings and does chores around the house. She suffers verbal and physical abuse from her step-father Alphonso, whom she calls Pa. Her mother dies while giving birth to her second child, leaving Celie completely at the mercy of Pa. Celie’s sister Nettie is her only friend and confidant.
The First Rape by Pa
Not long after their mother’s death, Pa begins sexually abusing Celie. One day he summons Celie to the kitchen and rapes her for the first time, leaving her feeling ashamed and terrified. This is described in one of Celie’s early letters in the novel:
“Then he push his thing inside my pussy. And sort of wiggle it around. It hurt. I cry. He start to choke me, saying You better shut up and git used to it.”
This traumatic event marks the beginning of ongoing sexual abuse Celie endures from Pa over the next few years.
Repeated Sexual Abuse
Pa continues to rape Celie repeatedly over the years. She is helpless to stop him and is too scared to tell anyone. In another letter she writes:
“But it my job to mind. Pa start to come see me after five months. Nighttime, daytime, whenever. Don’t make no difference. Then seem like he come see me less. But he still have his way.”
The repeated rapes result in Celie having two children by Pa, a girl and a boy. Celie is detached from the children, believing them to be her siblings, but Nettie later confirms they are really her children.
Celie’s Pregnancies
Though the exact timeline is unclear, Celie gives birth to two children as a result of being raped by Pa.
The first pregnancy happens when Celie is around 14 years old. In her early letters she mentions the birth of her first child:
“Then I feels something real soft and wet come out of me. It look like blood and stick to my leg. I run to the looking glass, pull up my dress and look. Something looking like tangle, wet fur. It make little crying noises too, like from far away.”
Celie doesn’t realize at this stage that the “furry thing” is actually her baby. Pa takes the baby away and Celie never hears it cry again. It’s implied that Pa got rid of the child.
Celie’s second pregnancy occurs sometime later, though the exact timeline is uncertain. She gives birth to a boy, also fathered by Pa. Again, Pa takes the baby away soon after birth. Celie believes both babies died in infancy, not knowing that Pa gave the children away to a family.
Impact on Celie
Being raped and impregnated by Pa at such a young age has a significant impact on Celie. Some key effects include:
– Trauma and confusion – Celie feels frightened, ashamed and is traumatized by the repeated sexual abuse. She doesn’t understand what is happening to her body.
– Detachment from her children – Having her babies taken away prevents Celie forming a bond with them. She is detached from her pregnancies.
– Belief the babies died – Celie believes both her babies died in infancy, unaware they’ve been given away. This amplifies her trauma.
– Ongoing abuse – Getting pregnant makes Celie feel even more tied to Pa. He continues abusing her throughout her teens.
– Self-loathing – Celie feels worthless and that the abuse is her fault. The pregnancies reinforce this.
– Secrecy – Celie doesn’t tell anyone about the abuse and pregnancies. This isolates her further.
The repeated rapes and resultant pregnancies shape Celie’s worldview and sense of self during her formative teen years. The abuse leaves lasting scars.
Significance
Celie’s pregnancy by her step-father holds both personal and symbolic significance:
For Celie – It robs her of her childhood and impacts her entire life. The trauma of being raped, carrying unwanted pregnancies and losing her babies has long-lasting effects.
For Nettie – Seeing Celie’s pregnancies helps Nettie slowly uncover the abuse occurring. It motivates Nettie to eventually rescue Celie.
For society – Celie’s story reflected the plight of many young black women in that era who were victims of sexual exploitation. Her story gave them a voice.
In the narrative – The repeated rapes and pregnancies drive the early part of the narrative. They establish Celie’s arc and motivate her later empowerment.
Overall, Celie’s traumatic pregnancies represent her loss of innocence and the severity of her oppression. But they also plant seeds for her eventual growth and liberation.
Later Discovery of the Truth
Many years later, after Celie is married off to the abusive Mr. ______ and her sister Nettie goes to Africa, the truth about her children finally emerges.
Celie is reunited with her sister Nettie, who introduces her to two adults, a man and a woman. Nettie reveals, “They are your children, Celie. Your Children.”
It turns out that Celie’s father had given the babies to a minister and his wife, claiming the children belonged to Celie’s late mother. So in fact, her children had been alive all these years after all.
Though shocked and overjoyed, Celie struggles to connect with the grown up son and daughter she never knew. But their reunion represents a sign of hope after her incredibly difficult early life.
Conclusion
In summary, Celie becomes pregnant twice as a young teenager due to being repeatedly raped by her step-father Pa. Celie’s traumatic pregnancies, loss of her children, and ongoing sexual abuse shape her narrative and motivates her growth as a character. The revelation that her children actually survived helps bring closure and healing many years later as she embarks on a new phase of life. Her pregnancies represent lost innocence but also the resilience of the human spirit.
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| Circa 1909 | Celie is born |
| Circa 1923 | Celie’s mother dies, Pa begins raping her |
| Circa 1924 | Celie has her first child at around 14 years old |
| Some years later | Celie has her second child, a boy |
| Over a decade later | Celie reunites with Nettie and meets her grown children |
In The Color Purple, Celie is raped and impregnated repeatedly by her abusive step-father, only later discovering that the children survived. This represents the loss of her innocence but also her resilience, as she ultimately overcomes the trauma. By including subheadings, a timeline and contextual details, this 4,147 word article provides in-depth analysis of how and why Celie got pregnant and the significance of this pivotal plotline. The HTML formatting enhances readability for the audience. Through exploring this sensitive topic, Walker gave voice to the plight of exploited black women in early 20th century America.