The Color Purple

What are Shug's first words to Celie?

"You sure is ugly"

When Celie tells Shug that Mr. will beat her when Shug leaves and Shug asks why, what is Celie's response?

"for being me and not you"

How long was Sofia in servitude? What is the name of Harpo and Squeak's daughter?

- 11.5 years - Suzie Q.

How long has it been since Sofia has last seen her children? When she visits them for the first time how long does she stay with them and why?

- 5 years - 15 minutes - Ms. Millie got stuck in the driveway because she didn't know how to work the car in reverse. Frustrated she had stripped the car's gears, and she refused to drive back into town with Sofia's brother in law because she could never ride a car with a strange colored man. Ms. Millie demanded that Sofia drive her home

Why does Sofia leave Harpo and where does she go?

- Because he is trying to take away her independence - She moves in with her sister and takes her children with her

Why won't Sofia parents let her marry Harpo? Why does she get pregnant?

- Because of Harpo's legacy of a murdered mother - Harpo thinks that if she's pregnant then her father will have to let her marry him

What is the name of Tashi's mom and why do they come to see Nettie?

- Catherine - They want Tashi to stop learning and being curious about things because she is starting to become independent

What did Alphonso do differently than Celie's father to avoid getting lynched?

- He gave white people money - He also got a white boy to run the shop

What does Celie discover about her daughter? How does she make this discovery?

- Her daughter is still alive - The girl looks like her and has her eyes, and her name is Olivia, which is the name Celie embroidered on her diaper before she was taken away

Who takes care of Sofia's children while she's in jail?

- Odessa - Squeak

When Mr. __ makes Nettie leave, what does Celie give her? What does Nettie promise Celie that she will do?

- The name of Reverend Mr. __ and tells her to ask or his wife - to write

How do Mr. __'s sisters Kate and Carrie treat Celie? What do they tell Mr. that Celie needs?

- They compliment her on her housekeeping and her care of the children - She needs new clothes

Why are the Olinka people confused about the relationships among the missionary family?

- They think that both Nettie and Corrine are Samuel's wives - They thought that the children were Nettie's

Why are the Olinka happy to see that there is a road being built to their village? What later upsets them about the road?

- They think that the road is for them to give them easier passage back and forth - the road cuts through their village and destroyed things in order to do so

How does Celie spend her wedding day? Who's safety does she worry about?

- bandaging her head from a rock Mr. __'s son threw - cooking dinner - untangling her screaming step-daughter's hair --Nettie

What is Mr.'s and Celie advice to Harpo to get Sofia to listen to him? What does Sofia do in return?

- beat her - she fights and hurts him back

What does Celie believe has happened to her babies?

- first one was killed in the woods - second one was sold to a married couple

Where do Celie and Shug find the letters and how do they get the letters without Albert knowing?

- in Mr.'s locked trunk - they steam open the envelopes and put the envelopes back

Why does Alphonso beat Celie?

- says that she winked at a boy in church - she dressed "trampy"

What is Sofia's job in jail? What is her attitude and mental state?

- she does the laundry - she listens to all of the rules and doesn't fight back

Why is Squeak sent to talk to the warden? What happens when she is with him?

- she is the niece of the white prison warden and so she goes to plead for Sofia's release - he brutally rapes her

Who is Squeak and how does she lose 2 of her teeth?

- she's Harpo's new mixed-race girlfriend - she is jealous of Sofia and calls her a bitch while slapping her across the face, so Sofia punches her back

What is Alphonso's reasoning for not letting Nettie marry Mr. __?

- she's too young - she's too inexperienced to marry a man with children - he wants her to continue her schooling

What does Mr. tell Sofia about his children?

- two daughters have grown and gone - Bub his son is in and out of jail

How old is Celie at the beginning of the story?

14

How many times has Celie given birth?

2 times

How many children do Shug and Albert have together and where are they?

3; they are at Shug's grandmother's house

How long as Nettie been in Africa at this point?

5 years

What is Mr.'s name how does Celie realize this?

Albert; Shug calls him that

What is the name of her father?

Alphonso

Who is the father of her two children?

Alphonso

What was the name of Albert's first wife?

Anna Julia

Why did Shug feel slightly jealous toward Celie and Anna Julia?

Because Albert chose and married Anna Julia over her

Why didn't Albert marry Shug after she had his 3 children?

Because Albert's father disapproved of her and Albert was too scared to stand up to him

Why does Shug suggest making pants for Celie?

Because Celie does hard work in the field and pants would be more suitable.

Why did Albert keep Nettie's letters from Celie?

Because Nettie refused to sleep with him, and so he said Nettie and Celie would never hear from one another again

Why is Celie jealous of Sofia?

Because Sofia has the strength to fight back to men and can stand up for what she thinks

Why does Shug ask Celie to tell her more about Nettie?

Because aside from Shug, Nettie is the only person Celie has really loved

Why doesn't Celie like Grady?

Because he openly spends Shug's money

Why had Samuel urged Nettie to come to Africa?

Because he thought the children were Nettie's and he didn't have the heart to separate them

Why doesn't Celie write to God anymore?

Because she feels that God hasn't done anything for her

Why is Nettie so certain that their missionary work will be successful?

Because they are black like the Africans and their common goal will be to uplift black people everywhere

Where does Nettie go when she runs away from Alphonso?

Celie and Mr. __'s house

What does Celie's father mean when he says "You gonna do what your mammy wouldn't?"

Celie has to have sex with him since his mother wouldn't

What happens between Shug and Celie when Albert and Grady go for a drive?

Celie tells the story of her rape to Shug and cries. Afterwards they kiss

Who does Alphonso say Mr. __ can marry instead? How does he describe her?

Celie; she is hardworking and she owns her own cow but she is ugly, a liar, and has been "spoiled twice"

What is the name of Alphonso's new wife and how old is she?

Daisy; 15 years old

What is the plan for getting Sofia out of jail?

Get the white warden to release Sofia

To whom does Celie address her letters to?

God

What does Shug teach Celie about God?

God is an "It" who exists and delights in all creation

How does Harpo draw a crowd to his place?

He convinces Shug to sing there

How does Mr. react when he learns that Shug is taking Celie with her?

He is surprised and says "over my dead body"

What does Kate tell Harpo to do, and what does he say back?

Help Celie with her chores; he says no because chores are woman's job

Shug sings a song for Celie. What is the song about?

It's about a man not treating a woman right

What is Squeak's real name?

Mary Agnes

Who else other than Celie is leaving with Shug to go to Tennessee?

Mary Agnes

Who does Corrine believe are Adam and Olivia's birth parents?

Nettie and Samuel

What does Shug discover that Albert has been keeping from Celie?

Nettie's letters to Celie

Who does Mr. __ show an interest in marrying? What happened to his first wife?

Nettie; she was murdered by her lover

Where does Nettie go with the family and why?

New York, England, and finally Africa because they are missionaries and Nettie is lonely. She also could not get a job

According to the letter, with whom does Nettie live with?

Reverend Samuel, his wife Corinne, and their two children Adam and Olivia

How does Celie truly feel about Shug sleeping with Mr.?

She cares that Shug is sleeping with someone else and cries when she hears Shug and Mr. sleeping together

What does Celie do that surprised everyone at the dinner table?

She curses at Mr. tells him about everything that she doesn't like about him

What happens to Corrine?

She dies

Why can't Celie sleep?

She feels guilty for telling Harpo to beat Sofia

What about Shug's Christmas visit surprised Albert and Celie?

She has a new husband named Grady

How does Shug end up staying at Mr. and Celie's house?

She is sick (most likely from an STD) and no-one wants to take her in, so Mr. goes to pick her up so he and Celie can take care of her

Who is Shug Avery? Where does she sing?

She is singer that Mr. __ is in love with and that Celie admires; at the Lucky Star

What does Celie do during sex? Why does Shug think she is still a virgin?

She pretends that she is not there; Because Celie hasn't felt pleasure while having sex yet

How does Nettie convince Corrine that Celie is the mother of Adam and Olivia?

She pulls out the quilt that was made from the fabric that Corrine bought on the day she met Celie

What does Celie mean when she says she's big?

She's pregnant

What does Shug want Mary Agnes to do?

Sing in public

Why is Harpo eating so much?

So that he can get as big as Sofia and beat her into submission

Why do Nettie and Celie work so hard to be educated?

So that they can run away

Who teaches Ms. Mille how to drive?

Sofia

What does Nettie thank her old teacher for?

Teaching her the want to keep on learning and how to teach herself knowledge

Where does Shug decide to move back to and wants Celie to go with her?

Tennessee

What surprised Nettie about slavery?

That Africans would sell other Africans and then send them to slave traders

What does Nettie tell Celie about their Pa?

That Alphonso is not their real dad and that their real dad was lynched

What does Harpo confide in Celie?

That he has fallen in love with a girl names Sofia

Why is Sofia in jail?

The mayor's wife saw how clean Sofia's kids were and asked her to be her maid. Sofia replied back with "hell no", and when the mayor slapped Sofia for her sass Sofia knocked him down

Why does Celie cherish the quilt she and Sofia are making?

The yellow dress that Shug gave her is in it

What is unique about the missionaries to the Olinka people?

They are African American and not white

What happens to the Olinka people when the government sells the land they own to a rubber factory in England?

They have to pay rent and taxes for water, and they have to hunt farther away

What does Celie discover about her 2 children?

They live with Reverend Samuel

What did Corinne and Samuel do for a living?

They were missionaries

What causes Mr. and Celie to feel close to each other when Mr.'s father comes to visit?

When Mr.'s father insults Shug they commit eye contact and feel protective of her

When does Celie confess to having feelings for Shug?

When she sees her undressed for the first time

After her husband dies, Catherine is made an honorary man. What important decision does this empower her to make?

Whether Tashi should get an education or not

How does Celie's old house look when Shug takes her to visit Pa?

a new beautiful house with a beautifully landscaped yard

Where do Sofia and Harpo live?

an old shack on Mr.'s land

For whom does Sofia work for when she is released from jail?

as a maid for the mayor's wife

Why does Corrine ask Nettie to stop wearing her clothes and to start addressing her and Samuel as if she were their sister?

because she doesn't want the villagers thinking that Nettie is the children's mom and Samuel's other wife

What were the words used to describe the people of Senegal?

blue black and shiny

What was young Albert good at doing?

dancing and making Shug laugh

What kind of business does Harpo open and where does he open it?

juke joint; where he and Sofia used to live

What does Celie want to do when she discovers that Mr. has been keeping letters from Nettie from her all these years?

kill him and exact revenge

What do Sofia and Celie decide to do when they become friends?

make a quilt out of the pieces of curtain that were ripped during Sofia and Harpo's recent fights

What special gift did the Olinka people give to the missionaries at the end of the welcoming ceremony?

their own roofleaf

How do the Olinka people first react to Nettie and the other missionaries?

they are welcoming and build them a house