The merciful nature of sexism, abuse, and how it can be overcome with the power of a voice and strong relationships, is shown in the thought-provoking novel, The Color Purple by Alice Walker. Set in rural Georgia in 1910, protagonist Celie chronicles her unfortunate life through confessional and religious letters written to God. Suffering verbal, physical, and sexual abuse, Celie's confidence is at an all-time low. He sees the world skeptically by focusing his writing on his feelings. As he begins to develop strong female relationships, his outlook on life changes, as does his writing style. Walker says that your past doesn't dictate your future, and that by altering your mindset and establishing powerful relationships, you can become a stronger person. Having grown up in an abusive home, suffering and sadness were never new feelings for her. Throughout her life Mr.____ has hurt her sexually, verbally and physically. It shaped the person she became, a young, unconfident girl who unfortunately saw the world as a very unfair place. Mr._____'s insignificance from Celie's perspective explains why she never gives him a name, but only gives him a black space, which metaphorically demonstrates exactly what he means to her; absolutely nothing. When the heroine begins to believe that she is someone, she tries hard to prove it by cursing the antagonist: “I curse you, I say. What does it mean, he says. I say that until you do right by me, everything you touch will fall apart." Mr.____ quickly destroys her hopes by saying “….Who do you think you are? He says. You can't curse anyone. Look at you. You're black, you're ugly, you're a woman. Damn it, he says, you're nothing at all” (Walker 25). With this, Mr.____ conveys that in his eyes, his frightening past… middle of paper… always tries to please us” (Walker 75). Shug demonstrates that she sees God's beauty around her and that it has not gone unnoticed. The color purple and other colors metaphorically mean many different things in the novel, bright colors symbolize happiness and dull colors symbolize sadness. Therefore, Celie's identity was developed and discovered with the assistance of Mr._____, Shug Avery, God, and the color purple. Starting with letters focusing on her feelings and dependence on God's help and moving on to the God within her. Walker tells the story of a young girl who changes her outlook on life and perseveres through difficult times. It successfully shows Celie's mindset and turning point and expresses that it is never too late to make a change. Works CitedWalker, Alice. The color purple. New York: Pocket Books, 1985. Print