In The Color Purple by Alice Walker there is an interesting relationship between the characters Sofia and Celie. The two definitely have their differences but also have similarities in some ways. One of the difference between Celie and Sofia which is the most obvious is the fact that Sofia has a stronger character than Celie because she can stand up to men and refuses to have her freedom taken away by anyone. Celie is the opposite in which she isn’t strong enough to fight for herself when she is being beaten by her husband, who’s in control of Celie’s freedom and what she does with her life. Sofia is a fighter who didn’t let the fact that she is a black women stop her from moving up. Around that time blacks worked for whites and the women usually had to follow the rules of their husband. Sofia wasn’t having it and wouldn’t be controlled by the white men who controlled the state or the black men who had power in the household, which is what made her the strong women that she is. Celie who is always told she isn’t good enough and is constantly subjected to violence in her household makes her feel weak and useless, which is why she’d rather keep to herself and God and stay invisible. Quoted in the text ” You got to fight. You got to fight. But I don’t know how to fight. All I know how to do is stay alive” (Walker 19 pdf). This quote shows that Celie isn’t much of a fighter as Sofia and she believed the way to make it through the harsh life she lived was by taking in all the pain, at least she was able to live another day rather than to fight and be killed. The only similarities between the two seemed to be that they are both black women living in Georgia. The relationship between the two women represent later on in the book because Sofia becomes a role model in Celie’s life and finds herself finally being able to stand up for herself. Quoted in the text ,”You a low down dog is what’s wrong, I say. It’s time to leave you and enter into the Creation. And your dead body just the welcome mat I need.” Celie is finally able to stand up to Albert and I would say its from watching Sofia and the ways she stood up for herself. Women around that time were very loyal to their husband and would usually be a slave in their own home; so Celie wasn’t the only women who couldn’t stand up to the horrible abuses she was subjected to.
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Strength is not always defined by how aggressive and how willing you are to fight. Sofia definitely is a no nonsense person whose primary reaction when attacked is to retaliate. I think Celie is no less strong and wisely waits until she and her situation evolves to the point where she has enough clout to register a rebuttal with little fear of retribution. She is not as physically imposing as Sofia and although she is not “book smart” she is sufficiently well aware of her lowly status and the likely repercussions of any actions of aggression against those that were in dominance of her. Celie’s strength is her ability to endure. There are few of us, me included that could not have endure what she did and for that length of time. I always admire people who can accomplish or exhibit endeavors that I cannot and Celie is one such person. She is indeed, to me the stronger when compared to Sofia.
I agree with you in regard to Sofia strong will, but Celie’s strength is just as strong, it just silenced and held captive by fear, so she chooses not to use her voice.