The Color Purple is an epistolary novel written by Alice Walker. This novel shows the growth and development of an average African American woman. This novel demonstrates the daily hardships imposed on black people and how they struggled to overcome them. It is a very controversial novel and touches on a variety of sensitive topics, from spousal abuse, to incest, to lesbianism. Alice Walker vividly explains the difficult, yet realistic, lives of blacks in their communities. He writes about how black men, who are inferior to white men right now, use their wives to provide them with a sense of importance. Women, in this time period, were seen as workers, rulers, and objects. “Celie's object status is evident early on when she is given to Albert [Mr.___] in place of Nettie [Celie's sister]…she is also a stand-in for Albert's true love, Shug” (Tucker 84). In The Color Violates the relationship between Celie and Mr. ___ undergoes many changes. Over the course of the novel, you begin to visualize the uncomfortable relationship they have and begin to see how this will ultimately transform Celie into the strong individual she truly is. There are several events that contribute to Celie's transition. “From the beginning of the novel there is an element of fantasy in the book. Smith 2Celie becomes the ugly duckling, who will ultimately be redeemed through suffering” (Harris 159). After being separated from her sister, Celie begins to realize that there is no one else for her but God. Walker captures this sense of abandonment by using epistolary to chronicle Celie's conversations with God through letters. Celie at this point in the story could be described as imageless. With... middle of paper... children who were taken from her at birth. Celie also realizes that her father, who was in fact her stepfather, left her a home. Celie finally leaves Mr. ___ to reunite with her sister and her children, whom she had never met. After their extraordinary journeys in life, Celie and Nettie finally reunite and live a happy and fulfilling life together with their family. Having won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1983 and also the National Book Award for Fiction, Alice Walker will forever be noted in history for breaking the literary barrier in African-American literature. Not only did it convey the importance of blacks, but it also distinguished the need for African American women in America. “No one has ever written a novel that so unequivocally presupposes that the lives and freedom of black women are of crucial importance and concern (insert 111)