Reunited And It Feels So Good!

Dear Nettie,

The only piece of mail Mr. ____ ever put directly in my hand is a telegram that come from the United States Department of Defense. It say the ship you and the children and you husband left Africa in was sunk by German mines of the coast of someplace called Gibralta. They think you all drowned. Plus, the same day, all the letters I wrote to you over the years come back unopened.

I sit here in this big house all by myself trying to sew, but what good is sewin gon do? What good is anything? Being alive seem to be an awful strain.

Your Sister, Celie (Walker 259)

This was the letter that Celie wrote to Nettie when she heard about her sister's death. From this point until the end, I did not enjoy the book as much, because Nettie died. Celie waited all her life to be reunited with her sister, only to hear that the ship she was in was blown up by a German mine, the beginning of WW II. It wasn't fair that Celie lived her whole live mistreated by those around her, and the first person that ever loved her was ripped out of her life by something that wasn't even her fault.

Despite this I thought that Alice Walker was able to conclude the book smoothly. Mr. ____ and Celie were able to come to terms, and although they still do not love each other, they have developed a strong, mutual respect for one another. After her "father," Alphonso, died, she moved back to her house since it was left to her and Nettie in the will. After this, though, her relationship with Shug Avery practically disintegrated. Although there is no doubt that Shug still loved Celie and vice versa, Shug wants a little bit of freedom in her life, meaning she wants to have a relationship with a man who is a third of her age and a member of her band, Germaine.

This is what brings Mr. ____ and Celie together. Even though Celie is financially independent and able to speak up for herself, the pain she feels by this blow is almost unbearable. The only one who understands this pain is Mr. ____ because he knows how it feels when Shug Avery leaves, like an empty hole in your heart. But this also shows how Celie has grown as a person, because she is able to survive from short lapses in Shug's attention. Like I mentioned before, a sort of cordial relationship forms between Celie and Mr. ____, and they begin to enjoy talking together about their friends, family, and their love for Shug Avery. Shug returns when Celie writes her that Nettie has died.

Surprise, though! In Celie's final letter, who should come to their house but NETTIE! Nettie, Samuel, Olivia, Adam, and Tashi are alive, and Celie introduces them to her "family" meaning Harpo, Sofia, Shug, and finally Albert. Yes, she is calling Mr. ____ Albert now, showing her remarkable transformation from a young, abused child, into a woman still growing and being nurtured in a loving community. I liked the ending of this book, because Walker was able to solve almost every conflict featured in the book. Some concern was voiced about this before, but Nettie was smoothly integrated back into Celie's life, without any conflict with Shug Avery. This is all revealed to the reader during the reunion picnic featuring Celie, Nettie, and the rest of the main characters. Mistreated all of her life, Celie was finally reunited with her sister, and her somewhat pessimistic narration has turned around to an optimistic flair.