Strong Independent Black Women, who don't need no men.

The presence of strong female characters in The Color Purple is a frequently reoccurring and interesting motif that significantly contributes to the development of theme, mainly through its empowerment of women in general, and by extension, Celie. Although only superficially through the book, the emergence of this theme has become quite evident. Celie has already met Nettie, Sofia, and Shug, all of which are some source of empowerment of women. At present, the contention that Celie herself represents a strong female character has little validity. The importance of this theme, the power of strong females, is particularly obvious when looking at how Celie herself is becoming empowered. Celie tells Harpo to hit Sofia to keep her in line, and is absolutely shocked when Sofia hits back, and wins a fight with Harpo. When Harpo complains about this, Celie tells him to not hit her. This small act of rebellion against a male figure demonstrates that strength is growing inside Celie, something which has been sapped by the rape and abuse she has endured since her childhood. It is the presence of these strong characters which gives Celie the courage to tell her stories, and create the novel. Nettie presents the character that Celie deems as perfect — she is better than Celie at everything, but when Celie garners praise from Nettie, it means a lot and is a significant boost to her self-esteem. Celie experiences a strong sexual attraction towards Shug, and although their relationship is at first volatile, Shug soon helps Celie explore her sexuality. Shug plays the role of a strong female in a markedly different way than Sofia. Whereas Sofia physically resists Harpo, Shug uses her sexual and physical attributes to control Mr. ____ and other men. Inevitable, the theme of power through female characters will be explored further, and other such characters will be found.