Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Color Purple, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
God and Spirituality
Race and Racism
Men, Women, and Gender Roles
Violence and Suffering
Self-Discovery
Summary
Analysis
Celie cooks a large breakfast for the family—eggs, biscuits, ham—and asks if Shug would like some. Shug says no, that she only wants coffee and cigarettes. Celie leaves Shug in her bedroom to fetch her some water. When Celie returns, Shug has nibbled some of Celie's ham and biscuit off her plate. Celie tells Mr. ____ this, and he is relieved that Shug has finally eaten something.
Food does seem, in the novel, to be an important occasion for family togetherness. Some of the most important decisions in the book, including Celie's ultimate break with Mr. ____ and desire to go to Memphis with Shug, occur around the dinner table, or at meal-time.
Themes
