Summary
Analysis
On the day of her wedding, Celie is attacked by one of Mr. ____'s children, the oldest boy, aged twelve. This boy, who is later revealed to be named Harpo, hates Celie and is still distraught over the death of his mother, Annie Julia, Mr. _____'s first wife. Harpo hits Celie with a rock. Celie finds out that Mr. _____ has four children, not the three she had initially heard about—two boys (Harpo and a younger boy named Bub), and two unnamed girls.
Ironically, it is Harpo, whose initial aggression toward Celie is so shocking, who will be the only of Mr. ____'s children to develop a loving relationship with Celie. The two younger girls, whose hair Celie braids, get pregnant later in the novel, and run away from Mr. ____'s home. They are not heard from again.
Celie tries, after the wedding ceremony, to detangle Mr. ____'s daughters' hair, and realizes the two girls haven't had baths since their mother's death. The girls go to sleep angry with Celie, because their heads hurt after the detangling. Celie lets Mr. ____ have sex with her, and thinks of her sister Nettie's safety, and then of Shug Avery, during the act.