Celie vs. Nettie

          Celie and Nettie are sisters in The Color Purple. They're separated early in the book, which results in different experiences for each of them. Celie stays in America and lives as Albert's wife, while Nettie acts as a missionary in Africa. These different environments resulted in the different religiousness, experiences with gender inequality, and treatment.
           Both Celie and Nettie have their own beliefs about God and religion. According to The Color Purple, Nettie may not be religious, even though she’s a missionary. On page 130, it states, “So there they were, all set to go with a ticket suddenly available and no missionary to give it to. At the same time, I wasn’t able to find a job anywhere around town”. Nettie travels to Africa with Samuel and Corrine because there was an extra ticket and Nettie couldn’t find a job. Therefore, she never actually joined the American and African Missionary Society, so there’s no proof that Nettie is religious. Conversely, Celie writes “Dear God…” on most of her letters. By writing to God, she’s showing her beliefs. Although it’s unclear what her religion is, she believes in God. Furthermore, Nettie’s relationship with God is more like a career while Celie is trying to ask for help. On page 185, Celie writes, “Dear God. Dear stars, dear trees, dear sky, dear peoples. Dear everything. Dear God. Thank you for bringing my sister Nettie and our children home”. In this final letter, Celie is thanking everything, especially God, for bringing Nettie, Adam, and Olivia back to America. This shows the original purpose of Celie’s letters were to ask God to bring them back. While Celie asked for help, Nettie worked as a missionary because there was nothing else for her at the time. A previous quote stated that Nettie couldn’t find work. Without an occupation, Nettie grasped at the first chance that came to her: going to Africa. She devoted herself to assisting Corrine and Samuel in teaching and converting the Olinkas. Being a missionary eventually became her life’s work. Celie and Nettie have their own views on religion. Nettie lack religion, while Celie turns to religion as a last resort when she was helpless. Both took different approaches and neither made great overall changes.
           In addition to different approaches to religion, Celie and Nettie have different approaches and reactions to the massive gender inequality. Nettie attempts to change the system while Celie stays on low-key until Shug shows her Nettie’s hidden letters. On page 161, Nettie told Tashi’s parents, “Then we should leave, I said. Sister Corrine and I”. Nettie wanted Tashi to be able to continue her education because she believed women should also be allowed to get an education. Nettie threatened to leave the Olinka village, which would stop the education of the boys, to get her way (her tactic didn’t work). This shows how deeply she believes in gender equality and how much she hates male predominance. While Nettie is trying to change the system in Africa, Celie begins to fight back in America. When Shug breaks it to Albert that Celie is going with her to Memphis, Celie says, “You a lowdown dog is what’s wrong, I say. It’s time to leave you and enter into the Creation. And your dead body is just the welcome mat I need”. After decades of suffering and mistreatment, Celie is finally standing up for herself. After leaving Albert, Celie’s life improved greatly, mostly because she lived with Shug and away from others who might discriminate her. So Nettie fought gender inequality the moment she saw it, but it took Celie a few decades to work up the courage.
           Throughout the book, Celie and Nettie are treated differently. Celie got it a lot worse than Nettie. For example, on page 22, it says, “He say, Celie, git the belt. The children be outside the room peeking through the cracks. It all I can do not to cry.” This quote shows Albert’s treatment to Celie. He beat her and all she could do was obey and try not to cry on the spot. It was only until Shug told Albert to stop that Albert actually stop using the belt. Besides that, Celie was married off so that Albert’s children would be taken care of and his house would be cleaned. It says on page seven, Albert wanted to marry Nettie because [his] poor little ones sure could use a mother.” Celie was married off and she did a good job of caring for Harpo and the others. However, Albert still beat her whenever he felt like it. While Celie suffered from brutal treatment, Nettie was pitied in Africa. On page 161, Tashi’s father told Nettie, “Do not be offended, Sister Nettie, but out people pity people such as you who are cast out, we know not from where, into a world unknown to you, where you must struggle all alone, for yourself.” When Albert forced Nettie off his land, she was forced to look after herself, all alone. What Tashi’s father said was completely true, including the part about being looked down on. So putting everything together, clearly, Celie is treated far more cruelly and inhumanly than Nettie.
          So Celie was treated far more brutally than Nettie, believes in God, and didn't rebel against the gender inequality. Nettie recieved better treatment, attempted to change the gender inequality, and may not be religious. The separation between Celie and Nettie caused these major differences between them, but their relationship remained the same. In the end, their differences didn't really matter.