The Colour Purple is a book in which the horror of domestic violence, towards wives and children alike, is bought to life in the letters which Celie addresses to god (and later to her sister Nettie) as she grows up and is forced to marry an abusive husband who is in love with another woman. 

The two main characters who suffer violent attacks in the novel are Celie and Sofia, who both experience abuse in their childhood and marriages. Sofia tries to combat her domestic violence by being violent herself, however this later lands her in prison where she slowly wastes away.

 

This is, in essence, a powerful feminist novel about a woman finding out who she is and what she can become. Celie hears about Shug Avery (the woman her husband is in love with) and immediately feels a rush of adoration for her so when she falls ill, and her husband brings her to the house- Celie nurses her back to health and the two become good friends.

Celie is affected by Shug's rebellious spirit and leaves the family to travel with Shug which is when  her journey to finding out who she really is begins.