When the two women visit Celie’s stepfather Fonso at the family home and attempt to find Celie’s parents’ unmarked grave, Shug tells Celie that they are now ‘one another’s people’. She tells Sofia in Harpo’s juke joint, that Sofia looks like ‘a good time’, a comment that surprises Celie as they are words that a woman would not be expected to say. Bub Albert's son; he is in and out of jail frequently. Shug would conventionally be considered ‘immoral’, yet she has respect for God. Celie describes her as sweet but many of Shug’s characteristics contradict that idea. Her clothes are elegant and of high quality and she takes pride in her appearance. Celie describes Shug at one point as having a mouth that is full of ‘claws’, like a wild animal. The Color Purple is a musical with a book by Marsha Norman and music and lyrics by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis, and Stephen Bray.Based on the 1982 novel of the same name by Alice Walker and its 1985 film adaptation, the show follows the journey of Celie, an African-American woman in the American South from the early to mid-20th century.. Sofia The outspoken and independent wife of Harpo. While audiences never get the full story, there are several scenes where Shug goes to the church in an attempt to talk to the preacher who is also her father. When Celie first lays eyes on Shug Avery, it is through a photograph of her. Shug reveals to Celie that her mother never really loved her and would not even touch her, whilst her father made sexual advances. She uses a simile to say that Avery is “like a queen.” Significantly, this means that she imagines Avery in a traditionally regal color, the color purple, which is of course the title of the novel. Shug Avery has two first names. The Color Purple is a 1982 epistolary novel by American author Alice Walker which won the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Award for Fiction. At this point in his life, he uses his love for Shug as an excuse to treat everyone else in his life inconsiderately (8) “Shug act more manly than most men . In the book, the character of Celie explores a lesbian relationship with character Shug Avery. 7. Upon its publication, The Color Purple unleashed a storm of controversy. one of my favorite parts of this scene is the "line" Shug is singing says, "let me tell you something" but then she hears the gospel coming across the fields and instead changes her song to be the one singing from the church..."God is trying to tell you something"...amazing.... You're all crazy. “It’s gon’ rain on your head!” Just plain funny, this offered comedic relief during a tough time. His tenderness reawakens that of Sofia. https://thecolorpurplerelationships.weebly.com/shug-and-her-father.html Celie continues to put Shug Avery on a pedestal. However, when Shug Avery enters her life, Celie’s quality of life starts to improve on the whole, and her newfound self-belief allows her to challenge societal expectations. The first time, her mother had gone to Macon to visit her sister, soon after giving birth to Celie’s sibling, Lucious. In her single-minded pursuit of Germaine she does not think about the pain this causes others. Shug reveals to Celie that her mother never really loved her and would not even touch her, whilst her father made sexual advances. In 1985, a Steven Spielberg film based on the novel was released to wide audiences and significant acclaim. As one of her nicknames suggests, she is the dominant character around which many people revolve. While Shug is portrayed as one of the stronger female roles in the film, she also faced her own struggles throughout her life, While audiences never get the full story, there are several scenes where Shug goes to the church in an attempt to talk to the preacher who is also her father, In all of these cases, her father looks right through her and ignores her, Shug is bound by her father’s expectations for her, He is appalled at Shug’s career choice as a blues singer and traveler, His disappointment in Shug’s promiscuity is also obvious, While audiences do see Shug as such a strong woman, and someone who helps Celie grow, it is not until towards the end of the film that she is finally liberated from her father’s judgments, Shug is singing and everyone seems to be having a good time, At the same time, her father is preaching to a church full of people and the choir begins to sing a song, Their locations are so close that Shug can hear the choir and begins to sing along, Eventually, she gets so lost in the music that she begins to make her way towards the church, The church doors open, and Shug’s father is shocked to see his daughter standing there beautifully singing the gospel, Shug looks at her father and says, “See, Daddy, sinners have soul too, This scene is not only heart-warming but it represents the final process of Shug’s discovery of acceptance in a man’s world, Shug Avery & Reconciliation with her Father. Singing at the bar set up by Mister’s son, Harpo, Avery (an … Celie has an abusive step father that rapes her at a young age and steals her children. Her first appearance in the novel is as a very sick woman, who arrives at her lover Albert’s house to be nursed back to health from some disease that she has caught while touring nightclubs as a professional blues singer. Shug Avery is not a typically submissive woman, nor a victim, but independent, capable and ‘outrageous’ - in fact the embodiment of Walker’s ‘womanish’ woman. When Celie is first introduced to Shug in person we get the feeling that Shug is a very cruel individual when she turns to Celie and says ‘You sure is ugly’. Shug Avery is a remarkable character, named Lillie by her parents but known to all her admirers as Queen Honeybee, Sugar or Shug. … For example, note that Albert never asks Shug to marry him, although he openly declares his love for her. Mr.__ proclaims his love for Shug Avery to his father, while Celie watches. She is also sometimes ruthless, telling Celie how she mistreated Albert’s first wife Annie Julia because she was jealous that he was married to someone other than herself. As a result, Shug learned to stand up for herself and left home to make her own way in life, achieving independence at an early age (a direct contrast to Celie’s timidity and lack of self-esteem). Similarly, Shug clearly enjoys the power of attraction she has over younger men like Grady, whom she marries, and the nineteen year old youth Germaine, with whom she has her ‘last fling’, even whilst recognising that such attraction is short-lived. He falls in love with Shug Avery, a bubbly blues singer. The 3 most prominent ladies in Celie’s life are here sister Nettie, her daughter-in-law Sofia and the vocalist Shug Avery. Instead of fearing his image as a white patriarchal male, she admires him as a spirit that inhabits every aspect of earthly life. Shug Avery was a woman. Mr. _____ leaves home unannounced and returns with the feeble Shug in his wagon. In a sense Shug is naive and childish. She HAD acceptance here; she sought and GOT Redemption in God's Kingdom through the Gospel (the good news of Jesus coming as King).He reconciliation with the "Father" and his reconciliation with her as he repents his legalism is the true meaning of this scene.Hope, Pastor MattP.S. Their relationship is based on storytelling, an outlet for Celie to talk of her past hardships, their constant communication is a contrast to Celie’s previous silence and solitude. I pray we all see through the world's lies and seek the TRUTH.P.S.S. In contrast, his first wife was driven to take a lover because she received so little attention from Albert. In 1982, Walker published her most famous novel, The Color Purple. Celie is raped by her stepfather and beaten for many years by her husband, only to have Shug Avery intervene on her behalf. Both her mother and father say that Shug’s promiscuity has gotten her what she deserves. The only people to whom Shug shows consistent kindness (apart from Albert) are Celie and Mary Agnes. In spite of her apparent sophistication and prosperity, the house in Memphis is not an elegant or tasteful dwelling, decorated as it is with statues of elephants and turtles and painted bright pink. The most beautiful women I ever saw. Despite having previously been intimidated by Albert, Harpo forces his way in. In this sense Shug is a symbol of freedom and fulfilment, showing a generosity of spirit that is lacking in many of the men who feature in the narrative. Shug’s description of herself as ‘wild’ and ‘mean’ is not only accurate but surprisingly honest and reveals the level of trust that exists between the two women. ... acceptance in a man's world?This world belongs to flesh and the devil. Disobedience to the known will of God. Note: … Initially, Shug Avery seems litile more than a flashy blues singer who is not only selfish, but also arrogant. To have her need to seek her father's approval in order to be happy is absolutely absurd. Shug confesses that she loves men with passion but never intends to be subordinate to any of them. It is Shug also who gives Celie an escape route, taking her to Memphis and supporting her financially and emotionally until Celie is able to support herself. The The Color Purple quotes below are all either spoken by Shug Avery or refer to Shug Avery. She hasn't done anything wrong to 'repent' for, and certainly doesn't need God to save her. Celie has her eyes on an ideal, on God as King and Avery as Queen. he say. She has many unorthodox views about life, relationships and religion and takes her bisexuality for granted, enjoying sleeping with both men and women. Shug wears fur, glamorous make-up, and a stunning hair style. She discovers the truth about Albert’s theft of Nettie’s letters and retrieves them for Celie, as well as ensuring that he will stop beating Celie. Celie on the other hand never seeks to be in the limelight and is so traumatised by her experiences with men that she can only cope with her shame by imagining that she is made of wood. Although Shug is the person who gives Celie the gumption to change and to leave Albert, her inability to stay with one person means that Celie has to find reasons within herself to maintain independence and not just depend on a fickle lover like Shug. Shug is sensual, independent and strong willed. When Celie sees a photograph of Shug Avery, she becomes immediately smitten with her beauty. She leads an irresponsible nomadic existence in many ways, appearing to give little thought to her three children and only trying to make contact with them towards the end of the novel. In the novel Shug is completely free from the brutal restrictions of the patriarchy and paves her own way as a successful, loving woman. Harpo Albert's misguided, immature son; Sofia's husband. She is sold to Mr. _____ and marries him. Shug Avery is sick, likely due to a sexually transmitted disease, and no one in the town will take her in. This is the worst part of this film. Shug (Lilly) Avery A blues singing, no-nonsense woman who teaches Celie about love and self-esteem. Representing society’s view that she is a disgrace who has a venereal disease, he insults her appearance and lifestyle. Shug breaks traditional conventions about sex, speaking to women using masculine phraseology and expresses sexual desire in her own particular way, as a bisexual. Shug Avery has had three children with Mr.____. She has a sister named Nettie. Kate and Carrie Albert's sisters who come to "inspect" Celie and her housekeeping. She also recognises latent talent in Mary Agnes, helping her to establish a career as a blues singer. Celie’s life only begins to change when a local girl-made-good, Shug Avery, returns to town. However in the film version this was reduced to a single kiss. Although Shug’s affair with Albert has lasted for many years, she has deserted the three children she bore him, leaving them to be brought up by her parents, who have disowned her because of her chosen lifestyle and what they see as her sinful ways. However, when Shug Avery enters her life, Celie’s quality of life starts to improve on the whole, and her newfound self-belief allows her to challenge societal expectations. sexually transmitted). For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one: ). (Walker. It was later adapted into a film and musical of the same name.. Avery is best known for her performance as Shug Avery in the 1985 period drama film The Color Purple for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. 6. To Celie, Shug is a great source of strength. She thinks she looks very glamorous and instantly begins to take a liking to her. You know Shug will fight, he say. Shug will never stay in one place or with one person, but she’ll keep returning because she never discards the people she loves. Celie immediately sees something more in Shug. Her mother had very little care for her and died at a young age. In Letter 33 for example, Shug claims to be a friend of Bessie Smith (see Synopses and commentaries > Letter 33; also Letter 46), but she is only portrayed once as a performer when she appears in Harpo’s juke joint and dedicates an original song to Celie, in appreciation of her nursing Shug back to health. Although her morality is unconventional she can at times make a strong moral stand, for example when she succeeds in persuading Albert to stop beating Celie and to attempt to be tender with her instead of just using her as a sex object. Violence and suffering in The Color Purple are typically depicted as part of a greater cycle of tragedy taking place both on the family level and on a broader social scale. Celie’s abuse at the hands of the man she thinks is her father, her life with her husband Mister – whose name she doesn’t learn for years – and the violence the women encounter are front and centre, with some dark moments, but Celie’s unwavering faith that she will be reunited with her children in heaven is the melody of hope and love throughout, and you may … If you find yourself being judged by the "Churchians" (Pharisees) and those captive in the flesh (lost people & demons), then PRAISE GOD! He cleans Albert’s house and spends nights sleeping beside his father to protect him from nightmares. Our first impression of Shug is negative. The Bible describes God as the unique supreme being, creator and ruler of the universe. We learn she has a reputation as a woman of dubious morals who dresses scantily, has some sort of “nasty woman disease,” and is spurned by her own parents. However, despite the attraction between them and the length of their relationship, Shug has never wanted to be Albert’s wife, only to make sure that he prefers her over all other females. Although Walker never tells us what caused the sickness, there are hints from townspeople and churchgoers that Shug’s lifestyle has resulted in her catching some kind of ’nasty woman’s disease’ (i.e. Margaret Avery as Shug Avery Táta Vega as Shug's singing voice; Akosua Busia as Nettie; Adolph Caesar as Old Mister, Mister's father; Willard Pugh as Harpo; Rae Dawn Chong as Squeak; Laurence Fishburne as Swain; Carl Anderson as Reverend Samuel; Grand Bush as Randy; Dana Ivey as Ms. Millie; Bennet Guillory as Grady; James Tillis as Henry "Buster" Broadnax; Leonard … Shug Avery Characters Shug Avery. Shug and Celie may share similar skin but their appearance and personalities are quite different: Shug tells Celie that she loves Albert because he is ‘funny’ and ‘little’ and that in the early years of their relationship they once dressed in one another’s clothes. This is exactly why Walker's amazing novel should never have been handed over to a clueless white man.. @Leah Johnson Shug didn’t do anything wrong and is sinless? Copyright © crossref-it.info 2021 - All rights reserved. However, the key to Shug's character is the element of surprise: Shug always catches us off-guard. The beginning of the book starts out with Celie's father raping her. She can also be savagely sarcastic and quick-tempered due to a sexually transmitted disease, and certainly does need! Died at a young age promiscuity has gotten her what she deserves love and self-esteem on an ideal, God. 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