Why is the Color Purple PG 13?
The Color Purple is rated PG-13 due to its mature themes, including incest, marital abuse, overt racism, and sexism, which are not suitable for young children, as well as its graphic content and strong language. The book’s explicit depictions of abuse, domestic violence, and sexual violence have led to it being banned in schools across the United States since 1984, making it a controversial and thought-provoking read for mature high school readers and adults.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Is The Color Purple for kids?
The Color Purple deals with serious themes that are not appropriate for young children, including incest, marital abuse, overt racism, and sexism, making it more suitable for mature readers.
2. Is The Color Purple appropriate for high school?
The Color Purple is sometimes included on high school reading lists for ages 16 and up, as it is considered suitable for mature high school readers due to its complex themes and mature content.
3. Why was The Color Purple criticized?
The Color Purple has been criticized for its depictions of race and sex, its portrayal of abuse and agony, and even its spelling and style, leading to it being one of the most challenged books in the nation.
4. Why was The Color Purple banned in the US?
The Color Purple was banned in schools across the United States since 1984 due to its sexual content and situations of abuse and domestic violence.
5. Is The Color Purple appropriate for a 12-year-old?
The Color Purple is not suitable for young children, including 12-year-olds, due to its intense drama and mature themes, including incest, marital abuse, overt racism, and sexism.
6. Why is The Color Purple banned in schools?
Attempts to ban The Color Purple usually contest Walker’s use of slang and profanity, the book’s portrayal of brutal Black men, a same-sex encounter between the two main characters, and its depiction of sexual violence in its first pages.
7. Why are names censored in The Color Purple?
The censoring of names in The Color Purple may be used to add to the sense of realism by blanking the name, making the reader feel as though the author is trying to protect a real person’s identity.
8. What is the main problem in The Color Purple?
The main problem in The Color Purple is Celie’s verbal, physical, and sexual abuse by several different men, leaving her with little sense of self-worth, no narrative voice, and no one to run to.
9. Did Celie and Shug sleep together?
Celie and Shug do sleep together, and their relationship becomes physical as Shug teaches Celie about God, sexuality, and love.
10. Why was Harpo eating so much according to Celie?
Harpo was eating so much in an attempt to get as big as Sofia so that he could finally beat her into submission.
11. Did Celie and Mister have kids together?
Celie and Mister have no children together, but Mister and Shug have three children together, and Celie’s children are the result of her being raped by her stepfather.
12. Was The Color Purple based on a true story?
While The Color Purple is not based on a real story, it is set in a very real time and era, and the characters represent many people who lived through similar circumstances.
13. Why is it called The Color Purple?
The title The Color Purple comes from the modern English word purple, which derives from the Latin purpura, and the Greek πορφύρα (porphura), the name of the Tyrian purple dye.
14. Is The Color Purple difficult to read?
The Color Purple is not an easy book to read due to its unique writing style, which does not provide all the information about the characters and the setting, making it a challenging but thought-provoking read.
15. Is The Color Purple still banned?
The Color Purple has been challenged multiple times since its publication and was banned from school libraries in the United States between 1984 and 2013, but it remains a significant and influential work of American literature.