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Main Characters
Celie
Celie as a teenager
Played by:
Desreta Jackson (young), Whoopi Goldberg (adult), 1985 film
Phylicia Pearl Mpasi (young), Fantasia Barrino (adult), 2023 remake
The protagonist and narrator. She starts off as an illiterate girl who is raped by her stepfather and separated from the two children he impregnated her with. At fourteen and through her adult years, Celie must stick with her abusive husband, who separates her from her sister for decades.- Acting Your Intellectual Age: downplayed. Celie has slight moments of childishness, like pulling small pranks she can get away with, which can be justified in that she’s basically been living the same way from a child to an adult.
- But Not Too Gay: In the original book, Celie explicitly has romantic feelings for Shug, and the two have sex. In the movie adaptation, their romance is relegated to a kiss scene and subtext.
- Butt-Monkey: For a lot of the movie, she gets the worst end of pretty much anything that happens. See Dark and Troubled Past below.
- Character Development: As the movie goes on, she takes more and more advice from the strong willed women she meets, like Shug and Sofia.
- Conditioned to Accept Horror: Her childhood consists of a man sexually abusing and beating her. By the time she meets Shug, she seems to be convinced it’s not a big deal when her husband does it.
- Dark and Troubled Past: Oh boy. She starts off the story having been sexually abused by her stepfather, bearing two of his kids, and having them be taken away, and that all happens at FOURTEEN. Then, she’s married off to an abusive man twice her age, and denied all contact from her sister, Nettie.
- Does Not Like Men: Celie, even going so far as to compare them to frogs in the novel. Considering how she's been treated by most of the men she knows, it's hard to really blame her.
- The Dog Bites Back: Near the end of the film, she tells off Mister in front of his family and friends, and runs off with Shug, her husband, and Squeak.
- Earn Your Happy Ending: The film's finale sees her finally free of Mister, inheriting her childhood home after her despicable father dies, starting a successful business as a tailor, and reunited with her beloved sister Nettie, accompanied by her missing (and long-believed dead) children.
- Extreme Doormat: Justified; she’s not only the spouse of an abusive husband who will beat her if she doesn’t follow orders, but she’s also an African American living in 1930s America. She grows out of this as the movie progresses.
- Foil: To Nettie. Both are sisters who grew up on the same farm by the same man, but while Nettie became educated and traveled to Africa, Celie was married to a man and was stuck in the same town she grew up in.
- She's also this to Shug. While both have a connection to Mister, Shug is a confident, beautiful woman with a talent for singing, while Celie is a conventionally unattractive woman who tends to stick to the wall and not bring attention to herself.
- House Wife: Eventually and singlehandedly turns "Mister"'s slovenly dump of a house into a well-kept, clean home, organized and with delicious food constantly being produced in the kitchen.
- I Am Not Pretty: Since she’s been told all her life how unattractive she is, she pretty much takes it as fact that she’s ugly. This is subverted a few times in the movie by characters such as Shug elaborating that she isn't actually ugly, she just doesn't dress up (what reason would she have living with abusers like Pa and Mister?) and other characters comments on her appearance being based in anti-Blackness and as such one could say that if they weren't antiBlack they might not have thought her to be ugly at all.
- Nice Girl: Celie rarely seems to have much bad to say about people, and offers help to those who need it. Possibly deconstructed, since this could be a symptom of all the abuse she’s endured.
- "Reason You Suck" Speech: Gives a spectacular one to Mister during a Thanksgiving dinner, finishing it off by giving him a curse, and leaving with Shug and her husband.
- Straight Gay: The book has no qualms with making it clear that Celine has no interest in men, and develops romantic feelings for Shug.
- Supreme Chef: Wins over the initially hostile Shug with a scrumptious breakfast fit for a queen. Her cooking is apparently so great even Albert's pop "Old Mister" is compelled to defend it.
- Sympathetic Adulterer: Celie's affair with Shug is portrayed as being on the good side because she is abused by her husband and she is basically his slave too powerless to do anything about him.
- Tomboy with a Girly Streak: Played with. She takes care of most of the housework, but teaches herself to read (when women didn’t go to school) and eventually gets a job and lives on her own.
- Tranquil Fury: Is disturbingly calm and quiet in the instance towards the climax of the film, when she is about to shave (and probably slit the throat) of Mister.
Mister/Mr.
Played by:
Danny Glover, 1985 film; Colman Domingo, 2023 remake
Celie’s husband, who abuses her regularly for years. After his first wife dies, and he originally wanted to marry Nettie, but ended up with Celie instead. His real name is Albert Johnson.
- Abhorrent Admirer: He is first this to Nettie, and later shows to be this to Shug.
- Asshole Victim: Considering how he treats Celie, when Shug throws his food to the side and rejects all of his niceties, it’s rather cathartic.
- The Atoner: In the movie's climax (after Celie has finally left him and he has his Heel Realization) he takes steps to bring her sister Nettie and Celie's estranged children back to the United States from Africa, in an attempt to make up for the utter hell he put his ex-wife through for years.
- Blatant Lies: During their climactic breakup, he tries to denigrate Celie by claiming that she's "not that good of a cook" and that "[his] house ain't been cleaned good since [his] first wife died". Anyone who sees how well Celie transformed Mister's house and the breakfast banquet she cooks for Shug knows this is all utter b.s..
- Domestic Abuse: He constantly talks down to Celie, rapes her quite often, and physically harms her when she doesn’t do what he asks.
- Domestic Appliance Disaster: He has no idea how to do any household chores (especially cooking), but insists on preparing breakfast for Shug Avery. Thinking the (fire fueled) oven does not work fast enough, he pours too much petrol in it and the inevitable bonfire ensues.
- Drowning My Sorrows: After Celie leaves him, his life takes a serious downturn and he is found more often than not drunk off his ass.
- Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": Mister. In the novel, Celie just calls him "Mr. ___" and notes that others call him "Albert"; the film canonizes Albert Johnson as his name.
- Freudian Excuse: After meeting his father (a fiercely misogynistic creep who verbally abuses his son), we get an inkling as to why Mister turned out the way he did. Celie even lampshades this when, at the climactic dinner, she tells Mister's father that "if [he] hadn't been 'your Boy', he might've made been a halfway decent man."
- Get Out!: Forcibly throws poor Nettie out of his house after she fights off his attempted sexual assault.
- Good Adultery, Bad Adultery: While both Mister and Celie commit adultery, his is on the bad side. Mister carries on a romantic (and sexual) relationship with Shug Avery (even having her stay with Mister and Celie in their home), and is pretty damn flagrant about it. He is able to get away with it because Celie is basically his slave and thereby powerless to even object, let alone do anything about it.
- Good Feels Good: Albert finally "doing right by" Celie, by paying for her family to come back from Africa. He nods his head and profound smile crosses his face as he witnesses their joyful reunion.
- Heel Realization: After Celie curses him, he realizes that all of his misery is his own undoing and tries to reform himself. He ends the story with paying for Nettie to come back to America.
- Hypocrite: He tells Harpo that young women only bring trouble to dissuade him from staying with Sofia. That’s rich coming from the guy who lusted after Nettie and married Celie, both of whom were under 16 when they met.
- Kick the Dog: He beats and rapes Celie insanely often, with no regard for her wellbeing.
- Lethal Chef: His attempt at cooking breakfast for Shug ends in disaster, with everything burnt to a crisp. "Mister" himself is still smoking while he serves it.
- Papa Wolf: He's never going to be in the discussion for "Father of the Year", but he does make sure to look after Harpo's interests when he and Sofia announce their intention to marry. He is also quick to jump to his son's aid when he is attacked during the Bar Brawl that breaks out at Harpo's jook joint.
- Scary Black Man: Arguably the second biggest example of this, next to Alphonso. The musical deconstructs this; he describes how he has dealt with being a broke, black man in 1920s America with a dead wife in a time period where gender roles were very enforced, and dealing with a father who was the son of a slave made him bitter and violent.
- Would Hurt a Child: He not only rapes and beats 14 year old Celie, at one point early in the film he runs after a younger Harpo with a whip.
Nettie
Played by:
Akosua Busia,1985 film
Halle Bailey (young), Ciara (adult), 2023 remake
Celie’s younger sister that Mister wanted to marry, but ended up with Celie instead. Unable to stay at Mister’s house, she goes to Africa as a missionary with the priest, his wife, and Celie’s two children. She is portrayed by Akosua Busia in the 1985 film. She is portrayed by Halle Bailey as a teenager and by Ciara as an adult.
- Beauty Equals Goodness: Shes described as Celie’s prettier sister, and she’s a sweet girl who loves her sister.
- Flower Motif: Celie and Nettie are heavily associated with the flowers they frolicked in as children.
- To drive the trope home (in a dark fashion), Mister "greets" her with a bunch of flowers tucked in his hat before he attempts to rape her.
- The Determinator: Absolutely nothing stops her from writing to Celie; not being kicked out by Mister, not moving to Africa, and not even the Olinka village getting completely decimated."Nothing but DEATH can keep me from her!"
- Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: Downplayed. Neither Celie or Nettie are foolish, but Nettie is a more idealistic than Celie.
- Go-Getter Girl: She's a peppy, upbeat girl who wants to learn and improve her life.
- Groin Attack: How she manages to escape Mister's lewd assault.
- The Lost Lenore: She’s this for the first half of the book and movie, because Celie believes she’s dead.
- The Pollyanna: She’s very chipper, and determined to find happiness for her sister and herself. Even when she’s separated from Celie and both are begging to not be, she’s determined to never stop writing from her and to see her again. Even the Olinkan village burning doesn’t diminish her hope.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Very wisely gets the hell out of Dodge when her father makes pervy moves on her. Unfortunately, she flees to Celie and Mister's home, where Mister soon enough does the same.
- The Smart Guy:Nettie is a well educated girl who teaches her sister and her sister’s children to read, and she can also speak the Olinkan language.
Shug Avery
Played by:
Margaret Avery, 1985 film; Taraji P. Henson, 2023 remake
A blues singer, who once had a fling with Mister. A sassy, self made woman, she develops a loving, somewhat romantically reciprocated relationship with Celie. Desperately seeks to repair her relationship with her estranged preacher father. She is portrayed by Margaret Avery in the 1985 film and Taraji P. Henson in the 2023 remake.
- All There in the Manual: The novel reveals her real first name is "Lilli".
- Closet Key: Shug is this for Celie, who wasn't attracted to men or anyone prior to meeting her for the first time and helps Celie realize she is a lesbian.
- Cool Big Sis: She starts out as this for Celie, helping her stand up for herself and have fun. But their relationship develops into something decidedly different and more sexual later.
- Innocently Insensitive: when she first sees Celie, she calls her ugly and laughs at her face. She later sincerely apologizes.
- Known Only by Their Nickname: "Shug" is not her real name, but rather a diminutive of "Sugar".
- Madonna-Whore Complex: Several guys in town find her hotter than their wives, but it seems none of them respect her in the sense of seeing her as wife material. Mister, in contrast, worships the ground she walks on, but she finds him to be a “weak” man, likely because she can tell how deeply insecure he is.
- Preacher's Kid: She's an independent and brash "loose woman"...which is why she is semi-estranged from her father, the town reverend. They begin reconciling by the end of the story.
- Sassy Black Woman: Like Sofia, she doesn’t let people boss her around, and she has a sarcastic sense of humor.
- "Well Done, Daughter!" Gal: Her relationship with her father fell apart long ago, and she spends years attempting reconciliation, trying to prove she's a changed person.
Sofia
"All my life I had to fight!"
Played by:
Oprah Winfrey, 1985 film; Danielle Brooks, 2023 remake
A large woman with a fierce personality who befriends Celie and marries Harpo. Unlike Celie, Sofia refuses to submit to anyone else, whether they are white, rich, or men.
- Big Beautiful Woman: A stoutly built female with an even bigger effect on her suitors. During a break-up between Harpo and Sofia (despite Harpo now seeing Squeak), Harpo still cannot get over his ex-wife, even climbing the rafters of his juke joint in to spy on her. Meanwhile Sofia is dating another man who is quite enamored with her. Harpo still demands a dance with her and once she hesitantly acquiesces he is almost immediately charmed out of his formerly surly mood at seeing her there with another man.
- Born in the Wrong Century: Both the book and the film indicate that she is way ahead of her time, which is what gets her beaten, jailed and spiritually broken for a long while.
- Dark and Troubled Past: When she confronts Celie for her spurring Harpo to hit her, she tells Celie that she has had to fight all of her life. Her assertion that some of the people she had to fight include her father, uncles, and brothers suggests that she had a very unpleasant childhood, to say the least.
- Hair-Trigger Temper: Her husband Harpo rightfully fears her wrath. Her reckless fearlessness proves her downfall when she decks not only a white man, but the town's mayor.
- The Lad-ette: Don't try to hit this woman. You'll get the hardest beating.
- Megaton Punch: Seems adept at delivering these, as she floors her husband Harpo, Squeak and the Mayor throughout the course of the film.
- She's Back: Invoked when she returns to her old self after being encouraged by Celie telling off Mister and leaving.Old Mr.: Oh my God, the dead has arisen.
- Stranger in a Familiar Land: After she's finally released from prison, it's been so long that she cries because she no longer knows any of her friends or family.
- What Have I Done: As soon as she decks the mayor, she realizes she's screwed up catastrophically, buries her face in her hands and screams at her friend to "get [her] children out of here!".
- Yank the Dog's Chain: Miss Millie "graciously" allows Sofia to visit her children on Christmas, saying she can stay "the whole day" (or at least until 5PM). But her reunion is cut drastically short when Miss Millie proves unable to drive herself home and panics, demanding that Sofia take them back.
- Younger Than They Look: She and Sofia are likely very close to the same age (maybe late twenties at the time of the street altercation with the mayor), but after her eight year ordeal in jail, her grey hair, haggard features and hunched, staggerly walk makes her looks like she's at least 60.
Harpo
Played by:
Howard Star (young), Willard E Pugh (adult), 1985 film
Corey Hawkins, 2023 remake
Mister’s eldest son. Somewhat a childish goofy man who marries Sofia. He is portrayed by Howard Starr as a child and Willard Pugh as an adult in the 1985 film. He is portrayed by Corey Hawkins in the 2023 remake.
- Blatant Lies: After his disastrous attempt to "beat Sofia into timidity" (resulting in a black eye and busted lip for him), he tells his father that Ol' Joey the mule "just went wild".
- Bratty Half-Pint: When we first meet him, he's about 10 years old and hits his new stepmother Celie with a rock.
- Butt-Monkey: Has a number of humorous misfortunes occur to him throughout the film (Sofia beats him up, gets choked during a melee at his restaurant), the most frequent being his tendency to fall through the roof.
- Domestic Abuse: Learns from Celie (and probably from watching his father carry it out) that he should beat his woman. In the film we only see him try this one time and he comes to regret it.
- Henpecked Husband: Sofia clearly wears the pants in their marriage. And the one time he tries to turn the tables and assert his dominance, his wife forcibly puts him back in his place.
- Running Gag: Harpo never met a roof he couldn't fall through.
Squeak
Played by:
Rae Dawn Chong, 1985 film; H.E.R., 2023 remake
Harpo’s mulatto (mixed race) lover after he and Sofia separate.
- Bullying a Dragon: She finds out the hard way that it's not a good idea to slap Sofia. Especially after calling her a heifer. Several times.
- Clingy Jealous Girl: Understandably becomes quite upset when her boyfriend Harpo and his ex Sofia renew their acquaintance in a very passionate manner. But insulting (and slapping) Sofia was clearly not wise.
- Grew a Spine: Late in the film, inspired by Sofia, she rejects her nickname, stating "My name is Mary Agnes".
- Known Only by Their Nickname: When Sofia "comes back to life", Squeak announces her name is not "Squeak"; it's Mary Agnes.
- Oh, Crap!: Her immediate (and perfectly appropriate) reaction after slapping the fearsome Sofia.
Pa Harris (Alphonso)
"You better not tell nobody but God- it'd kill yo mama!"
Played by:
Leonard Jackson, 1985 film; Deon Cole, 2023 remake
Celie and Nettie’s stepfather, who regularly sexually abused Celie before marrying her off to Mister.
- Abhorrent Admirer: To Celie and Nettie.
- Hate Sink: There isn't one admirable trait about the man. Even when he denies Mr. Nettie's hand in marriage for one reason being her being too young (although Celie herself is also a child and who he has been assaulting) it is pretty much made clear in the film that really he just wants to keep Nettie for himself while he has already raped Celie (to quote him, Celie isn't "fresh" but Nettie is).
- Old Man Marrying a Child: Celie's stepmother, whom she meets at Pa's funeral, looks barely older than Celie herself when Pa married her off to Mister. And the new wife has a toddler in her arms.
- Out with a Bang: He dies while having sex with his current wife; when asked how he died, his child bride covers her toddler's ears, and says softly, "On top of me". In the novel, Celie hopes that he'd gotten struck by lightning or died from a terrible disease, and is disappointed when she finds out he died quickly and relatively peacefully.
- Parental Incest: Celie and Nettie are regularly abused by their father, who has sexually assaulted Celie and impregnated her twice. He later tries to do the same with Nettie but she escapes. Thankfully, it turns out he was not their biological father.
- Would Hurt a Child: He sexually abuses both his daughters, rapes and impregnates Celie twice and is implied to have murdered his own grandchildren after they're born. Thankfully, the grandchildren weren't murdered, but given up for adoption.
