History Literature / TheColorPurple

* GrewASpine: Late in the film, Squeak, inspired by Sofia, rejects her nickname, stating "[[TheyCallMeMisterTibbs My name is Mary Agnes]]".

* BornInTheWrongCentury: Both the book and the film indicate that Sofia is way ahead of her time, which is what gets her beaten, jailed and spiritually broken for a long while.

* BullyingADragon: Squeak finds out the hard way that it's not a good idea to slap Sofia. Especially after calling her a heifer. Several times.

* KnownOnlyByTheirNickname: "Shug" is not Shug's real name, but rather a diminutive of Sugar. There's only one line in the novel that reveals her real name, which is Lilli. When Sofia "comes back to live", Squeak announces her name is not Squeak; it's Mary Agnes.

* GoodFeelsGood: Albert finally "doing right by" Celie, [[spoiler:by paying for her family to come back from Africa]].

* DoesNotLikeMen: 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.

* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: Mister. In the novel, Celie just calls him "Mr. ___" and notes that others call him "Albert;" the film canonizes Albert Johnson as his name.

* DomesticApplianceDisaster: Albert 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.

* IllGirl: Henrietta suffers from sickle cell anemia.

* LivingWithTheVillain: From an arranged marriage no less.

* StrangerInAFamiliarLand: After Sofia returns from prison, it's been so long that she cries because she no longer knows any of her friends or family.

* OldManMarryingAChild: 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.
* OutWithABang: Pa 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 [[KarmaHoudini is disappointed when she finds out he died quickly and relatively peacefully.]]
* ParentalIncest: Celie and Nettie are regularly abused by their father Pa who has sexually abused Celie and impregnated her twice. He later tries to do the same with Nettie but she escapes. [[spoiler:Thankfully, it turns out her father was not their biological father.]]

* [[HesBack She's Back]]: Invoked when Sophia returns to her old self after being encouraged by Celie telling off Mister and leaving.
-->'''Old Mr.:''' Oh my God, the dead has arisen.

* TheLadette: Don't try to hit Sofia. You'll get the hardest beating.

-->'''Old Mr.:''' The dead has come back to life.

* ScreamingBirth: Celie is depicted going through this in the beginning as she screams, sweats and bleeds profusely through a very painful birth before her second child, a girl she named Olivia, is born.

* ParentalSubstitute: In the book, Sophia becomes the mother of Squeak's children with Harpo, her own children having forsaken her.
* ParentalIncest: Celie and Nettie are regularly abused by their father Pa who has sexually abused Celie and impregnated her twice. He later tries to do the same with Nettie but she escapes. [[spoiler:It turns out her father was not her biological father.]]

* OldManMarryingAChild: Celie's stepmother, whom she meets at Pa's funeral, looks barely older she herself was when Pa married her off to Mister. And she has a toddler in her arms.

* KnownOnlyByTheirNickname: "Shug" is not Shug's real name, but rather a diminuitive of Sugar. There's only one line in the novel that reveals her real name, which is Lilli. When Sofia "comes back to live", Squeak announces her name is not Squeak; it's Mary Agnes.

* KnownOnlyByTheirNickname: "Shug" is not Shug's real name, but rather a diminuitive of Sugar. There's only one line in the novel that reveals her real name, which is Lilli. When Sophia "comes back to live", Squeak announces her name is not Squeak; it's Mary Agnes.

* INeverGotAnyLetters: When they're separated, Nettie declares only death will stop her from writing, but [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin no letters come]]. Mister, meanwhile, refuses to let Celie at the mailbox, saying he'll beat her if she opens it. [[spoiler: He's hiding all of Nettie's letters to spite her for fighting off his rape attempt. Celie and Shug find a whole trove of them.]]

* HenpeckedHusband: Harpo seems to be one, as Sophia seems to bully him around. Mr. telling him to hit her causes their separation, but it's repaired by the end of the film, when Mr. says, "It sure is nice... to see... you two together again."
* HideYourLesbians: The lesbian themes of the book gets scrapped in the movie, aside from Celie still finding Shug pretty and one kiss scene.

* HenpeckedHusband: Harpo seems to be one, as Sophia seems to bully him around. Mr. telling him to hit her causes their separation, but it's repaired by the end of the film, when Mr. says, "It sure is good to see... you two together again."

* DomesticApplianceDisaster: Albert has no idea how to do any household chore, 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.

* BigScrewedUpFamily: It's revealed that Albert's evil streak was instilled in him by his father, same goes for Harpo by Mister. In addition, Albert is in love with Shug, but is forced to live with someone he doesn't love, Celie -- and Celie receives a good amount of abuse for not being Shug.
* BloodyHandprint: Celie leaves a bloody handprint on a rock on the ground (in graphic view) after being struck by one of her stepchildren.

* AdaptedOut: The mayor's daughter Eleanor Jane. She is the sole white character who gets an inkling of the injustices Sofia and other blacks have suffered. She attempts to atone for her part in the unjust treatment of Sofia by caring for Sofia's daughter Henrietta, and is the one who reunites Sofia with her family, eventually leading to the ShesBack moment described below.

* AdaptedOut: The mayor's daughter Eleanor Jane. She is the sole white character who gets an inkling of the injustices Sofia and other blacks have suffered. She attempts to atone for her part in the unjust treatment of Sofia by caring for Sofia's daughter Henrietta, and is the one who reunites Sofia with her family, eventually leading to the She's Back moment below.

* AdaptedOut: The mayor's daughter Eleanor Jane. She is the sole white character who gets an inkling of the injustices Sofia and other blacks have suffered. She attempts to atone for her part in the unjust treatment of Sofia by caring for Sofia's daughter Henrietta, and is the one who reunited Sopfia with her family that eventually leads to the She's Back moment below.