Friday, January 15, 2016

What bruises does Harpo have in The Color Purple?

Harpo has bruises because he tried to beat his wife, Sofia.  His father has told him that it's the only way to make a woman mind what her husband says because wives are like children.  Even Celie has advised Harpo to beat Sofia in part because she is jealous of their marriage (when hers is so awful and abusive) and in part because she feels that Sofia pities her, and she thinks that getting beaten would take Sofia down a peg.  


However, the next time Celie sees Harpo, his face is covered in bruises.  He says the bruises came from his mule going crazy in the field, and then he says he walked straight into the door frame and hurt his face there too.  Further, he claims that he accidentally shut the window on his hand, but Celie knows that all the bruises came from Sofia beating back on Harpo when he tried to beat on her. 

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