Why is it called ‘The Color Purple’?

Alice Walker’s acclaimed novel, The Color Purple, has made waves since it was first published in 1982. Now, with a new musical film adaptation starring Taraji P. Henson, more people are pondering the meaning behind the book’s name.

This isn’t the first time an adaptation of The Color Purple has graced the big screen; Steven Spielberg directed an adaptation in 1985 which was famously snubbed at the Oscars the following year. The 2023 adaptation takes inspiration from the 2005 musical, and stars Fantasia Barrino as Celie, reprising her role after starring in the musical in 2007.

Like the novel, the film(s) follows the life of Celie, an African-American woman living in the South in the 1900s. Much of Celie’s early life is filled with sexual abuse, racism, and trauma; but by the end of the story, her love for herself grows as she becomes more confident and independent. The Color Purple can be a tough watch and the novel has been frequently censored for its dark content. Despite this, many readers have found hope and comfort in its pages throughout the years.

Cool — but why is the book called The Color Purple?

Near the end of the book, Shug tells Celie she thinks “it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don’t notice it.” This is the clearest reference to the title in the novel itself.

In 2016, Alice Walker hosted a Q&A session with Early Bird Books and answered a question about the book’s title as well as what is her connection to the color purple, seemingly confirming the title is from the above passage. “It actually could be any color you don’t notice… It speaks to our blindness about the wonder of this place. This earth we live in.” She went on to say she chose the color because it “seems so rare, but it’s everywhere. It’s in the shadows of rocks, it’s in the shadows of many things.”

Readers have also thought of other interpretations throughout the years. Earlier in the novel, Celie notes the color purple is often associated with royalty when she expresses her desire for a purple dress of her own. Celie undergoes a transformation where she turns into an empowered, confident woman throughout the novel; it would be easy to make a connection between the color and Celie’s newfound confidence. The 2023 film also implies this meaning when Nettie tells Celie they’re descended from African queens (watch the trailer above if you haven’t had the chance to see the film).

Regardless of the official meaning behind the title, one of the lovely things about art is you can interpret it however you like. If you read The Color Purple and thought the title meant something entirely different, that’s totally valid too!

The Color Purple hits theaters on Dec. 25, 2023.