Celie's quest for self-discovery In The Color Purple by Alice Walker, Celie has many misconceptions about herself and her world. Because of her upbringing of pain and abuse and her ignorance of a better world, Celie's image of herself and her potential is very different from reality. The Color Purple, above all, is the story of Celie's growth and self-discovery, which she achieves through her own commitment to herself and through the help of Nettie and Shug. Celie considers herself ugly and stupid because she was told this by her father and her husband. In her young life, the only person who took time to care for and encourage Celie was her younger sister Nettie. She took the time to teach Celie from her schoolwork, after Celie had to leave school because her father had raped and impregnated her. As Celie says of her home education, inadequate as it may have been, "We're both studying Nettie's school books hard, because we know we have to be smart to go. I know I'm not that smart or that thoughtful."...