So I mentioned that it was an epistolary novel, and Polly wodnered why she wrote letters- did she have no one to talk to?
So to first address that, no. She didn't. Celie, letter-writer, really didn't have anyone to talk to. The letters were written to two- some to God. It was more like writing a diary, but sometimes it's easier to write something for real if you know you're doing it for someone's benefit (like if you're just doing it for yourself, you might not try so hard). And the other person to whom the letters were addressed were her sister Nettie. But Celie never gets any return letters from Nettie (but that's a horse of an entirely different color), so I guess she kind of diary-izes that, too.
So what I was thinking about is what if it was written in the more traditional form? How do the letters make the book more realistic? How would it be different?
I think that these letters, these letters to know one, symbolize and help to convey Celie's helplessness. Her life is pretty tough, and when you've got no one to talk to, it's even worse. So I think that these letters make the book possible and realistic, and make the reader more empathetic when they can really see that she has shown what her life is- and her everyday life is our worst nightmare, and that's what makes it so hard to read... but then it's a book where you HAVE to find out what happens, make sure everything will be okay, and even when it's not, Celie got through it by writing letters. And if she can do that, think of everyone with more opportunities and more everything than Celie, who had NOTHING, and how quick we are to complain about the smallest things...
...just a thought.
Thanks for answering my question! So in my book the letters let the story be told from different perspectives. I think, from what you said, that in your book the letters let you have an even deeper look into Celie's life and as you said, makes the story more realistic. Do you think the same affect could have been achieved if the book had been narrated by Celie, but not written in letters by her? I don't think so. I think that letters allow the reader to get a totally different view into the character's life than the reader would otherwise. What do you think?
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with you about the deeper look aspect- she's not putting on a show for anything or anyone. Since with the letters to god especially she's not sending them to anyone or expectign anyone to believe them, she can write as the person she truly is rather than try to make herself different for anyone observing her facade.
ReplyDeleteHave either of you ever read "Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe"? It's also an epistolary novel, but not nearly as depressing. Not that depressing is a bad thing--the point of life is not be jolly every second, after all--but still it's a a bit lighter. It truly is one of my favorite novels. Come to think of it, epistolary novels tend to be high on my list. They're pretty rare, and you can almost always point to the fact that they're written in letter form as one major source of their effectiveness.
ReplyDeleteIf you read it, let me know what you think. But whatever you do, don't watch the movie before reading the book. It sucks.
p.s. Great discussion, guys. :-)