Epistolary

An Epistolary is literature in the form of a series of letters. This structure can be observed in Alice Walker's The Color Purple. The novel begins with Celie's letters to God. Later, her letters are to her sister, Nettie. Because Celie's father warned her that she can only talk to God about her rape and other fears, Celie uses the letters as a means of confession and catharsis. The letters are Celie's way of writing for survival, as Fanny Fern recommends in "Folly As It Flies." The letters provide Celie with a way to channel her pain and fear into writing. By writing letters to God, Celie is seeking comfort, and asking for his judgement.
The letters are also Celie's motivation to learn how to read and write. Before Nettie leaves, they promise to keep in touch with eachother by writing letters. Nettie is able to teach Celie some of what she has learned through her formal education. After Nettie leaves, Celie continues to educate herself in preparation of Nettie's correspondence. In this way, the letters inspire Celie's continuous education and development.
The letters are made up of parables. Celie's stories include religious and moral lessons, which include forgiveness and grace. The letters also document Celie's religious conversion from Christianity to a new sort of Pagan ideology.

-Elyse Rogers