<P> The Color Purple won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1983, making Walker the first woman of color to win the prize . Walker also won the National Book Award for Fiction in 1983 . Mel Watkins of the New York Times Book Review wrote that it is a "striking and consummately well - written novel," praising its powerful emotional impact and epistolary structure . </P> <P> While the novel has garnered critical acclaim, it has also been the subject of controversy . It is 17th on the American Library Association's list of most frequently challenged or banned books . Commonly cited justications for banning the book include sexual explicitness, explicit language, violence, and homosexuality . The book received greater scrutiny amidst controversy surrounding the release of the film adaptation in 1985 . The controversy centered around the depiction of black men, which some critics saw as feeding stereotypical narratives of black male violence, while others found the representation compelling and relatable . </P> <P> Celie is the main character of the novel . She is shown to have experienced abuse at the hands of men for most of her life: she is routinely beaten and raped by her supposed father, with whom she has two children during her adolescence and whom he gives away . He later gives her away to be married to Mister, who is in love with Shug Avery, a blues singer . When Shug comes to recover from an illness in Mister and Celie's home, it leads to an intimate relationship between Celie and Shug . Celie and Shug's relationship later develops a romantic and sexual dimension culminating in their sleeping together; this being Celie's first positive sexual experience . Shug has a significant influence on Celie, who begins to draw inspiration from Shug's independence, leading her ultimately to her own independent attitude . Shug not only influences the way that Celie allows Mister to treat her, but also shows Celie that actions deemed sinful by others may not truly be evil or transgressive and that they do not prevent one from believing in and living for God, thereby broadening Celie's views on religion and ethics . It is also Shug who frees Celie from Mister's bondage, first by loving her, then by helping her to start a custom sewing business . From Shug, Celie learns that Mister (now revealed as Albert) has been hiding letters written to her from Africa by her sister Nettie, a missionary . These letters, full of educated, firsthand observation of African life, form a moving counterpoint to Celie's life . They reveal that in Africa, just as in America, women are persistently oppressed by men . </P> <P> Nettie is Celie's younger sister, whom Celie loves and saves from living the tragic life that she had to endure . Because Nettie is prettier than Celie, who has been deemed ugly, Mister is originally interested in Nettie as a wife, but settles for Celie . Nettie runs away from home to be with Celie, but is unable to stay with Celie as Mister tries to assault her sexually . As a result, Nettie leaves home and before leaving, promises to write to Celie and tells her that only death can keep them apart . Nettie is eventually taken in by Samuel and Corrine, a missionary couple, with whom she travels to Africa as a missionary . While in Africa, Nettie becomes the caregiver of Samuel and Corrine's children and faithfully writes to Celie for decades . Nettie marries Samuel after Corrine's death and moves back to America with what are revealed to be Celie's biological children . Through explaining her experiences to Celie, Nettie encourages Celie to be more enthusiastic and optimistic about life . Nettie finds that while there is not racial disparity in Africa, gender disparity exists . The women of the tribe are not treated as equals, and are not permitted to attend school . </P>

How many times has celie given birth who is the father
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