“Sometimes reaching out and taking someone's hand is the beginning of a journey. Other times, it’s allowing someone to take yours” (Nazarian). This quote from Vera Nazarian, a famous Armenian-Russian writer, is linked to the theme of female relationships in Alice Walker's novel, The Color Purple. This novel acknowledges the struggles of African American women during the 1940s, but readers begin to witness the growth of the women during this time period as they bond and by the end of the novel, they are no longer powerless. THESIS: From the first page of The Color Purple by Alice Walker, readers are confronted with strong female relationships; Celie learns about herself through the instruction of her three confidantes: her sister Nettie, her stepdaughter Sofia, and Blue Singer Shug Avery, but all of these women learn and grow through the lessons taught by each other. Celie To begin with, Celie, the protagonist looks like the perfect wife of that time where she listened to what was said to her; she cleaned, worked, and took care of everyone around her, no matter the circumstances. “Her strength, unlike that of Sofia or Shug, is not physical or artistic, but it is the strength of integrity. She remains honest and compassionate, caring for everyone she comes into contact with” (Litnotes). Readers are often frustrated with Celie because she remains so loyal and loving towards people who mistreat her. For example, Célie was often beaten on days when her husband, Albert, was in a bad mood; she didn't even need to do anything wrong to be mistreated, but most importantly she would continue to work as his slave and never complain. The problem with this novel is that the woman has absolutely no power over anything, including herself; that is why women begin to bond and rise up. Walker describes Celie's bond, first with childhood's biological mother and moving on to Celie's