Celie’s journey toward self-definition in The Color Purple, by Alice Walker, is filled with moments of growth as well as of tragedy and abuse. Throughout her life she is mistreated and put down. While bad things continue to happen to her, Celie’s instinct to survive never fails. Through her letters to God and her younger sister Nettie, and through her relationship with Shug, Celie begins to overcome adversity and see herself as a person who has value and who deserves to be treated with respect. These are the things that Celie went through in her shruggle for survival with mister. When the book begins, Celie is a 14-year-old girl growing up in Georgia, when she is faced with the ultima