Forgiveness

I found a lot of things in The Color Purple, but foremost I think I was struck by forgiveness.  Such a beautiful, energetic, over-active (?) picture of life.  The people in the book went through so much, largely at each others' hands.  Yet at the end I'm crying quietly near the Fire of Hospitality* as the family is...baptized...by the final reunion of sisters.  And all together, full of love, "so happy...the youngest us ever felt..."

In the end, I liked Albert best, as a character.  What he goes through, his story of redemption, acceptance, forgiveness... humanity could learn a lot from him.  (from all of them).

A few quotes:

I think us here to wonder, myself.  To wonder.  To ast.  And that in wondering bout the big things and asting about the big things, you learn about the little ones, almost by accident.  But you never know nothing more about the big things than you start out with.  The more I wonder, he say, the more I love.

Which I found hopeful.

-Who do you think you is?  You can't curse nobody.  Look at you.  You black, you pore, you ugly, you a woman.  Goddam, you nothing at all.

-But I'm here.

[emphasis mine]

And then there are the youngsters who want bicycles and British clothes.  Mirrors and shiny cookpots.  They want to work for the white people in order to have these things.  Things!  He said, in disgust.  Bloody things!

Which..... is how cultures are destroyed.

A propos forgiveness....  I have one in the hopper about the 9-11 Forgiveness Movement.  Need to get on that.


* A symbolic and always-burning fireplace in our university's student union.