Letter 28:
Sofia and Celie are making a big quilt together. Celie isn’t sure if she should give it to Shug or keep it for herself. She wants to give it to Shug only if it turns out really nice. Celie writes in her letter to God that she feels closer to both Sofia and Shug now.
Later on, Sofia asks Celie why men eat so much. Harpo, Sofia’s husband, has been eating a lot lately—whole pans of biscuits, six eggs, and many glasses of buttermilk. Sofia says that Harpo seems to enjoy doing housework more than she does, as she prefers working outside in the fields. Sofia is confused about why Harpo is eating so much.
Celie notices Harpo’s eating habits when he comes to her house. He has cornbread and “clabber,” which is sour milk. Over the next few days, Celie sees that Harpo is eating so much that he is getting a big belly, and now he looks like he’s pregnant.
Letter 29:
One evening, Celie finds Harpo crying by himself in her house. Harpo is sad because he can’t get Sofia to listen to him, and this is making him very upset. Celie tries to comfort Harpo and tells him that Sofia is a good and hardworking wife. But Harpo wants to be bigger and stronger so he can be in charge of Sofia. That’s why he’s been eating so much.
Celie explains that she married Mr. ____ to take care of his children, and that she and Mr. ____ don’t love each other. But Harpo and Sofia really do love each other, and Celie thinks this should make Harpo feel better. However, when Celie talks about how thin Mr. ____ is, Harpo feels sick because he’s been getting fat. He runs outside and throws up. Celie helps him upstairs to sleep.
Letter 30:
Celie talks to Sofia while she is fixing the roof of her and Harpo’s house. Sofia tells Celie that she doesn’t feel interested in Harpo anymore. Harpo keeps trying to make her obey him and has been eating a lot to look bigger and stronger. Sofia is thinking about taking their children and staying with her sister Odessa for a while.
This makes Celie think about her own marriage. She remembers how Mr. ____ only cares about his own pleasure during their time together, and she dreams about Shug when she is with Mr. ____. Sofia says that Harpo is also selfish during their time together. She tells Celie she wants a break from her marriage because she doesn’t want Harpo anymore and is frustrated with how he tries to boss her around and be abusive.
Letter 31:
Sofia decides to take a few of her older children and stay with her sister Odessa for a while. Celie asks Harpo if he wants to stop Sofia from leaving, but Harpo says there’s nothing he can do. Sofia’s strong, tall sisters come to help her move some of her things out of the house while Celie and Harpo watch. Harpo will stay behind in the house to take care of the younger children.
Harpo quickly changes the diaper of one of the children who has wet herself. He then gives the child to Sofia, who says goodbye to him and to Celie. Sofia gets on a wagon with her sisters and children, and they drive away.
Letter 32:
Sofia is away for six months. During this time, Harpo tells Celie that he has been “traveling,” and Celie figures out that Harpo has probably been seeing many other women. Harpo seems to think he is quite attractive now.
A friend of Harpo’s named Swain starts visiting, and together they begin building a jukejoint—a small bar—next to their house. The bar will be hidden from the police by the fields and woods around them. Celie asks Harpo what Sofia will think about the jukejoint. Harpo says it doesn’t matter because Sofia is not coming back to live with him.
Letter 33:
Harpo opens his jukejoint, a small bar, a few weeks later. At first, not many people come, but then Shug, who is known as Queen Honeybee, decides to check it out. Mr. ____, Harpo, and Swain agree to let Shug sing at the bar.
One night, Shug is getting ready to sing, and Celie and Mr. ____ go with her to the bar. Mr. ____ thinks Celie shouldn’t be at the bar because it’s “no place for wives,” but Shug says she needs Celie there. So, Mr. ____ finally lets Celie come along.
Shug sings some songs, and Celie is very happy to hear her. But as Celie watches Shug, she starts to cry because she loves looking at Shug, but Shug only has eyes for Mr. ____. Then, Shug sings a special song she made up for Celie—the same “dirty” song she thought of while Celie was combing her hair. This makes Celie feel very happy.
Letter 34:
Shug is getting better and tells Celie that soon she will have to leave Mr. ____’s house. Shug is now singing every weekend at Harpo’s bar. Celie feels very sad about this and finally tells Shug that Mr. ____ hits her when Shug isn’t around.
Shug asks why Mr. ____ hits Celie, and Celie explains that Mr. ____ is angry because Celie is just Celie, not Shug. He is upset because he is married to someone he thinks is unattractive, while Shug is beautiful and famous.
Shug hugs Celie and promises that she won’t leave until Mr. ____ stops hitting Celie.
Letter 35:
Shug starts sleeping in Mr. ____’s room, especially after she sings at Harpo’s bar. She asks Celie if it bothers her that Shug is having sex with Mr. ____, and Celie says it doesn’t bother her at all because her own time with Mr. ____ is not very important to her. Shug tells Celie that she feels very excited about being with Mr. ____, but she doesn’t actually love him. Shug asks Celie if she feels the same way, but Celie says she has no strong feelings about it since Mr. ____ only cares about his own pleasure.
Shug asks Celie if she has ever touched herself in a special way and if she knows it can make her feel good. Celie says she doesn’t understand. So, Shug takes her into a bedroom with a mirror and shows Celie how to touch herself to feel pleasure. Celie feels a bit excited for the first time.
Later, Celie writes in a letter to God that she doesn’t mind when Shug sleeps with Mr. ____, but when she hears them, she touches herself quietly in her own room and feels sad.
Letter 36:
One night at Harpo’s bar, Sofia shows up with her new boyfriend, a boxer named Buster Broadnax. Mr. ____ asks Sofia where her children are, and Sofia says they’re “at home” with her sisters. Sofia also hints that Mr. ____ isn’t very good at taking care of his own children, except for Harpo. Mr. ____’s other two girls live somewhere else, have many kids, and Bub, another child, has been in and out of jail.
Celie sees that Sofia has started a fresh new life with Buster. Celie feels that her own new life began when she met Shug. Harpo approaches Sofia, and Sofia explains that she and Buster came to the bar to watch Shug sing. Sofia tells Harpo that she likes the bar and his work on it.
Harpo asks Buster if he can dance with Sofia, and Buster says yes. Harpo and Sofia dance together in the center of the bar. Then Harpo’s new girlfriend, Squeak, who is small and quiet, comes over and asks to dance with Harpo. Harpo says no, because he wants to dance with his wife, Sofia. Squeak gets angry and slaps Sofia.
But Sofia doesn’t just slap back. Instead, she punches Squeak in the face, knocking out two of her teeth and making her bleed. After Sofia hits Squeak, Harpo briefly holds onto Sofia, then goes to help Squeak, who is now hurt. Sofia and Buster leave the bar after the fight.
