Characterization in "The Color Purple"

1. Names - The nicknames for different characters are an indication of personality traits.

2. Occupation - For the female characters in particular, occupation says a lot about their levels of control over their lives.

3. Clothing - Celie is originally downtrodden and this is represented accurately through her clothing.

4. Speech and Dialogue - The effect of this dialogue is to put us right in the middle of Celie’s world – a black, rural, largely uneducated world.