Letter 51

Synopsis of Letter 51

Celie and Shug discreetly remove bundles of Nettie’s letters from Albert’s trunk, taking them from their envelopes which are left in the trunk. Shug arranges the many letters in date order for Celie to read.

Commentary on Letter 51

Shug clearly ‘sides’ with Celie, a demonstration of both her love and their solidarity as women who need the emotional satisfaction which a male has withheld.

Investigating Letter 51

  • The trunk is full of items that ‘mean something’ to Albert. Imagine you are a psychoanalyst and explain
    • How Albert might justify the significance of each item
    • What the retention of each demonstrates about his conscious/unconscious motives
  • What is the significance of dealing with the letters in Shug and Grady’s bedroom rather than Celie and Albert’s?
Scan and go

Scan on your mobile for direct link.