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- The first we hear of Mr__ is that is is "in the same shape almost as pa" giving horrific connotations. When Mr__ comes to look at Celie we see the imagery of him "up on his horse" in a metaphorically higher positioning than Celie. He looks on the marriage as two pieces of property: Celie and a cow, with the cow being the greater asset "that cow still coming?". On their wedding when Harpo "laid (Celies) head open" Mr__ tells them not to do it "But that's all he say"
- When Kate comes he looks at Celie "like he looking at the earth" but this is a step to see Celie seeing and observing more.
- We hear of Mr__ beating Celie. "all women good for-" "remind me of pa" "he beat me like he beat the children." "I say to myself Celie, you a tree." Rather than react emotionally or intellectually to adversity, Celie has found it easier and less dangerous to become wooden—to remain stone-faced and unthinking rather than attempt to reflect, interpret, or narrate.
- He teaches Harpo how "Wives is like children. You have to let' em know who got the upper hand" he has indocrinated his son.
- We see he is capable of feeling and Celie picks up on how he is scared and critisises him "It tired and sad and I notice his chin weak. Not much chin atall" when his father comes he defeneds Shug "I love Shug Avery. Always have. Always will. I should have married her when I got the chance." Mr___ is actually very weak, as Celie undertsnad he beats her because "she isn't Shug"
- We hear of his lack of emotion during sex "it sound like he going to the toilet on you."
- The climax of Mr__' meaness. He has been hiding Celie letters."Mr___ mean sometimes, but he not that mean." When Mr___ confronts Celie he is lethal with the climax focusing on the "Goddam" as though he is surprised at how much of a nothing Celie is. This is the most powerful of all the encounters between Celie and Mr__: it demonstrates very forcefully the lightly spoken ironic reversal of common sexist saying "where there is a woman there is trouble" which the letter is opened with.
- Mr___ is confronted by Celie, sand this serves as a catalyst for his change. When she leaves he suffers a nervous breakdown "Mr___ too weak to fight back." "At night he though he heard bats outside the door" "you know how little he is." However, we now see a complete change in Mr___. After Harpo making him send Celie her letters "you know meaness kill". And we see this tranformation with Celies first impression on her return "His skin shine. His hair brush back." He works hard, cleans and cooks, "just like a woman." their positioning has changed "i see he feeling scared of me."
- Mr__ and Celie start to become friends. Their shared love of Shug brings them closer together as they empathise with each others heartache "I don't hate him for two reasons. One, he love Shug." they reminisce of times together with Celie using the plural "us".
- In this same letter Mr___ reveals his more complex and philosophical side."I have love and i have been love... I have love Shug Avery my whole life." He is able to say he has done something wrong "I start to git mine real heavy long about the time I told Shug it was true that i beat you cause you was you and not her." "You and Shug got on so well together and it bothered the hell out of me."
- Celie even begins to teach him, and he finds her words interesting and he probes her to find out more. Furthermore he admits his weknesses as a child and how he enjoys sewing. "Now us sit sewing and talking and smoking our pipes." "He aint Shug, but he begin to be somebody I can talk to."
- Mr ___ philosophical voice is developed "You ast yourself one question it lead to fifteen." "I think us here to wonder. To ast." In fact, Mr___ has become so kind and likeable that Celie is able to accept that shug has left, she is comfortable at home now. "If she come, I be happy. If she don't, I be content."
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