Another example of a personal misfortune Celie experienced was the way Mr.___ treated her. The forced marriage did not consist of love for Celie and Mr._; he shows no respect towards his wife and often demands that Celie clean the house, care for the children, prepare meals, and work in the fields outside. If she does not perform one of these tasks to Mr.___'s liking, he beats her. But the beatings become so consistent that he begins to beat her for no reason at all. "Harpo ast his daddy why he beat me. Mr.___ say cause she my wife." (Walker 23) This quotation explains how unfairly Mr._ treats Celie, because he feels the need to beat his wife solely because she is his wife. Unfortunately this situation also deters Celie from discovering her true identity, because the treatment she receives from Mr._ discourages her from trying to improve her self-worth. Finally, the third example of a personal misfortune Celie suffers through, to find her true identity, is the separation of Celie from her sister, Nettie. Nettie and Celie share a special bond because Nettie understands and appreciates Celie's true self. Therefore when Nettie left, Celie's only meaningful relationship also left. ".These sisters need each other desperately, but each must mature and survive without response from the other."(Prescott) This quotation is important because it states that both Nettie and Celie will have to learn to survive without each other during their time of separation. This is apparent through the lines ".but each must mature and survive without response from each other". In other words, strength and determination are required for Celie and Nettie to survive this tough ordeal. Finally, this situation affects Celie's journey to discovering her true identity, because Nettie was the strength Celie depended on, to discover her unknown identity. The personal misfortunes Celie suffers through seem to be very harsh while she is experiencing them, but by the end of the novel, they strengthen her character much like in the novel The Joy Luck Club.
