In The Color Purple by Alice Walker, Shug Avery introduces the novel's protagonist, Celie, to the concept of religious embodiment. Critic Anne-Janine Morey, in her book Religion and Sexuality in American Literature, defines embodiment as “the unreconciled relationship between body and spirit” (3). In Western theology, God (the Word) and the flesh are conceived of as binary oppositions, with the divine operating on a metaphysical plane. While popular theology holds that the body, with all its aspirations and desires, is completely separate from the soul, which is typically associated with spirituality and the divine, analogies and metaphors linking the spiritual with the sexual can be found in the Bible itself . , as in Paul's epistle to the Ephesians and the Song of Songs. Both of these biblical texts explicitly and metaphorically compare Christ's relationship with the Church to the relationship between two lovers. This analogy considerably complicates the Judeo-Christian narrative that spiritual fulfillment and sexuality are diametrically opposed, assuming instead that achievement of the former depends largely on recognition and indulgence of the latter. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Shug Avery's theological beliefs follow this more sex- and body-positive interpretation of the Word of God. For Shug, God is not an immutable, abstract entity; rather, it is present in all material things, especially in the human body. In one of the key scenes of the novel, Shug asks Celie: “[H]ave you ever felt God in church? I've never done it. [...] Any God I ever felt in church I brought with me. And I think all the other people did too. They come to church to share God, not to find God” (Walker 193). Shug's articulation suggests that God is other people, and only through human connection can this divine presence be encountered. Shug then asks Celie what she imagines God to be like, to which Celie replies, “He's big, old, tall, gray-bearded, and white. He wears white robes and goes barefoot” (194). Shug responds, "[T]hat's what's in the white people's Bible" (194), implying that people create God in their own image rather than the other way around. He summarizes his philosophy: “God is within you and within everyone else. Come into the world with God. But only those who seek it within themselves find it” (195). Shug's philosophy influences Celie's spiritual rebirth, which is inextricably linked to her sexual awakening. Before Shug's appearance, Celie endures a loveless half-existence with her husband, Albert. Given the sexual abuse Celie suffers at the hands of her stepfather, it is not surprising that she never imagines sex as a plausible, pleasurable experience. When Celie describes her sex life with Albert to Shug, he remarks, “Why, Miss Celie. Make it look like he's going to the bathroom with you” (77). Only through Shug does Celie finally experience the possibility of pleasurable sexuality and bring her latent lesbianism to light. It is Shug who initiates Celie's transformation from a downtrodden, sexless housewife to a liberated woman, typified by the scene in which Shug forces Celie to inspect her vagina in the mirror. Discovering the source of her femininity and the nexus of her repressed desire, Celie begins the process of seeking God through self-knowledge. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a custom essay by Celie's newfound sexuality completes her spiritual transformation. The aforementioned scene where Celie finally looks at her vagina echoes the"..