Abstract:

As a devout romanticist，Alice Walker harbors her sincere reverence for the spirit and possesses the power of drawing her inspiration and courage from it. In her life and creative works，she is always aware of the influence of the spirit，a major reason leading her dedication of The Color Purple to the spirit. Even the creating process of the novel is a manifestation of spiritual interaction between the spirit and the author. The author enamored of this excellence becomes a medium through which the spirit speaks. To externalize her view on the spirit，Walker designs a plot mobilizing readers to lend complete assent to Shug's seemingly rebellious religion. Celie，accepting Shug's subversive religious interpretation that "God is everything"，initiates her way to defy inequalities in her life and
realizes self-affirmation.

Key words: the spirit, romanticist, religion, subversive, self-affirmation