By being an original, a unique kind of black woman in this novel, one of the things that strikes us most forcefully about Shug is her original concept of God — particularly when compared to the limited concept of the God whom Celie believes in. Shug realizes that although churchgoers may condemn her and her glowing lifestyle, God himself, or itself, does not condemn her — because he, or it, is everything. Shug postulates that it is a sin to be miserable and unappreciative of the world and its beauty.
Finally, Shug is the color purple personified. She is both red and blue simultaneously. Red represents jazz and life, and the blues' origins are in misery and disappointment. Together, red and blue create purple.
