Celie has finally matured sufficiently to separate her miserable existence and her rich inner world into two separate spheres: the physical world and the emotional world. Celie's body may be aging and going through menopause, but her feelings, in contrast, are ever spring-like: "My heart [is] young and fresh; it feel like it blooming blood." Remember that Celie did not understand menstruation in Letter 8, but she clearly understands the process of menopause here. Another example of Celie's emotional growth can be measured by her dismissal of the news of Nettie's alleged death in Letter 85: "And I don't believe you dead. How can you be dead if I still feel you?"
In addition, Celie no longer hates Albert. In Letter 74, she called him a "lowdown dog," denounced him, and decided to leave with Shug. Now, however, both Albert and Celie have been replaced in Shug's life by youthful Germaine. "Here us is, I thought, two old fools left over from love." They are in an unplanned union. The husband had a mistress who stole his wife from him, and now that mistress has left both of them for a younger man. Albert partially understands Celie's feelings of rejection, and she, in turn, acknowledges his misery. "I don't hate him for two reasons. One, he love Shug. And two, Shug use to love him." Shug is the magical ingredient that makes the difference for Celie.
Sofia, meanwhile, has learned to compromise. She tells Eleanor Jane that it's "too late to cry." Instead, she says, "All us can do is laugh." Celie's words are much like Sofia's words. Sofia feels helpless, but she can still laugh — despite everything. Celie, likewise, has accepted her position socially and emotionally. She is an aging black woman and says, "I try to teach my heart not to want nothing it can't have."
