Squeak no doubt resembles on the surface what a white woman in advertisements looks like to Shug and Celie and Odessa. But with God and luck and Squeak's "white" accessories, the women's plan might just work.
One of the central things that you should be aware of in this scene is Walker's focus on the women's preparation for their undertaking. They know that not only is Squeak's appearance important, but that her performance is important also. The women are trying to out-think the white man. They are hoping that he will be naive enough to believe that a black woman is happier in prison than she would be in the kitchen of a white woman. Therefore, using Brer Rabbit psychology, they hope to convince the white man that if he really wants to punish Sofia, he would take her out of prison and make her work for a white woman. Sofia's boldness, they hope he will remember, confirms this fact. Sadly, however, the real truth of the matter is this: Sofia cannot truly be happy in any place that confines her.
The mention of Uncle Tom in this letter is intentional. In literature, Uncle Tom was a clever and intelligent slave who was able to help his people. Harriet Beecher Stowe immortalized him in her novel Uncle Tom's Cabin. Since then, however, the term "Tomming" has come to mean the overly polite actions of a fawning and flattering black person who is trying to win favor with a white person, or escape punishment. It is ironic that Shug tells Squeak to be sure and tell the warden that she, Squeak, thinks that "justice ought to be done." When did a black man or woman, in the time frame of this novel, ever receive justice?
Again, note that one of the keys to this letter lies in the motif of quilts and patches. Both quilts and patches are symbolic of how the black women in this novel, as well as all black people whose families have been torn to scraps by the white man, must unite to fight against the whites. Just as pieces of separate garments are joined together and used to make a warm and enduring patchwork quilt, a sense of strong, patchwork unity can strengthen the women as they attempt to try and save Sofia.
