Alphonso is the abusive father of the protagonist Celie and her sister Nettie. He repeatedly raped Celie as early as the age of twelve, got her pregnant twice, and snatched her babies from her after birth. He is one of the villains of the novel The Color Purple. Celie and Nettie later discover that Alphonso is not their real father but their stepfather, who married their mother after their father was lynched.