The color purple

If needles are a non-violent protest against men and the patriarchal – male-dominated – system, then razors are the opposite. On page fifty-three, Shug smiles "like a razor opening" at Tobias, Mr. _______’s visiting brother, but then settles down to sew with Celie. Later on, Celie looks about ready to cut Mr. _______’s throat after he hides Nettie’s letters. Shug however manages to appease her. The razor is then an age-old retaliation, that thankfully is later superseded by sewing, a more passive though ironically more powerful substitute.

Important page references: 51, 103 and 125

The previous symbols you asked about were both linked to women, maturation, sexuality. The razor doesn't fit in with this category.

That's cuz it was supposed to be roundness

Okay, that works; they're all symbols of budding or existent sexuality

Roundness has always been a symbol of womanhood. Roundness is always mentioned in context with a house and both Nettie and Shug express their desire for a window. If the round house represents womanhood then the window symbolises a desire for both women to be explored for who they really are not just for what they look like.

Important page references: 134 and 177