Birds In Sula

Birds In Sula
1. Identify a major symbol used by the author and discuss its significance to the story and/or one of
the characters. One of the major symbols used in the novel Sula by Toni Morrison, are birds. Upon
the introduction of more than a few characters, birds are used to describe their character traits in
order for the reader to better understand what the author is trying to say. For example, when
Rochelle is introduced into the story, she wears a "canary–yellow dress" and has the "glare of a
canary." Birds are often used to symbolize freedom, power, wisdom, and even eternal life – some
cultures believe birds are the link between the heavens and the earth. More specifically, the canary
represents joy, freedom and intellectual development. The ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net
...
Wright reminded Nel to pull her nose, she would do it enthusiastically but without the least hope in
the world," (1922.17) Nel suffers at home in that her mother, who has never truly been mother–like
in any way, constantly tries to change Nel. It may be that Helene, Nel's mother, secretly wishes for
her daughter to have a better life than she does, or it could be that Helene is ashamed of the way Nel
is and attempts to change her because of it. It may also be the only way Helene knows how to be a
mother since her own mother, Rochelle, was hardly ever present in Helene's life. In either case, the
non–stop nagging by her mother causes Nel to develop a complex that she is not good enough. Even
simple reminders to "pull [up] her nose" register as more imperfections that her mother makes note
of. In addition, despite Nel's obvious suffering from her mother's need to point out her flaws, Nel
attempts to better herself by following Helene's advices and doing so "enthusiastically." However,
even in her efforts to fix herself for her mother's sake, Nel has "the least hope in the world" when it
comes to living up to her mother's standards. This issue, like so many other similar ones, is a direct
reflection of the theme of suffering. Nel is only one of many characters that live with a constant
ache, whether it be from a mother's neglect, a husband's betrayal, or a life as an
... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...

Sexism In Sula
Toni Morrison's novel Sula explores black female life and relations conceived both within and
outside sexist and racist influences and mediation. Morrison explores individual characters defined
by racial and gender stereotypes while also presenting a focused rumination on a radical black
female experience devoid of these oppressive classifications. Through the character Sula, Morrison
creates a black female identity based on subjectivity, uninfluenced by the community's societal
gender expectations and lifestyle. Even though Sula possessed self–agency and autonomy, never
adhering to her community's standards, her self–assertion remains solely outside the racist and
sexist environment and black community; she ultimately holds power over herself but she is unable
to assert that power in "Bottom" as she is suppressed and ostracized, contained by avoidance and
being characterized as "devil" and "witch" until she dies contently, knowing she lived freely, yet
alone (hooks 150). Morrison's presentation of Sula's ostracization as a direct consequence of her
ability to constitute ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Black woman were depicted through this myth as breadwinners, running "female–headed
households" because they were forced to join labor forces due to the circumstances of black life, the
poor low social class working for white supremacists without any other opportunities (79). The
black men fighting to obtain control and power emulated the highest societal symbol of power,
white men and white supremacy, and therefore viewed power as the ability to oppress another; black
men viewed matriarchal figures as a threat to their position as "the sole boss," so internalization of
this myth lead to black men to consider black females "as a threat to their personal power" leading
to black males demanding that black woman assume a "passive subservient role in the home" under
their power

Examples Of Tribulation In Sula
In the novel Sula, the characters Nel and Sula experience tribulation during their childhood that
eventually affected each of them differently as they transition into adulthood. Sula was an
unpredictable and violent child whereas Nel was quiet and reserved. As they became close friends
throughout their childhood, their times of "terror" unravel. Sula's actions throughout her childhood
are seen as threats as the community blames her for everything, yet she continues to live freely
disregarding everyone else's opinions. The tribulation seen throughout Sula's life is essentially
because of society's constant hatred and blaming her for every tragedy. As she transitions from
childhood to early adulthood, she believes that society has so much hatred ... Show more content on
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As Nel's household is represented as the standard essence of a family, Sula lives in a
multigenerational household that is operated by women. The houses symbolize the change that
happens within the family and the girls themselves. "Eva said yes, but inside she disagreed and
remained convinced that Sula had watched her Hannah burn not because she was paralyzed, but
because she was interested" (Morrison, 78). This further challenges Sula as Eva blames her for the
death of her own mother. This could be essentially Eva's own way to deal with Hannah's death by
defining Sula as the source of the tragedy. This eventually leads to the whole community in the
future as they also see Sula's presence as "evil". Although being blamed and defined as the fault for
every catastrophe, Sula is not affected and lives her life without any concern. "Nel's response to
Jude's shame and anger selected her away from Sula. And greater than her friendship was this new
feeling of being needed..." (Morrison, 83). Although Nel chose to marry young in order to fulfill
Helene's wishes, she has reduced the possibilities in her life. As she gets closer to her marriage, she
slowly begins to lose Sula. Even though the marriage is essentially a joyful event, Jude, Sula's
husband, only married for the alternative of what he really wanted, a man's job. This shows how Nel
trying to satisfy society results in her own mishap and

Sula Pigeons
Isata Keita Dr. Leah Thomas ENGL 202 5/2/2016 The Significance of the Robins and the Pigeons,
to the Coming of Age. The significance of birds have varied from the representation of life and
death, freedom, luck, messengers, coming of spring, etc. In Sula by Toni Morrison, the robins mirror
Sula's character and lifestyle in that as she "flies" away from her home town so do they, and as the
robins wreak havoc on Medallion so does Sula's presence in the town. In Edward P Jones's "The
Girl Who Raised Pigeons" on the other hand, the pigeons symbolize and/or are a metaphor of
transformation. As the pigeons die, Betsy changes for the, and her father further struggles to protect
her. It could be said that, the Robbins symbolize the untamed, wild, free ... Show more content on
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Morrison tells us that Sula "had no center, no speck around which to grow". On Sula's arrival to
medallion the town experiences a plague of robins that are quite negatively received. Like the robins
Sula is a plague to the community, disrupting the order, dismantling families, etc. The presence of
robins indirectly depict Sula as evil, unpleasant, and embodies her as an ill–spirited woman.
Although she does not mean to hurt anyone, Sula does things like sleep with her childhood friends
husband, watches her mother burn, and put her grandmother in a retirement home, which was the
against the culture at that time. Children followed the robins in fascination, and men followed Sula
the same way as she offered mystery and an intriguing personality. Morrison states, "Accompanied
by a plague of robins, Sula came back to Medallion. The little yam–breasted birds were everywhere,
exciting very small children away from their usual welcome into a vicious stoning." Like the robins
flying, dying, and pooping everywhere, Sula's metaphorical bile left Nel single, and brought chaos
to hometown. Coming of age is evident in that Sula like many young adults, experiences love, lust,
and death. Identity is usually found in the years of being a young adult, it is fair to say that at this
time nearly every child goes into a phase of rebellion, exploration, trial and error. With this in mind
it is only natural that Sula would run away from an environment that restricted her from connecting
with her inner self. Young ladies now a days lead a life much more elaborate than that of

Violence In Sula
Violence plays an incredibly important and pervasive role in Toni Morrison's Sula, working to
dramatically shape many of the figures in the novel, including two of the prominent characters;
Shadrack and Sula, and the less central characters of Plum and Eva. It is violence, and how the
characters respond differently to it that influences how they are perceived and how they affect
others. Violence changes Shadrack from a normal young man to a death–obsessed outcast. It shapes
Plum from a young boy to a drug addict, and subsequently changes Eva from a caring mother to a
murderer. And most importantly, violence changes Sula from an ordinary young girl with a bright
future, into a feared, leper–ish figure. How each of the characters responds to ... Show more content
on Helpwriting.net ...
Our introduction to Shadrack, before he goes to war, is as "a young man of hardly twenty, his head
full of nothing and his mouth recalling the taste of lipstick" (7). He is essentially normal. It is only
after Shadrack is exposed to the horrific violence of war that he exhibits significant change. He
recalls being under heavy enemy fire and watching "the face of a soldier near him fly off" and "the
body of the headless soldier [run] on" (8). This is an extremely disturbing, and life–altering, event
for Shadrack, as it would be for anyone witnessing it. This event triggers what the reader perceives
as post–traumatic distress disorder in the young Shadrack. The traumatized soldier finds himself in
the hospital and we see his condition manifest itself in violent and irrational behavior that winds up
getting him kicked out and sent home. Upon his return to Medallion, Shadrack deals with what he
has experienced by promoting National Suicide Day, a desperate attempt to contain death and
violence to a single day a year. With his twisted mind, he explains, "if one day a year were devoted
to it, everybody could get it out of the way and the rest of the year would be safe and free" (14). It
becomes painfully evident to both the townspeople and the reader that the violence of war has
caused Shadrack to lose his normalcy, to craziness. Not only does Shadrack experience irrational
thoughts, but he acts upon them as well, to be witnessed by the residents of Medallion. They

Nel And Sula
While Nel does not experience an identity assimilation, with her mother she firmly roots her identity
with Sula as a child, and later her husband when Sula departs. However, once she loses him, she
believes herself to be gone as well, and she aches for the loss of control and stability in her life. She
feels incomplete, and despite her cool and perfect demeanor, the ominous "ball of muddy strings"
(Morrison 109) symbolizes her inner turmoil and chaotic nature–similar to Sula. Until she visits
Eva, Nel does not realize that her husband's betrayal is not the one causing her sadness despite using
him to fill her incompleteness for years. When Eva confronts Nel about the accidental murder and
claims she watched, Nel realizes she enjoyed it for ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
As Sula lays dying, she momentarily believes the childhood peace they had achieved still exists as
she wishes to tell her friend and counterpart about death, "Well, I'll be damned...it didn't even hurt.
Wait'll I tell Nel." Meanwhile, at the end of the novel Nel cries for both her friend and for the
realization that she will never achieve peace without Sula for they completed each other. The loss of
their friendship greatly impacts the characters and their lives. Once separated after years of
friendship, Sula and Nel must explore who they are separate of each other. When Sula leaves, she
freely explores the world. According to Lynn Nordin's essay "'My Lonely Is Mine' Loss and Identity
in Toni Morrison's Sula", "Sula's loss of Nel appears to be a catalyst for her to live her experimental
life outside of the confines of the Bottom" (Nordin 13). Once separated from a distinctive part of her
personality, Sula tries to redefine herself. However, the world outside of The Bottom leaves her
unsatisfied, and strangely she returns to a place she appears to dislike. "Returning to the community
seems to go against the development that Sula is seeking, since she returns to a place where she is
already marginalized" (Nordin 13). Nordin believes Sula's returns to Medallion solely because of
innate, subconscious knowledge that Nel completes her personality and satisfies her search for
identity (Nordin 14). Sula's intent on

Theme Of Death In Sula
Often times in literature, the inevitability of death tends to be ignored or put aside. Throughout the
novel Sula, Toni Morrison is often, if not always, talking about death and she reflects her own
concept of what it is and what it does to us, humans. Death to her is that constant idea that is always
controlling us and influences our acts and choices on our day to day life. Shadrak for example who
is controlled by that idea, established a special day to raise awareness about suicide because the
thought of death is always running through his head. Death's influence in the choices we tend to
make are evident throughout the whole book but the idea goes specially, hand in hand, with the
character of Sula. Toni Morrison creates this woman ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Overall, it is a topic that is talked a lot about in the Medallion and if there is one of the inhabitants
of that community that is tortured by that idea, is Shadrack. "He knew the smell of death and was
terrified of it, for he could not anticipate it. It was not death or dying that frightened him, but the
unexpectedness of both. In sorting it all out, he hit on the notion that if one day a year were devoted
to it, everybody could get it out of the way and the rest of the year would be safe and free. In this
manner he instituted National Suicide Day"(Page 28). With this quote, Toni Morrison manages to
portray the massive fear death imposes in people now days. On the other side, while there are some
who decide to suffer due to the fact that sooner or later we are going to die, others get the best of
this life and don't let anything stop them from enjoying it. Take as an example Sula who despite
society's expectations and standards, leaves the Medallion to study, conscious that she will be more
happy if she does. Aware that this life is too short Sula chooses to do what makes her not so
miserable. This sort of "You only live once" ideal, which Sula follows, is all based and inspired in
death. As I mentioned at the beginning, in literature, the inevitability of death tends to be ignored or
put aside but Morrison ingeniously reminds us nothing in this

Examples Of Human Nature In Sula
Morgan Bennett
Zhang
English 264I
October 20, 2015
A Misleading Notion
The misleading notion of what is "good" versus what is "evil" is based on an individual's emotion
and behavior. Human nature in this context is more complex because one person's idea of what is
"good" and "evil" can differ from another person's idea of what is "good" and "evil". In Toni
Morrison's novel Sula, the author illustrates the main theme in the novel to justify what is "good"
versus what is "evil" and how emotion and behavior contribute to that notion.
Sula Peace is a complex, insensitive and spontaneous character in the novel that transitions into
someone the town labels as "evil". Sula is a wild and irrational young girl that let's her emotions
dictate her behavior all throughout the novel. When Sula and Nel were ... Show more content on
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While reading the novel, it is easy for us to see Nel as "good" because that is how she is portrayed.
Young Nel grew up with her mother, a prostitute. Nel saw how ashamed her mother is of her past
life as a prostitute, which causes her to make a vow to herself. She vowed to never lose her
individuality and her sudden friendship with Sula helped Nel stay true to her vow. During her young
and intense friendship with Sula, Nel seemed to be the stronger and more consistent one. She seems
to control her emotion and behavior throughout their friendship, which kept her out of the spotlight.
The day Nel married Jude in 1927, was the day she gave up her own dreams. Nel gave up her
dreams while she adopted her mother's dreams and the community's ideals of happiness: marriage,
children and church. Nel was happily married to Jude until Sula returned to the town and stole him
away from her. Nel's emotion and behavior really showed the righteous and goodness that is within
her when she forgave Sula. Twenty–five years after Sula's death, Nel forgave Sula at her grave for
cheating with Jude (Morrison,

Literary Analysis Of Sula By Toni Morrison
Lorden Russell
Professor Delcourt
English 265
20 November 2017
Literary Analysis: Sula
Toni Morrison is the author of seven critically acclaimed novels and a professor at Princeton
University. In 1998, she became the first African–American woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for her
novel Beloved, and then, in 1993, received the Nobel Prize in literature. In 2012, at the age of 81,
Toni Morrison received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Toni Morrison was born February 18, 1931, in Lorain, Ohio. In 1953, she graduated from Howard
University, earning her undergraduate degree. She then went to Cornell, where she completed her
master's degree. Eventually, Toni became an editor at the publishing group Random House, where
she began writing her first novels. Sula, her second novel, deals with themes of race, gender
(specifically women), good versus evil, and individuality, and how all four aspects play into life and
all of its complexity.
Black writers, especially an African American woman are known to have more difficulty when it
comes to publication and recognition, and therefore desperately have to please a white audience in
order to achieve success. Morrison decided that she wanted to enforce positive work associated with
black literature. Morrison successfully achieved that goal by discussing and implementing
controversial universal themes that exist in the world.
Sula is a story that tackles the ideas of "good" and "evil", and how nothing is easily determined as
one or the

Essay on Toni Morrison's Sula
The Character of Sula as a Rose   Authors developed the canon in order to set a standard of
literature that most people needed to have read or to have been familiar with. The works included in
the canon used words such as beautiful, lovely, fair, and innocent to describe women. The canonical
works also used conventional symbols to compare the women to flowers such as the rose and the
lily. Thomas Campion depicts the typical description of women in his poem, "There is a Garden in
Her Face." He describes the women by stating, "There is a garden in her face/ Where roses and
white lilies grow,/ A heavenly paradise is that place,/ Wherein all pleasant fruits do flow" (1044–5).
The roses and lilies are used to portray beautiful, frail ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Unlike all the other women in the story, Sula is tough and does not let others interfere with her. She
lives her life by her own rules and standards. The people in the town notice that "except for a funny–
shaped finger and that evil birthmark, she was free of any normal signs of vulnerability" (115).
Again, the rose symbolized Sula's growth and carefree way of life. However, the stemmed rose is
more than just a mark that changes shades. First of all, the rose represents a part of the whole that
has been cut off from the original bush. Hence, Sula does not fit in with the people from the Bottom,
and she knows that she leads a different way of life. Sula explains that the women of the Bottom
will die "like a stump, [while she will go down] like one of those redwoods" (143). Everyone of the
Bottom is alike and united in their hatred and fear of Sula. Because Sula is promiscuous and
improper by the Bottom's standards, the women of the town believed they were leading better lives
because of they did not live like Sula. In reality, however, the women were denying reality and used
Sula to get over their guilt. Sula feels she is on a different level entirely her own, and "she never
competed; she simply helped others to define themselves" (95). Society needs her in order to unite
against her. Sula cuts herself from the bush of the Bottom because she does not go along with the
crowd, represented by the bush. Next, it is ironic that the rose

Summary Of Toni Morrison's Sula
Toni Morrison is the author of seven critically acclaimed novels and a professor at Princeton
University. In 1998, she became the first African–American woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for her
novel Beloved, and then, in 1993, received the Nobel Prize in literature. In 2012, at the age of 81,
Toni Morrison received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Toni Morrison was born February 18, 1931, in Lorain, Ohio. In 1953, she graduated from Howard
University, earning her undergraduate degree. She then went to Cornell, where she completed her
master's degree. Eventually, Toni became an editor at the publishing group Random House, where
she began writing her first novels. Sula, her second novel, deals with themes of race, gender
(specifically women), good versus evil, and individuality, and how all four aspects play into life and
all of its complexity.
Black writers, especially an African American woman are known to have more difficulty when it
comes to publication and recognition, and therefore desperately have to please a white audience in
order to achieve success. Morrison decided that she wanted to enforce positive work associated with
black literature. Morrison successfully achieved that goal by discussing and implementing
controversial universal themes that exist in the world.
Sula is a story that tackles the ideas of "good" and "evil", and how nothing is easily determined as
one or the other. Focusing on the complexities of life, Sula addresses many well–known conflicts

Sula Essay
1. How and why is a social group represented in a particular way?
The year of 1919 through the year of 1965 was not an easy period in Medallion, Ohio. There was a
little town called The Bottom and it is described by the author of Sula, Toni Morrison. Morrison
provides information about the community and its people through Sula. The author does not only
provide information about the town but also describes the ambience of the area and how the public
was treated during this time. In the novel, the women of The Bottom are not described in a desirable
way due to racism, segregation and the fact that men were thought of as superior to any women.
Morrison establishes this message throughout the novel successfully. Readers later realize the
different ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
During the years of 1919 through 1965 when the story of Sula takes place, the only job that is
believed to be correct for women is being a maid, and their husbands are the ones in charge of
bringing money back to the house. Women not only had to tolerate working as maids, but they also
had to suffer with their husbands betraying them and being unfaithful. Nel is perfect example of a
black African American woman in Sula who is only allowed to work as a maid, while she has to
bear with Jude (her husband) leaving her alone with their children after betraying her with Sula.
When the author describes what Nel went through, she states: "Because Jude's leaving was so
complete, the full responsibility of the household was Nel's..... So she took to cleaning rather than
fret away...... And just this past year she got a better job working as a chambermaid in the same
hotel Jude had worked in. The tips were only fair...." (138–139). Nel is just an example, out of all
the women from The Bottom who had to work as maids in order to maintain their families. For
several families in Sula, women depended on their husbands and their husbands were in charge of
taking the money home. Afterwards, their husbands betrayed them and they had to work only as
maids and get money in order to maintain the family. An example of this is how Nel had to work to
maintain her children after Jude betrayed

Sexism In Sula
In the novel Sula, Toni Morrison describes how women live in difficult lives at the black community
of Medallion, Ohio. The black women struggle with racism and sexism in 1920s to 1960s. The story
opens with the prologue that the rich white people take over the black community to build a golf
course, and the description of the community. Two black girls Nel Wright and Sula Peace grow up
in the Bottom, the black community upper the hill at Medallion. They develop friendship, and
become attach to each other during adolescence despite the different family backgrounds. Nel lives
with a conventional family with her parents Helene, and Wiley Wright. They live a comfortable life
in the Bottom with people's respect. Nel is raised under her mother's ... Show more content on
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Her stylish apparel and remaining unmarried startle the neighbors. She has an augment with Eva,
and finally she commits Eva to move into a nursing home. Sula and Nel begin to spend more time
together, but she has an affair with Nel's husband. After Nel discovers the affair, Jude abandons Nel
and their children, and he moves away the Bottom. Nel decides to break the friendship with Sula.
Later, Sula is in relationship with Ajax, but he abandons Sula after few months. People in the
community are afraid about Sula's unpredictable behaviors and they label Sula as the evil person.
Nevertheless, Sula's presence gives the black community an alertness that people should live
harmoniously with others. In 1940, Nel knows Sula is sick serious, and decides to see her for the
first time. In Sula's house, Nel asks her why she has an affair with Jude, but the conversation ends
up with dancing around different topics. Finally, Sula affirms that she slept with Jude because of her
loneness, not the love with Jude. Nel leaves Sula' home and helps her get the drug. Then Sula takes
the strong pill and dies with her memory of friendship with Nel. The black community regards some
positive changes due to Sula's death. Later, people begin to lose jobs, and the harmony among the
community has dissolved without the influence of Sula's evil. In 1942, Shadrack holds a march to
protest that the jobs have been denied again to the black workers, and

Juxtaposition In Sula
Sula 1. "Not the town, of course, but that part of town where Negroes lived, the part they called the
Bottom in spite of the fact that it was up in the hills. (4)" Paradox: The Bottom is actually up in
hills, and is predominately where former slaves reside. Slave farmers tricked their former slaves
telling them that they would give them farm land, not wanting to give away any of the fertile land,
farmers gave them the barren land in the hills. They called this land the bottom because it's in the
hills and therefore at the "bottom of Heavan." These lands made the people that resided there
unfruitful and unable to provide as much as the whites down in the valleys. 2. "Is? My baby?
Burning? (48)" Juxtaposition: Eva, while attempting to sound ... Show more content on
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"She thought she liked the sootiness of sex and it's comedy; she laughed a great deal during the
raucous beginnings, and rejected those lovers who regarded sex as healthy or beautiful. (122)"
Motif: Sex is the one thing that broke Nel and Sula up. Sula, being free spirited, believed that there
was nothing wrong with having multiple partners, while Nel thought of sex as a precious thing that
she shared with her husband. Nel is hurt that Sula slept with Jude, and is shocked by Sula's answer
of "just because." From Sula's perspective, Nel and Sula were the best of friends that could share
anything, even men, while Nel believed if Sula really did care, why would she hurt her like that? 8.
"At Eva's house there were four dead robins on the walk. Sula stopped and with her toe pushed them
into the bordering grass. (91)" Symbolism: The four dead robins symbolize the four people that died
in Eva's house, Eva, Plum, Hannah, and Sula. The deaths of all those characters were caused by one
another. Sula caused Hannah's and Eva's, and Eva caused Plum's. The four dead robins follow the
"plague" of the robins, and represents the four that died. Although two deaths had already taken
place, the dead birds are still a bad omen of

Use of Language in How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents...
Use of Language in How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez
In her novel How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents, Dominican author Julia Alvarez demonstrates
how words can become strange and lose their meaning. African American writer Toni Morrison in
her novel Sula demonstrates how words can wound in acts of accidental verbal violence when
something is overheard by mistake. In each instance, one sees how the writer manipulates language,
its pauses and its silences as well as its words, in order to enhance the overall mood of each work. In
Toni Morrison's Sula, the reader meets the protagonist, Sula, and her friend Nel when both girls are
roughly twelve years old. Both girls are black, intelligent, and dreaming of ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
She had no center, no speck around which to grow" (Morrison 118–119).
For Sula, there is no "other" against which she can then define herself. Having rejected her
community and her family, she wanders, trying somehow to define who she is. Sula turns to
Shadrack, the local madman, at first because she worries that he saw what happened to Chicken
Little, but then because his words truly do comfort her.
Here again, one seems the way that Morrison manipulates language and its meaning in that what
Shadrack doesn't say are just as significant as what he does say. Shadrack makes Sula a promise–
"Always." Morrison writes, "...he tried to think of something to say to comfort her, something to
stop the hurt from spilling out of her eyes. So he had said 'always,' so she would not have to be
afraid..." (Morrison 157) This promise, which conveys to Sula a sense of her own permanence,
serves to take away from her two essential components of a healthy conscience–fear and
compassion. Julia Alvarez also uses language to show how the four Garcia girls adjust to living in a
new, and to them alien, culture. The protagonist in this novel is the family Garcia de la Torre, a
wealthy, aristocratic family from the Santo Domingo, who can trace their genealogy back to the
Spanish

Analysis Of Toni Morrison 's Sula
Two young girls, coalescing on a grass–laden field while lying on their stomachs, dig a hole in
unspoken harmony. A picture of youth and innocence, this scene depicts an innocuous moment
which the two girls share as a result of their juvenescence––or does it? In Toni Morrison 's Sula, this
scene, among others, appears at first to be both irrelevant to the novel's underlying theme and out of
place with regard to the rest of the plot. Yet, when analyzed further, the literary devices that
Morrison uses in these scenes bring readers to a vastly different conclusion. These scenes serve as
windows into the mind of Morrison and even into the larger themes present in the text. So, perhaps
two girls sharing a seemingly casual experience is not as ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net
...
Like the vasculature of plants shrouded by bark, innocence is shrouded and further internalized as
social influence compiles. Thus, Morrison effectively illustrates both the presence of innocence and
its inherent definition via careful diction in this scene. Additionally, the scene is illuminating
because of the timing in which Morrison introduces the idea of renewed innocence. She chooses to
place it directly before one of the most gruesome and chilling events of the novel: the death of
Chicken Little. Now, readers could wonder if she is simply juxtaposing two starkly contrasted
scenarios for literary effect. But even though the timing could be interpreted solely to as a method of
juxtaposition, an ulterior motive becomes apparent when readers inquire why the girls allow
Chicken Little to die after illuminating their innocent cores, not before. If the girls had killed
Chicken Little before stripping away the bark from the twig, the scene could be perceived as a
symbol of internal cleansing and a means of psychologically stripping themselves of guilt. But the
scene precedes his drowning, possibly indicating that their ambivalence was catalyzed by their
exposed, innocent essence. Morrison portrays such a vastly contradictory portrayal of popularized
innocence in an attempt to demonstrate how innocence may not be defined as innocuously as
society defines it. However, before stating the another significant element

Toni Morrison's Sula
The Judgment of Sula
Toni Morrison first took the stage as a writer in 1970 with her book The Bluest Eye. In 1973 she
published her second novel Sula, and she has been writing ever since. Sara Blackburn reviewed Sula
for the New York Times when it first made its way onto the scene, and while she did offer a nice
plot summary, her review seemed to carry a message addressed to Morrison rather than to the
reader.
Blackburn begins her article by discussing Morrison's first book, The Bluest Eye, claiming that
because of the women's movement The Bluest Eye attracted more attention than it would have and
that it was read uncritically because people were pleased with a new talent and ignored the flaws of
the book ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Blackburn continues by providing a summary of Sula. While her summary remains accurate, her
word choice has a somewhat negative connotation, and could almost be considered mocking. She
refers to Nel as a "goody–goody", Sula as insistent and the black community as "scrabbling" (par 4).
However, not all of Blackburn's remarks regarding Morrison's work are negative or coated with a
disapproving edge. In paragraph seven of her review, she tells the reader that Morrison's novel is
"too vital and rich" to be confined within the limits of an allegory. This however seems to be her
only truly positive comment about Sula, and while Blackburn praises Morrison for her ability as a
writer; she makes no secret for her dislike of Morrison's topics.
After going through a laundry list of what the novels flaws are, including the overwhelming
bitterness throughout the novel, the narrowness of its setting and characters and its inability to
sustain itself past the first readingall of which are arguable points, Blackburn ends by personally

attacking what Morrison chooses to write as an author (par 8, 10).
She agrees that Morrison is talented, too talented in fact, to remain the "recorder" of the black side
of American life. She ends her article by stating that if Morrison were to address different issues, she
"might transcend theclassification 'black women writer' and take her place among the most

Essay Sula
It all began in and around the year 1919. Sula Peace, the daughter of Rekus who died when she was
3years old and Hannah, was a young and lonely girl of wild dreams. Sula was born in the same year
as Nel, 1910. Sula was a heavy brown color and had large eyes with a birthmark that resembled a
stemmed rose to some and many varied things to others. Nel Wright, the daughter of Helene and
Wiley, was and unimaginative girl living in a very strict and manipulated life. Nel was lighter in
color than Sula and could have passed for white if she had been a few shades lighter she. A trip to
visit her dying great–grandmother in the south had a profound effect on Nel's life. In many ways the
trip made her realize her selfness and look at things ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
The accidental death of Chicken Little at the hands of Sula had a profound effect on the friendship.
Sula had not meant to kill Chicken and Nel knew this, and therefore made the unspoken pact of
silence with her. The incident only exemplified the bonds that made two disparate people appear as
one. While Sula delved in anguish and Nel in logical thought, they both failed to grieve or feel sorry
for the deed that had been committed. Sula was tougher that Nel in a physical way, but what Nel
lacked in physical prowess she made up with sensible cool–headed thinking. When Sula realized
that Chicken was drowning her immediate reaction was not to try to save him, but to check her
surroundings to glean if anyone had seen what had transpired. The callousness of that act and the
fact that even though Nel acted calm about the situation, she did not try to save him also, further
demonstrates the effect that each one had on the other. Sula was a mean in many ways because she
believed no one loved her except for Nel. When she overheard her mother say that she liked her, but
did not love her it struck a part of her psyche that she was not able to comprehend even though she
could feel the hurt and the pain. When her mother committed suicide by self–emollition the
emotions that she felt, like the incident with Chicken Little, had nothing to do with grief or loss, but
with the experiencing of the event that was transpiring. In all honesty, she may not have loved her
mother and she may even

Sula And Nel Comparison
In the novel Sula by Toni Morrison, the idea that Sula and Nel are different is proven multiple times.
Throughout the entire novel, the stark contrast between Nel Wright Greene and Sula Peace is
shown, starting from their childhood, when they first met. From even before the two friends had
met, the difference was clear; the household that Nel lived in was overly clean and strict, while the
household Sula lived in was entirely the opposite, with it being noisy, busy, and messy. As little
girls, Sula and Nel create their own rules for their friendship; "In the safe harbor of each other's
company they could afford to abandon the ways of other people and concentrate on their own
perceptions of things" (55). However, their close friendship is tested when Sula sleeps with Nel's
husband, Jude, which stops Nel's relationship with Jude and her friendship with Sula. During this
time of their separation, the strength of their friendship appears evident. They both long to still be
friends, to talk again. However, Nel sees this event as a true betrayal of friendship from Sula, while
Sula sees what happened as casual and not a big deal.

Sula
Novel Study – Sula Sula by Toni Morrison highlights the themes and expectations that we have
been discussing throughout the course. This story illustrates the community expectations for
women. A strong basis for a thesis statement for the book Sula could be betrayal. Betrayal in the
novel Sula is the central theme that changes the course of life for all characters involved. One
example of betrayal happens when Sula sleeps with Nel's husband. Another basis for a thesis
statement could be a mother's love. In Sula, Morrison revitalizes a theme that is explored in much of
her writing: the nature and limits of a mother's love. When you consider the character of Eva, she is
an example of what a mother's love is and the lengths a mother ... Show more content on
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Sula wanted nothing to do with a husband that would betray her and cheat on her and come home
and just be horribly mean to her. I think the biggest emotional obstacle Sula endured was watching
her mother burn to death. Sula went through an obstacle course of emotions and relationships. Poor
choices were made, which led to her ultimate demise, however, her demise was her own choice. It
was pretty ironic how the dislike for Sula brought the community together. With their dislike for
Sula they forgot about the problems they had with each other.
The climax of the story is when Nel finally confronts Sula. Each girl carried demons, guilt, and
frustration over their lives and their choices. Nel finally vents her anger and pain and asks for an
explanation from Sula. Nel's " thighs were truly empty and dead too, and it was Sula who had taken
the life from them" (Morrison pg. 110–111). After leaving Eva at the home, Nel is so upset that she
heads to Sula's grave. She sadly thinks about how none of the townspeople mourned her death. Nel
calls out for Sula and it is then she finally forgives her for cheating with Jude. She starts crying, for
the first time in years. Nel finally finds peace by grieving for Sula. When reading that part I think it
was then that she realized it was Sula who she was missing & not Jude. When reading the story
I couldn't help but feel mixed emotions for Sula. It was a combination of sadness for all

Segregation In Sula
The community in "Sula" by Toni Morrison is divided by race where the white individuals live in
the valley, and the black individuals live in the "Bottom", which is actually located on a hill above
the valley. The setting, the Bottom, during the early to mid–1900s provides a historical reference for
the struggles faced by the black individuals in the community. Also, the division between the hill
and valley areas of Medallion Ohio along racial lines indicates that segregation of the individuals in
their community dictates the behaviors and lifestyles of the novel's characters. The bottom
originated out of racial divide, and coincidently is the reason for its demise. The plot in "Sula"
identifies the different ways that the community's influence ... Show more content on
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This allows the narrator to be able to let the reader in on the inner thoughts of the characters
throughout the novel. Each individual derives their personality and thoughts from their community,
showing how different people can interpret similar upbringings. As Nel interprets her surroundings
and takes the traditional female role of housewife, Sula takes her experiences and becomes a
fiercely independent woman. Third person point of view also allows the reader to understand the
individual characters without judgment, since the narrator doesn't seem to pass judgment. Without
knowing their inner thoughts, you would never know that Sula cuts off her finger in an attempt to be
like Nel because she never tells anyone. This can be interpreted as Sula possibly questioning her
choices to be so different from the community's expectations of

Identity, By Toni Morrison 's Sula
Identity is who a person is or how they see themselves, but is this something they are born with or is
it something they learn over time? Can this identity be changed? Or is it permanent once set?
Identity is a major theme in Toni Morrison's Sula. Scholars discuss the different identities that the
characters possess, but tend to fail to mention character development or lack of character
development. Character development or lack thereof is usually an important literary move in most
writing. This development provides a deeper understanding of characters in addition to a deeper
understanding of themes throughout the literature. Sula focuses mainly on the lives of Sula and Nel,
which makes tracking their character development easier to track and observe their identity and
sense of self. Identity is a major, yet easily overlooked theme in Sula. Sula as the main character in
which the book is named, would be expected to have quite the character development as the story
progresses, but this is not how the story progresses. Sula, as a child, receives little attention from her
mother and grandmother (Reddy). This forces her to learn how to care for herself as well as become
independent at young age, thus her childhood being cut short. Sula's mother, Hannah, has a well
know reputation for sleeping with all of the men of the Bottom (Reddy). Although Sula disapproves
of her mother's tendencies, her mother's actions make their mark on Sula's personality which we see
later in the book.

Masculinity In Sula
Men, in today's society, are often associated with abuse, drugs, rape, and plenty of other disgusting
things. It can be hard to turn a channel on a news station without hearing of a recent terrorist attack
done by a young male. Most men, do not react with a sexist–oriented protest, rather with a shrug, or
a "I'm glad I'm not stupid". Yet, in the novel by award–winning author Toni Morrison titled Sula, the
reader is found in a town where social constructs are in place, but fly out the window page after
page. In this story, men are either sex–driven, alcohol–driven, or driven crazy by a past that proves
to be mentally deteriorating. The male characters Shadrack, Ajax, Jude, BoyBoy, Tar Baby, and
Plum are prime examples of today's society stuck ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Foremost, Jude was a husband that cheated on his wife and then ran away. Sadly, the community
places the blame for his actions on Sula; when they learned about it they forgot about others "easy
ways (and their own) and said [Sula] was a bitch. BoyBoy was another husband that left his wife.
The story states that once BoyBoy "came back to town and paid her a visit" (35), but when he left he
had "defeat in the stalk of his neck and the curious way he held his shoulders" (36). The characters
of BoyBoy and Jude are also greatly significant to the development of the storyline. Each man
struggles with the idea of loyalty. While looking into BoyBoy, the reader discovers prominent
evidence point to his problem. The story states, "After five years of a sad and disgruntled marriage
BoyBoy took off. During the time they were together he was very much preoccupied with other
women and not home much. He did whatever he could that he liked, and he liked womanizing best,
drinking second, and abusing Eva third" (32). This quote describes BoyBoy's loyalty to his wife.
Not only does he go after other women, but he drinks seemingly uncontrollably and abuses her. He
is not loyal. In the case of Jude, his lack of loyalty is made completely obvious in the main conflict
of the story. Later in the novel the reader discovers the overlying conflict. It includes Sula, Jude, and
Nel. The story states, "But they had been down on all fours naked, not touching except their lips
right down there on the floor where the tie is pointing to, on all fours (uh huh, go on, say it) like
dogs" (105). Sula and Jude are the "they" in this quote, while Nel (Jude's wife) looks on with
complete disgust. In these two ways, Jude and BoyBoy are alike, living selfishly and only caring
about

Toni Morrison's Sula Research Paper
In Toni Morrison's novel Sula, the Bottom is a community that uses Sula as a scapegoat on which to
place blame for their problems. Guiqin says, "Sula, as an outcast, helps define and strengthen the
community even as she defines herself by her lack of conformity" (Guiqin 116). Guiqin also says,
"She is willing to go far beyond the accepted norms to establish herself. She becomes the evil that
bonds the community together and the force that tears families apart" (Guiqin 116). The community
believes in "ritual and tradition" (Guiqin 116). Sula goes against every one of them. She serves an
important part in the community as a scapegoat. The town becomes more admirable and virtuous
because of her. Sula is a part of the community but she is not truly ... Show more content on
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Morrison writes, "Accompanied by a plague of robins, Sula came back to Medallion" (Morrison
89). When this happens, the community starts to question whether Sula was responsible for all the
bad things happening in Medallion. Sula's unpredictable behavior frightens the people in the
Bottom. The community creates a set of values that center around Sula, "the way an oyster forms a
pearl around the irritation of a grain of sand" (Byerman 6). In order to contain and better understand
their fear of Sula, the community labels her as evil. The community starts to impose order on Sula
because of the random events that occur when she comes home. Gonzales says, "...four dead robins
in front of Eva 's house announce the arrival of the prodigal daughter Medallion after ten years"
(Gonzales 77). Eva says, "I might have knowed them birds meant something" (Morrison 89).
Gonzales makes a fine point when she says, "Here again we are witnesses to an aborted flight; like
the dying and dead robins, Sula tries to find freedom from... the structures of her community but
finally returns to die in it" (Gonzales 77). When Sula returns to the Bottom it is a sign of

Motherhood in Sula
Toni Morrison's Sula revolves around the relationship of her two main characters, Sula and Nel. The
childhood friends grow apart with age. Although it is indicated that their friendship is the most
important relationship they participate in, they eventually betray each other and lead dishonest lives.
Throughout the novel, we see their constantly deteriorating relationship as a result of absence of a
family life. Sula is a novel about the influence family may have on the make up of someone's
personality. In particular, the novel examines the effect parents can have on their children and the
conscious effort the main characters make to be unlike their mothers.
Nel's maternal grandmother was a prostitute in New Orleans and so her daughter ... Show more
content on Helpwriting.net ...
(29; 28) Most important of all the changes the train trip provides, though, is Nel's newfound
"strength to cultivate a friend in spite of her mother." (29) This strength opens the door for Sula to
change her life.
Nel and Sula's relationship is a complex one, which allows for the novel to become incredibly in
depth and driven by interesting characters. Sula's relationships with her mother and grandmother are
opposite of Nel's relationship with her mother. This is, perhaps, why their personalities differ so
much once they reach adulthood. Both become their mothers.
Her mother and grandmother, who obviously favor her brother, essentially ignore Sula. Hannah, her
mother, is a very sexual woman who enjoys the company of many men in town to the disapproval of
Sula. Because of her mother's actions, Sula views her with an indifferent and callous sense of
hostility. Still, Sula reacts in a negative way when hears her mother say, "'I just don't like her'" in
reference to her daughter. (57) The difference between loving someone and liking someone is made
clear here. It develops the idea of a mother's ambivalent love. When a child is aggravating, it can be
frustrating to love them. But for Hannah, she simply does not like the person Sula is becoming. This
realization, for Sula, removes her from

Sula Segregation
Furthermore, Biman Basu's The Black Voice And The Language Of The Text: Toni Morrison's Sula,
investigates what he calls "one of the most significant developments in African American
tradition...the formation of a class of intellectuals" (Article). More precisely, Basu is speaking of
individuals like Morrison, who have not only broken down barriers for herself as a woman writer,
but the others whom have followed in her footsteps to publish a rich tapestry of African–American
literature. Furthermore, Basu's investigates the conflict that arises when one class overtakes another
stating that the conflict "on one hand, is between African–American and American Culture, and on
the other, between this class of intellectuals and the 'people'"(article). ... Show more content on
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As Morrison progressed as a writer one can definitively view her evolution not only as a writer but
as a thinker. In Sula, the reader can view an author who is quintessentially confused by the system
of segregation. Specifically, one could contrive that Sula is Morrison's attempt to examine the
aspects in which segregation helped cement African–American culture, but once America was
desegregated the same communities that were empowered by oppression were decimated by the
white communities' extraction of African–American culture. Whereas within Love, one can view a
Morrison not content with African–American proliferation under the banner of segregation, but
hatred for the powerful individuals of the community that reinforced the system of segregation and
oppressed their own community in the effort to gain not only money, but power. As one thinks about
the multi–faceted layers of segregation within Toni Morrison's writings, one can view a political
activist who felt content in her youth, rationalizing the evils of this world, yet in the present an
enraged woman content with not only the removal of white prosperity within segregation, but
African–American elite prosperity upon the literal blood of African–American

Sula Mothers
When you read throughout the novel the role of motherhood is not perfectly described or shown in
it. In a perfect world motherhood is seen not as a last option but rather as a highly honored
character. Contrary, in the novel Sula mothers are not a role model that their kids can look up to.
Mothers play an important part in child's life, influencing on how they view different
understandings in the world and setting up values in their child. Every individual's life is formed by
personal relationships they have with others. Mother–child relationship is one of the relationships
that greatly affect the identity and the attitude of the child. As it is seen in the racist community in
the novel, the mother–child relationship is important in the sense ... Show more content on
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Thus, their purpose was to be unlike their moms. In this essay I will specify the roles and the
discontinuity of the mothers and their children's relationship as well as their love and intimate
behaviors towards their children which most of the mothers in the novel lacked.
In order to illustrate my first point, in this novel we can face many bad moms who they did not care
about their children and left them at the moment when they most needed their mother. Also, when it
comes to death, a mother is never able to kill her own child out of love no matter what. Nonetheless,
in this novel there is a time when killing becomes an option for a mother to release her child from
pain. For example, Eva who was the mother of Hannah left their three children after her husband
had left them with no money. She supposed to stay with her kids, but she left them for over a year
saying that she was making money. It is not a relevant way to leave your kids to make money. After
she came back she had lost a leg. She lost interest in her kids and she did not have mercy or love for
them anymore after her husband BoyBoy left because

Sula Suffering
Aching Affliction
Toni Morrison is the author of such a mysterious but exhilarating book Sula (1973). Growing up she
love to story–tell and read; leading her to become a professor and editor at many places and
universities. Also, winning a Noble Prize for Literature in 1993 for many of her phenomenal works
that provide powerful depictions of the world that Black people currently or use to live in
(America). For example, the novel Sula; Toni Morrison writes this story to be about a friendship in
its most tremendous form – not two women as friends, but two women as an individual,
unknowingly sharing almost everything. She also covers many events that involve suffering within a
community and many different relationships.
Many of the characters ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
For example, Helene's grandmother, Cecile, remove Helene from her mother, Rochelle, because of
the lifestyle she lives. Cecile does not want her granddaughter to have the same chances as her
daughter. In addition, was struggling to understand what happened to her daughter. So, Cecile
"raised her under the dolesome eyes of a multicolored Virgin Mary"(Morrison 1920). She takes
safety measures to be "on guard for any sign of [Rochelle's] wild blood"(pg. 17). Suffering with the
need to control, Cecile takes away the light of Helene's life and replaces it with strict background
founded of the grounds of the

Essay on Sula
Robert Allen
English
October 28, 2014
Throughout Toni Morrison's Sula, racism and sexism are recurring themes that are deeply explored
and illuminated throughout the novel. The novels' two main characters Nell and Sula are not only
women living in a patriarchal world, they are also African American, which further exposes them to
mistreatment and pre–determined societal roles. African Americans during the 1920's were
experiencing great social injustices and mistreatment, along with the likes of women who were also
experiencing inequality to a lesser degree during this time as well. In her novel Sula, by addressing
and shedding light on the many acts of racism and sexism that occurred during the 1920's, Toni
Morrison shows how African ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
While racism affects everyone in the African American community during this time, it is their roles
as females that set Sula and Nell apart from the male figures in the novel. After World War 1 it
became increasingly hard for women to find roles in the work place, as society was shifting
drastically towards the traditional role of women, which was in the house and in the bedroom. For
instance, In the United States in the 1920s, only about 15 percent of white, and 30 percent of black
married women with wage–earning husbands held paying jobs (Moore). The reason for this is
because once again, society found the role of women to be at home with a family. Because of this
shift, women who went against these societal norms were often criticized and ridiculed for acting
out. This grim reality that society places black females behind every other group is recognized by
Nell and Sula at a very young age and seems to drive their life's paths. The narrator states, "because
each had discovered years before that they were neither white nor male, and that all freedom and
triumph was forbidden to them, they had set about creating something else to be" (Morrison's Sula,
1973). With this quote, the narrator shows how women in this time period were very limited in their
freedoms to live a life they wanted because not only

Sula And Nel Friendship Themes
Sula has many themes. One of them is about friendship and the difficulty of transitioning from a
childhood friendship to an adulthood friendship. During Nel and Sula's lives, it was always them
against the world. However, when they got older and experienced different things, they went in
different directions. Sula became that woman everyone hated and looked down upon, and Nel
became the average housewife. They had disagreements and fall outs throughout their years, but at
the end when Nel was the only person who came to see Sula on her last day. Also Nel was the only
person Sula thought about during her death. Nel was also hit with this notion when she found herself
alone and thinking about her life after Sula's funeral. She begin to weep ... Show more content on
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She was a rebel. She did everything that people told her not to do and she did not feel any remorse
about it. It was not just about her acting out, it was because of what she grew up around and how
she was raised as a child. Sula was trying to find something that she was missing inside of her, and
she thought that she could find it by sleeping around with different men. She tried to find it in white
and black men which caused controversy among people that knew her. They felt like she was an
omen because she let white men inside of her and did not want her around them or their children. It
was her way of trying to feel a void in her life passed on from her mother. She said when she was on
top of man she felt like they were at their most vulnerable. She felt like she was flying and she loved
that feeling, but when she was done the feeling was gone. However when she meet Ajax the role
was reversed on her. She felt like this man was the one, but when he was sent to jail she found out
she did not even know his real name and that he was just using her body for sex. This took her back
and made her go back into her old ways because to her she felt as though she could not trust any

Sula Motherhood
Malacias Delahoussaye
English 244
B. Taylor–Thompson
5/7/2018
In Toni Morrison's "Sula" the reader resuscitates a theme of Sula's relationship with her mother and
grandmother which gave her a bipolar, isolated and very distraught personality. Morrison writes the
novel with intention to explain the good and the bad of Sula's family issues. The characters in Sula
give the story a great interest by using different behaviors and qualities of each character to prove
the authors intention.
In most of Morrison's writings she tends to talk about the black womanhood and the black
motherhood and in the novel Sula it's absolutely no different. The motherhood role is absolutely key
in the novel "Sula" because it explains different beliefs and objectives ... Show more content on
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When Sula was growing up she always went to Nel's house for peace and quietness. The
surroundings of loudness that she was constantly in could have factored her into become the woman
she ended up being when she grew up. If she would have grew up in a household like Nel would she
have made some of the same mistakes as she got older as her mom and grandmother did? This
factor plays a big part on the outcome of Sula and her behaviors. Sula and Nel were regularly picked
on by the same group of boys, which finally lead Sula to get very frustrated and handle the situation
herself. In the novel Sula takes out a knife and cuts off part of her finger saying, "'If I can do that to
myself, what you suppose I'll do to you?' "Morrison (p.54–55). This outrageous act by Sula is seen
as a moment of self–recognition of her connection to her grandmother Eva. Here, Sula finally
realizes that she has to fight against her own amenability, and secure her identity. She follows her
Grandmother Eva's move proving a major point. Her mother Hannah never really cared about her
even stating that she doesn't even like her own daughter. Should Hannah be the one to blame for her
daughters behaviors or is it a simple misunderstanding? When Hannah asked Eva if she ever loved
her and her siblings and never got the answer she was looking for was very striking for the reader.
The reader can immediately

Comparing Nel And Eva Peace In Toni Morrison's Sula
Toni Morrison's Sula is a story set in the fictional town of The Bottom, located in Medallion, Ohio
between the years 1919 to 1965. It describes the lives of its inhabitants, mainly two little girls Nel
and Sula, who both come from matriarchal households. Nel Wright, who comes from a traditionally
middle class family, where her mother, Helene is the epitome of conventional and a person who
possesses high, strong morals and a mostly absentee father. Versus Sula Peace whose household is
considered highly unconventional and where both her mother Hannah and grandmother Eva are the
opposite of traditional and possess little to any morals. Though from two completely different
households, Nel and Sula form and quick friendship which is the central aspect of the novel. Nel,
through her mother has inherited a calm, ladylike and unconfrontational demeanor whereas Sula has
gotten the fiery and passionate nature of the Pearce women. These personality and identity
characteristics are underscored by ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
We are made to understand that Eva was abandoned by her husband Boyboy, when her children
were still very young. When Boyboy left Eva, he left her with "$1.65, five eggs, three beets and no
idea of what or how to feel" (Morrison, 72). After an especially harsh winter where "the baby, Plum
stopped having bowel movements" (Morrison, 74) and nothing Eva did seemed to be working, to
soothe his suffering she uses a bit of lard and "shoved the last bit of food she had (besides three
beets) up his ass" (Morrison, 75) . She then later disappears for 18 months and comes back with
only one leg and enough money to build a big house in which her children and later Hannah's
daughter Sula spend the majority of their lives. We see later on in the story where Eva once again
releases Plum from his misery by setting him on fire and killing

Birthmark In Sula
The book "Sula" was written by Toni Morris, and it focuses on black families who live in the Ohio
Hills above the town of Medallion Valley, which was also known as the "Bottom. The main
characters in the book are Nel and Sula; Sula is about adventure, curiosity, and hated by the black
community of the Bottom. Sula had a birthmark over her eyes and it is seen differently by different
characters. For instance, Shadrack sees it as a tadpole, Nel sees it as a stemmed rose, while Jude
sees it as a snake. Each character is trying to find their own identity in the story, and the way that
each character views Sula's birthmark symbolizes who they really are.
The first character introduced in the book, Sula, was a veteran named Shadrack or private. ... Show
more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Both would look after one another, learn things from the other person, they find happiness whenever
they meet. When Sula was twelve, her birthmark was described as a stemmed rose, "Sula was a
heavy brown with large, quiet eyes, one of which featured a birthmark that spread from the middle
of the lid toward the eyebrow, shaped something like a stemmed rose" (Morrison, 52). The
birthmark as a stemmed rose symbolized strength, because of its thorns. For example, Sula shows
her strength to the four Irish white boys who always terrorize them after school by "slashing her
finger" (Morris, 54). At first, the rose is beautiful and soft, but it becomes a torn for Nel after she
loses her husband, because he cheats on her best friend Sula. Sula's birthmark also to get darker and
darker as times goes back. Morrison says "The Birthmark was to grow darker as the years passed,
but now it was the same shade as her gold–flecked." A stemmed rose could also be interpreted as a
battle within itself. Sula and Nel battle with themselves to find their identities of whom they really
are. Nellie thinks she is the perfect one in the story, but later realized she is no different from Sula.
Nel has joined the people of the town and stop talking to Sula after her husband cheated on her and
left the

sula feminism
Feminism and anti–feminism in Sula: Right or wrong? Feminism has been in society for decades. In
some societies, we see how women are kept in their boundaries. In some countries women have to
cover their entire bodies in clothing to keep from dishonoring their families. In most traditional
societies a woman is to remain virginal to be considered worthy of marriage. In America, women
were constrained to the household and weren't allowed to work or vote. These actions were and are
considered by some, anti–feminist. But, when is feminism taken to far? Has the act of feminism
become an excuse for women to act out because we have rights? Or is it ok to do so to be
considered liberated. Whenever a woman does something negative she is in ... Show more content
on Helpwriting.net ...
Of course some acts of feminism are to be considered acts of heroism. But, are women today getting
the wrong message from what Sula is all about? Sula is not about sleeping around to prove her
worth, or saying what she pleases to be rude. Sula is about the independence in a woman. Not being
submissive to a man, but being your own person. Sula represents the rights women should have to
do as they please without being wild as some women take being a feminist as today. Feminism in
retrospect is about having the same rights as men. But, that does not make the wrong things that
men do ok for a woman to do as well. Whether done by a man or a woman, some behavior is still
not appropriate. Feminism used to be about equal rights for jobs and voting and important matters.
Now, women use feminism and equal "rights" to perform behavior that is not ideal behavior for
anyone with good morals. As a country that believes in Christ should feminism even exist? Women
who have the wrong idea of feminism give up their dignity and pride to be considered free. Women
have sex freely and men still look down on them. Instead of being viewed as pure you are viewed as
dirty. If anything, the act of feminism has caused women to be even more degraded today. Women
expose themselves in music videos and pornography. Women are looked at as mere objects of
pleasure. If we stuck to the biblical meaning of a woman, women could

Sula Essay
In their life, at one point or another, people deny to themselves and others what they really feel and
what really happened. Some people go on living their entire lives denying their true emotions. In
Toni Morrison's novel Sula, characters constantly denied their feelings and their actions. Sula Peace,
her best friend Nel Wright, and Nel's mother do not listen to their feelings and hide from their true
emotions.
Sula Peace is one of the protagonists of the novel. She is born to a very unstable family and is from
that moment treated differently in "the Bottom", the black section of Medallion, Ohio. From the
time that she was very young, right up until her death, Sula denied her true emotions. She refuted
her need for love and did not ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Sula could not bring herself to help her mother and because of the pain she felt, she also could not
help her grandmother.
As Sula became older she continued to run from her emotions and from her problems. When Nel
married Jude Greene in 1927, Sula ran away after the wedding. She ran for ten years because she
thought that her and Nel's friendship would not say the same and that Jude would replace her in
Nel's life.
When Sula returned to Medallion, she came back the same person as the one who left. She was still
running from her problems and her past. Sula put Eva into a nursing home because Eva brought
back memories of how Sula watched her own mother die. Once again Sula ran away fro her past
trying to change the future. A little after, when Nel asked Sula why Eva was put in a nursing home,
Sula lied to Nel saying: "I'm scared Nellie. That's why..."(100) She once again turned her face away
from her past and lied to herself and her best friend about what really happened.
Sula's best friend and the other protagonist of Sula was Nel Wright. Nel was the exact opposite of
Sula. Nel had a light skin color, almost like the color of sand; in contrast, Sula's skin was dark like
the rich earth. Nel was the picture of innocence and purity; Sula had a birthmark in the shape of a
rose over one of her eyes, giving an impression of something mysterious. Nel was a calm

Marginalization In Sula
Eva, Hannah and Sula, all three are tied with blood knots and thus Sula follows the footsteps of her
mother.Like Nancy Chodorow put it in "THE REPRODUCTION OF MOTHERING:
PSYCHOANALYSIS AND THE SOCIOLOGY OF GENDER". She argues that the mother–
daughter relationship structures the female personality and relational capacities. All the three
women are emotionally weak when it comes to the relation of mother and daughter. There is no
bond between them which is very well seen in the novel "Sula watches her mother burning not
because she was paralyzed but because she was interested"(pg 78) Though Sula portrays herself as
self destructive, she is a Black Women of the new era. As Morrison put it : "Sula was distinctly
different. Eva's arrogance and Hannah's self indulgence merged in her and, with a twist that was all
her ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Writings of Dalits as marginalized will mainly focus on the despair ,sufferings ,oppression ,
alienation and "HOW" and "WHEN" these voices of the marginalized will be heard. Now the
Question arises will Education be the medium to emancipate the Dalits ? May be yes as Bama in her
novel Karukku majorly dealt with the aspect of emancipation of the Dalits through education. As
she put it in her Novel "Both in the Hostel and in the School, the children wore all sorts of fine
clothes, and they kept nice things to eat in their rooms. So I thought they must all be upper –caste
children. My mother too had given me some fried groundnuts and puffed rice. I had put this aside
for myself. I wondered to myself how it was that children belonging to other communities always
had fine clothes and good food. I realized it was they who had the money. As for me,my community
was low–caste, I had no money either. All the same, I thought, I would study hard and make good.
So I worked really hard."(pg

Promiscuity In Sula
Steve Maraboli wrote, "Incredible change happens in your life when you decide to take control of
what you do have power over, instead of craving control over what you don't." While perceptions
towards female sexuality have become more and more liberal over time, they still tend towards an
expediently bigoted dynamic in which women are only encouraged to be sexual to an extent. The
idea of women being self–confident, even single–minded, in cultivating rousing sex lives is still
often looked upon as immoral and impure. In Toni Morrisson's novel Sula, not only is female
sexuality lopsidedly categorized, it is seen as worthy for castigation. Missing from the main
conceptualization is the blunt acknowledgement that female promiscuity can be empowering. A
woman can derive power from her sexuality. By realizing what she's been gifted with, she can gain
her freedom. Sexual empowerment for her involves recognition of her sexual being, embracing that
power, and exhibiting it confidently without fear of disrepute. By embracing the body she is born
into, understanding the power it wields, and displaying total command in making choices regarding
her body, she holds the power to not be castigated for craving and loving sex. Neither is she belittled
with abusive words for not keeping her body as a holy shrine, allowing only one man entry. A
sexually assured woman, conscious of her own desires, and confident in her allure can claim sex
solely on her own terms.

How Does Nel Change In Sula
In the novel Sula, by Toni Morrison, It follows two African American girls named Sula Peace and
Nel wright, from their childhood to adulthood and describes the changing of their relationship. Sula
is set in a black community in the Midwest up in the hilltop town of Medallion. The story explores
the relationship between the two women in the segregated south. Sula and Nel are best friends and
stuck together to overcome any obstacles that they have been through. Nel and Sula's relationship
gradually begins to change as their strong bond was put out to test by the society.
Since childhood, the both experienced loneliness that isolated them from their family, and they were
similar to each other in many ways, "when Nel , an only child, sat on ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
Despite knowing the fact that, Nel had stayed in the Bottom and gotten married to Jude and had
kids, just as she supposed to do, and Sula unknowingly settles out on a life unconcerned with all of
these. Sula begins to sleep with married men, just as her mom Hannah did. When Sula sleeps with
Jude, Nels husband she feels no regret or shows concern that she is sleeping with her best friends
husband. Their friendship is torn apart by Sula's one wrong decision. When Nel finds out about Sula
and Jude, something that upsets her the most was her inability to talk to that one person whom she
would mainly look forward to. "I was good to you Sula, why don't that matter?"(Morrison 144). Nel
just couldn't understand how Sula could betray her after been loyal to her for all this times. She
thought that being good to Sula would have keep her hands off Jude. However, Sula came from a
background where this type of behavior was considered normal. She saw her mother having
intimate relationships with married men, and she thought in friendship we could share everything
just like they shared everything when they were kids and she had no idea that Nel would be so upset
about this. Sula's huge attachment and fondness is for her friend, and she believes that it's over
everything else in her life. So Nels reaction leaves her being confused and

How Did Sula And Nel Grow Out Of Trouble
Sula is a book about two girls who grew up in a town called The Bottom. The Bottom was given to
slaves from their slave masters but it was a trick. The slave masters gave the slaves a little bit of
land and told them that because they were on a hill, they were closer to heaven. There were two girls
that lived in The Bottom and despite their differences they grew to become very close.
Sula and Nel are the exact example of opposites attract. Nel comes from a stable home and Sula
comes from a home where everyone views her mother and her grandmother as "loose". Sula and Nel
became very close friends. There was once an accident where Sula swung Chicken Little, a little
boy, into a river where he drowned and died. Following this incident, Sula and Nel began to draw
apart from each other. One day, Sula's mother's dress caught on fire and she died because of the
severe burns. ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
And Sula chose the completely opposite path and she became an independent woman. After Nels's
wedding, Sula left the bottom for ten years. Sula found the people everywhere else to be boring and
she returned to The Bottom. When Sula returned to The Bottom, she got bad reactions from
everyone. Her expensive clothes drew bad attention from the neighbors. Eva criticized her for not
being married (that was the tradition back then, to be married and having children right after high
school like Nel did). Then Eva and Sula began to go back and forth, Eva telling Sula that she was a
bad daughter, Sula accusing Eva of murdering Plum, Eva saying that Sula just watched her mother
burn to death. Awhile later, Sula became Eva's guardian and put her in a nursing home, which
shocked everybody in The Bottom. Everyone in The Bottom said that Sula was evil, but Sula told
Nel that she put her in a nursing home because she was afraid of

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