Sula (novel)

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**Title** **Sula**
Sula cover
Author	Toni Morrison
Country	United States
Language	English
Genre(s)	Novel
Publisher	Random House
Released	November 1973
Media type	Print (Hardback & Paperback)
Pages	192 pp (hardback edition)
ISBN	ISBN 0-394-48044-9 (hardback edition)

Sula is a novel by Toni Morrison about two friends, Nel and Sula, whose relationship examines the confusing mysteries of human emotions. The novel addresses ideas of good and evil and how the two, at times, seem to resemble one another. Morrison uses the theoretical ideas of Jacques Derrida, Edward Said, and Michel Foucault to question the hierarchy of binaries and apply this to race relations in America. The author's perspective is philosophical and at the same time painfully personal and insightful. Not only does she show the similarity between good and evil, but she also shows how two women forge a relationship with one another.

1 Main themes
- 1.1 Feminist theme
2 Characters in "Sula"
3 Sources
4 External Links

[edit] Main themes

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One of the main ideas in Sula is the discrepancy between good and evil. The author shows the ambiguity between good and evil with the two main characters, Nel and Sula. Nel would typically be considered the "good" girl, while Sula would commonly be labelled as "evil." However it becomes apparent in the novel that Sula has a positive effect on the community. When Sula returns in part II, she unifies the community in their hatred for her. Morrison solidifies the idea that Sula was actually a positive force on the community with the effects of Sula's death. The community returns to its original state of disunity. Once negligent mothers like Teapot's began to care for their children because of their hate for Sula, but now "mothers who had defended their children from Sula's malevolence now had nothing to rub up against". Also, "daughter's who had complained bitterly about the responsibilities of taking care of their mothers-in-law had altered when Sula locked Eva away," but with Sula dead, "they returned to a steeping resentment of the burdens of old people." Morrison also asserts the disintegration of racial unity and pride that Sula had created by sleeping with white males. Overall, the author shows that while on the surface we may think Sula to be an evil character, her actions were a blessing to the community of the Bottom. Morrison shows that what is traditionally thought to be wrong by society may not be. Sula, who rebelled against every social custom lived a fulfilling life while Nel who followed societal norms felt regret for her course in life.

On a broader scale, Morrison extends this idea of breaking free of social customs to the situation of blacks at the time. The novel takes place well before the civil rights movement when blacks were forced to assume a comparatively inferior role in society. Morrison expresses the need for more people like Sula who are not afraid to challenge tradition, because the only way for a minority that is discriminated against to gain equal rights is to challenge racism. People like Nel who allow social customs to dictate their lives are not the type of people that will help a situation of injustice.

Throughout Sula, Toni Morrison plays with the idea of dominant female characters. It is odd to find out that there are more men characters mentioned than women characters in the book. Yet most of the women characters take on masculine roles. For instance, Sula does not act like every other woman in the Bottom. She is in charge of her life, and does what she pleases, no matter how far she goes. Sula’s interest with Jude is one of the many examples that have shown how her interest conflict with her relationships with others. Her curiosity has power over her personality, and it has made her such a diverse character.

[edit] Feminist theme

Not only is Sula a woman in the Bottom, she is also a minority in a larger society dominated by a majority at least on an implicit level.
Born in an unconventional household and in an unconventional family, Sula’s early life is almost solely dominated by female role models such as Eva, Hannah, and even Nel to an extent. All female characters have influence upon her; with the possible exception of Shadrack, no male characters appear to have a tremendous amount of influence upon Sula. This situation supercedes both her race and color to make her displaced even among those that she is most like. As the proverbial outcast, Sula both embodies a rebellious spirit and is a totally unique anomaly.
Sula, however, is not the most powerful woman in the novel. While Sula may strive for power, sometimes succeeding and often failing, Eva has already achieved independence, albeit through a great deal of personal sacrifice. She has control of her family at a minimum, but is a dominant force in the community.

[edit] Characters in "Sula"

Sula Peace – the main protagonist
Eva Peace – Sula's grandmother (is missing one leg. Though the true reason is never explained, it is assumed that she purposefully lost it under a train to collect insurance money to support her three young children)
BoyBoy – Sula's grandfather (who leaves Eva for another woman)
Hannah Peace – Sula's mother; Eva's eldest daughter (a promiscuous and care-free woman who was unwantingly "burdened down" by Sula at an early age)
Eva (Pearl) Peace – Sula's aunt; Eva sr.'s youngest daughter and middle child (plays only a minor role in the novel)
Plum (Ralph) Peace – Sula's uncle; Eva's son and youngest child (he was a WWI veteran and a heroin addict. Eva burns him alive with kerosine because of his mental instability)
Helene Wright – Nel's strait-laced and clean mother
Nel Wright – Sula's best friend (can also be considered a main protagonist)She doesn't want to be like to her mother because she will never be reduced to jelly and she doesn't will humiliated by others people as her mother.
Shadrack – A paranoid shell-shocked WWI veteran who returns to Sula and Nel's hometown, Medallion. Invents National Suicide Day
Jude – Nel's husband (who leaves Nel due to a love affair with Sula)
Ajax (Albert Jacks) – Sula's confidant and lover
Tar Baby (Pretty Johnnie) – a rather quiet, cowardly, and reserved man who rents out one of the rooms in the Peace household.
The deweys – actually three boys, each about 1 year apart from one another in age, who were each nicknamed "Dewey" by Eva. Their real names are never written in the novel, and after the introduction of these characters, the three were referenced to as one being, thus Morrison's use of a lowercase "d" in "dewey" for the rest of the novel)