I wanted to give you another spot to put questions or responses, since the last blog entry is full. If you would like to respond to one of the questions on the previous post (please do!) just include the date so I know it's a new post. The original guiding questions are below. Your responses have been illuminating and I look forward to more!
Blog Post: Please contribute to the blog with your thoughts, questions, and ideas. For each assignment, you must do AT LEAST TWO of the following:
A. Respond
to one of the guiding questions (I will post them on the blog for you).
B. Send
me an email with a thoughtful question, so I can post it on the blog.
C. Build
on someone else’s idea or politely disagree, with a thoughtful alternative
opinion.
Please be thoughtful, careful, and
diplomatic about your comments. I will be checking the blog regularly and will
be contributing as well. Each post should be about one body paragraph long. You
must complete the blog post by 10 PM on the night before the assignment is due.
Happy reading!
Guiding Questions and ideas to respond to:
- What is the significance of names and naming in the novel?
- Although Sula contains several male characters, the book is, in many ways, a novel that celebrates women. Sula looms so large in the reader's mind because Morrison strips away the power traditionally given to men. Examine the deficiencies of two male characters that suggest contrasting strengths in female characters.
- Toni Morrison once said, "I know evil preoccupied me in Sula…" Examine the nature of evil in Sula, especially as it occurs in the protagonist. To what extent is Sula evil and how does she manifest this trait? What are the sources of her evil and what is its ultimate significance in terms of her relationship with the Bottom residents?
- Death is a dominant motif in Sula. The text begins, "There was once a neighborhood," signifying that the community no longer exists (3). Morrison portrays death as an event that purifies, renews, and brings freedom to the deceased and/or their family and friends. Death is also an event that is often witnessed in the text; it is a spectacle that demands attention. Consider how this notion of death subverts more traditional depictions and why Morrison uses this strategy.
- Add your own guiding question or idea here! There are so many to choose from, from motifs to the circular nature of life to Biblical allusions in the book. If you come up with a good question, email it or submit it to me and I will post it on the blog as a potential discussion question.
Although Sula is labeled as evil right from the start, with her watching the deaths of Chicken Little and her mother, Hannah, I believe that Sula has a legitimate intention or reason for her actions and cannot be considered fully evil. Her birthmark has always defined her as different from the rest of society, and she has even been associated with a “rattlesnake” (Morrison 104) and a “devil” (Morrison 117) because of it. She is made to feel that she is evil just because of her rebellious and non-abiding nature as a woman. In addition, the numerous rumors spread about her further suggest her isolation to society, with the seeming exception of Nel. Nel and Sula have been close friends to the point where they seem to be one person, but Nel has slowly drifted away from Sula with her marriage to Jude. Sula notes that “Now Nel belonged to the town and all of its ways” (Morrison 120). Sula, having always felt trapped in a society where she does not belong, is now left with no one to freely express herself without being judged (except for Ajax, who accounts for the fact that she actually desired for the acceptance of her own identity). The source of her evilness was not only from her chaotic childhood, but also from her strong will and independence; she solely wants to make her thoughts known. Even though she slept with Nel’s husband, Jude, “it takes two to tango” after all, and she thought it was normal with her scandalous mother and commonly shared affections with Nel. Therefore, although I may not necessarily agree with her extreme actions, Sula’s character has a point and contributes to the idea that when society is fearful of change, harmful consequences can result.
ReplyDeleteTaylor Womack
Delete4-16-14
AP English Literature 6*
Ms. Delman
While I’m inclined to agree with you that Sula’s character is rigged from the beginning to be headed towards a disturbed and unordinary life, I have to argue that her evil later in life is intentional, or at least done in willful ignorance. Sula contemplates how she used to believe she and Nel were one and the same, but that now “marriage, apparently, had changed all that” (119). Sula is trying to convince herself that she is a victim in this scenario, that “she had no thought at all of causing Nel pain” (119), but this is an absurd notion. For Sula to truly not understand the emotional devastation that would come with the destruction of a decade long relationship she would have to be nothing short of a bad case of autism, which she is not because she can interpret emotional cues from facial expressions and body language. She understands the social taboo she is committing, and is certainly repressing it if not disregarding it completely. It is her own immature stubbornness that forces her deeper into the isolationism that you discussed.
As for Morrison’s purpose in writing about a socially self-detrimenting character, she may be illustrating that the shortcomings of life are worsened or made entirely from the stubbornness of people in those situations. Sula spent her entire childhood loving Nel, feeling such a close friendship with her that sometimes they couldn’t tell themselves from each other. And throughout the rest of her life, Sula never finds anyone who she can be as close to as Nel, even after ten years of roaming through the big “cities [that] held the same people” (120); one would expect Sula to do everything in her power to preserve Nel as her sole confidant. But she doesn’t, she does possibly the only action that could permanentally end their friendship. Sula was the only issue in this scenario, as nothing even close to a schism was occurring between her and Nel, and if Sula did not give in to a desire for slight, brief pleasure, then her life would be much more rich. Sula is now in “possession” with Ajax, she falls into the walk of life she despised for all of the novel prior to this point, and is now one of “them” (120). Morrison is pointing to the fact that through Sula’s unrestricted love and lack of foresight, she drives herself straight into a life and emotional state that she not only never wanted, but is now entrapped within. Sula’s stubborn pride in her unrestricted lifestyle is the sole cause of her current distress.
I most definitely agree with this. It is easy to judge someone and label them as "evil" or a "bad person" just because of their unconventional ways and their actions that would normally be viewed as negative, but that's because people don't look further into understanding the intent and reason for why that person acts the way they do. In this case, that person is Sula. Society will always be fearful of change, and that is seen in history time and time again. The type of independent woman that Sula was made her an easy target for the people of the Bottom to label her as evil because she is different than the rest, and although her actions were extreme, they will probably serve as a positive effect in the long run.
DeleteSula can be interpreted as evil, but not truly proven to be The reason this is applicable is the fact of change and how, "Hell ain't things lasting forever. Hell is change" (Morrison 108). In contrast to Sula towards herself, Nel is completely different, where Nel followed the traditional path and didn't get an education, married off and had children. However, Sula comes back in fancy clothing with a college education after ten years with no contact. Sula is change, she didn't get married and when Eva brought it up, Sula argued that she wants to build her own life, and not someone elses. She also received education when many people from that town didn't, and she doesn't fit any of the traditional criterias, making her "evil", because of the connection of hell to change. She is able to harness change, and use it to explain how free she is compared to many woman including, Hannah her mom, Eva, and Nel. Also, since Sula is different compared to everyone else, people always fear change, and differences, which automatically concludes it to being evil, because there is no other way to describe her.
ReplyDeleteI think you are right about Sula. Many people fear her or see her as evil because she took a path incredibly different from those of the other residents of Medallion. But I am responding to you to play the Devil's advocate. Even though Sula is wrongly accused of being evil because she is different, should she be considered at fault for some of the immoral things she has done? Or are these things that simply make her different?
DeleteWe've seen Sula be labeled as evil and malicious for really ridiculous reasons: the robins "she brought with her", the way she dresses, her college education, etc. But there are some things that have shown her to not be that great of a person. In this most recent chapter, the most notable example is that she slept with Jude, the husband of her best friend Nel. By the conventional moral standard, this is clearly wrong. Maybe to other moral standards this is right.
But what she did was really hurtful to her relationship with Nel. Nel felt lost and helpless after what Sula did to her. Nel was alone, and the only person she wanted to talk to was the one that had hurt her most and left. If the point of morals is to make advantageous relationships compatible with how most humans function, then Sula failed at that point. She wrecked her friendship with Nel, who was probably the closest friend Sula has ever had.
First of all, beautifully said. I completely agree now that I look at in that light. The true fear of the people of the Bottom does, in fact, seem to center itself around the thought of change (somewhat answering Kylan's thoughtful question). It's true because, as Alexanderson said, Sula came back a completely different person and since no one is as different as she is, they view her as evil and strange. Scary even. During the conversation between her and Nel, Nel explicitly states, "You sure have changed" (100) and further down the novel, Sula thinks back and realizes Nel is not the same person as her, at least not anymore. Due to the fact that Nel stays back instead of following Sula, she is more influenced by the townsfolk: living the way they have lived for years, following traditions, and so forth. However, Sula earns the freedom to leave (BIRDS.) and live her own life as she pleases as she breaks the social norms of Medallion. I believe that is why she says, "The real hell of Hell is that it is forever" (107). Sula is unable to cope with having to bend herself and who she is to live as a person who has lived in Medallion their whole life. She cannot abide to the same rules of life as any woman living in Medallion is forced to live. Therefore, though Sula may be seen as evil, it is only because she has the freedom to change and change is hell.
DeleteI agree with you, but I also want to add that not only does Sula represent change she represents a greater power, a force, who is thought to wreak havoc wherever she goes. Nel a long time friend of Sula , was the only one who saw greatness within Sula, accepting her for who she is, but now she fears Sula."Now she wanted everything, and all because of that... Now Nel was one of them". Sula defines the breakage within the social principles that this society has created. And this is where I agree with you, she is change. There are suspicions within the community, she gets labeled as "evil" only because of the things she is associated with; like for example putting her mom in a nursing home, being accompanied by a plague of robins(a sign of evil supposedly), sleeping with Nel's husband, and much more. That does not make her evil, she is just challenging the laws of the status quo in what fits within the standards of the community;she is not afraid of being different. Overall women in general are being oppressed, where they stand is where they are judged, whether they pick themselves up from the hardships of living, or they rise like Sula, and force themselves to be different. Evil is doing something morally wrong, and in Sula's community she has, according to what they believe, but in my opinion she is not, she is just taking a different approach on life than anyone would have.
DeleteI understand your point that because Sula has changed so much and has become so alien to the people of Medallion, she fits the description of hell according to Morrison. However, it is this same evilness that is associated with the term "Hell" that in turn cause change in the towns people themselves. Albeit, not all of the changes that occurred were exactly positive, especially in the case of Mr. Finely. In fact, if looking at the first incident between Teapot and Sula from the young boy's perspective, one could argue that the change Sula cause was entirely disruptive to the way of life in the Bottom. But it is here that the truth to Sula's so-called evilness lies; it is obvious that the lifestyle in the Bottom is nothing that a sensible person would readily defend or desire to maintain. Although unbeknownst to the townsfolk, Sula is trying to instigate positive change in the normally dismally familiar quiet life of the Bottom. In other words, Sula is only evil to the extent that her actions will cause the townspeople to rework their situation into something more. In this, Morrison sets a precedent that good can sprout from evil, much in the same way that a tree nourished from dead things can support new life. Overall, although Sula may seem to be acting on malevolent, shifting whims, thus causing unrest, her end does justify her means because she creates a better existence in the Bottom.
DeleteEllis, I'd also like to play Devil's Advocate in regards to Sula. You mentioned Sula's affair with Jude and you said, and I quote, that "by the conventional moral standard, this is clearly wrong". However, I would just like to point out that in Sula's eyes, the wrongness of her actions is NOT clear. She explains herself that she didn't understand that what she was doing was considered wrong, it was how she had grown up. This is shown when she says "having lived in a house with women who thought all men available" (119). Her mother was Hannah, who was infamous for sleeping around with men without any emotion attached to it. Sula was exposed to this mentality frequently at a young age, and was raised thinking that sex was nothing but a pleasant event. She didn't realize the seriousness of sex in regards to marriage. Sula expresses this when she talks about how Nel and her had shared everything, had even "shared the affection of other people" (119) in the past, and she says "marriage, apparently, had changed all that" (119). Sula has "no intimate knowledge of marriage" (119) so she was ignorant to the consequences of her actions.
DeleteDid Sula destroy her relationship with Nel? Yes. Were her actions wrong? Of course. My only argument is that she had done none of this out of hate or evil, it was all out of ignorance, and can she truly be at fault for that? Is it solely her fault for not knowing any better? In my opinion, it's not, because you can't control how you're raised.
All in all, I don't believe that what Sula did makes her evil, I think it only makes her ignorant, and to me, ignorance and evil aren't synonyms.
Evil in Sula is portrayed in many ways, especially through the deaths of the characters and the relationships of the characters with others. Sula could be seen as evil, or be companions with the devil, but she is not completely evil by her own will. A major reason she acts the way she does is, possibly, because she was raised that way. After all, people say “like mother, like daughter” or “like father, like son”. Although not everybody would turn out the way their parents raised them, Sula does act with major influences from Eva and Hannah. She ran away, like Eva did, and she had affairs with many men, like Hannah did. Although these things she did were done differently than the way Eva and Hannah did them, the influences from her parental figures are still present in her story. To add on to the fact that she looks evil because of her family surroundings, she became very bitter to Hannah because she heard that Hannah doesn’t really love her, and therefore we think of her as evil when we read that she just stood there watching her mother burn on fire. Also, she became very bitter to Eva because Sula knows that Eva put her own son on fire, and that’s why we see her being evil when she comes back to Medallion and has an intense meeting and conversation with Eva. But her own will is still mixed in with her family influences. Whereas people in the town more-or-less accepted Eva and Hannah, the Bottom residents saw Sula more like a devil because she became independent and rebellious from her family, having her own opinions and doing what she wants.
ReplyDeleteI found as I was reading this section that Sula is not evil, in my eyes anyway. Sure; she does some things that might be frowned upon, but she isn't evil. After a while it occurred to me that Sula is only evil because the community into which she transplants herself is evil. They may not go around wantonly murdering people or carrying tridents or wearing little devil-horns, but they don't seem to realize that they are fostering an evil intolerance of everything that is different, individualistic, passionate, and new. This is manifested in the reasons that they denounce Sula as evil: the way she never lies to make people feel good about themselves; the way she views sex as fun; the way she sleeps with white men; the fact that she is actually capable of joy; the boldness of her fashion; the boldness of her character; and the fact that, as a woman, she seems to have a brain and is capable of using it, their greatest fear of all. Sula is only evil in the same way that someone who hates the fascists is evil in the eyes of fascists. I agree with all the previous posters who have said that Sula's "evil" is just individualism being misinterpreted as moral corruption. I think that in the end, Medallion might not weather this "evil" like the others; it may realize that they've been missing out all this time and throw a party. Or not.
ReplyDeleteDiscussion Question: What are the inhabitants of Medallion truly afraid of, and why? (There are many answers, more than what I've already said. Be creative.)
Anthony Liu; AP Lit 6°; Ms. Delman; 4 – 16 – 14
DeleteBlog post for years 1937 – 1939 (option C)
I agree with the claim that Sula’s unique personality results in a disproportionate amount of hate from the town, but I think there’s more to Sula’s evil than her unwelcome independence. For one, Sula went out of her way to sleep with Nel’s husband, neglecting to consider how it would make her best friend feel: “She had no thought at all of causing Nel pain when she bedded down with Jude” (119). Jude wasn’t even interested in Sula initially, judging by the fact that “he could see why she wasn’t married; she stirred a man’s mind maybe, but not his body” (104). Yet, Sula soon manages to convince Jude to have sex with her. Independence is respectable, but Sula’s hugely inflated ego and absolute lack of care for other people bumps her up a few rungs on the “badness” scale past “moral corruption” to atrocious malevolence. Not only did she actively attempt to betray Nel, but she absolutely devastated her. Afterwards, Nel was wrecked emotionally, with the narrator saying, “she hadn’t even felt anything right or sensible and now there was no time” (106). Of course, this isn’t the first instance of Sula walking over other people. Sula admits, “She had lied only once in her life – to Nel about the reason for putting Eva out” (121). Sula banished Eva from her home over a few petty squabbles with absolutely no consideration of what was fair and just. Sula’s self-proclaimed freedom transcends independence; she regularly defies basic moral principles for her own evil pleasures. If these two examples sound like isolated instances, than look at Sula’s treatment of other husbands: “She went to bed with men as frequently as she could” (121). Beliefs about marriage and spousal possession aside, it is the right of Medallion women to be upset if someone else knowingly seduces their husbands. Their dislike of Sula is not grounded in a deep fear of the “new” but rather in the absolute shock that comes with being disrespected so blatantly. Unluckily for Sula, the unfortunate incident of the broken Teapot exacerbated her problem with the town. Teapot’s mother proclaimed that Sula was the one who pushed him over (114), and the fact that she was a near eyewitness means the town has every reason to believe her. The town has every reason to add this wrongdoing to Sula’s already long list of misdeeds. In short, Sula’s individualistic nature is more than just an excuse for the town to shun her. It is the source of her very real evil.
Most men in "Sula" are displayed as inadequate or foolish in comparison to Sula. Men are portrayed as things of pleasure, not in the way that Hannah was portrayed. They live their lives with constant superiority over their wives, usually ending up cheating on their wife in some way. BoyBoy and Jude, while seemingly good men with good intentions, end up leaving their wives for their own goals. This depicts men in the book very poorly, as the women they leave end up devastated and incapable of living a joyful life. Ajax, however, breaks the trend, and does not marry nor truly love anyone. The only person he truly loves and respects is his mother, as she has lived a hard life. Sula is also depicted as a loveless woman, who unlike her mother, lives life craving to actually feel true emotions, instead of her inherently evil traits. This brings Ajax to the level of superiority of Sula in the novel, and his character sticks out from the rest of the men. Ajax shows self-restraint, and his breaking of the social norms of Medallion allows his character to rise above the rest of the men in the town. This is because, for the first time, Sula shows feelings for a man. He is no like the rest of the sad, dreaming men of Medallion, nor is he like the white men depicted as ignorant or domineering. Ajax also leaves Sula's life as quickly as he arrives, presumably realizing that Sula has shown feelings for him. While it seems that now Ajax is simply like the rest of the men of Medallion, he leaves in a similar manner as Sula. He leaves because he doesn't love Sula nor anyone in the town. This shows his superiority in moral values to the other residents of Medallion because he leaves Sula before a true connection is formed, and both can move on in life without each other.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThe Significance of Names—
ReplyDeleteMany of the characters in the novel are based off of the stories we had read in class; for example, Shadrack and Jude.
Shadrack or better known as ‘Shadrach’ in the Biblical passage , is one of the three devout Jews who refused to worship a Babylonian idol, and is therefore sentenced to death within a blazing hot furnace. Shadrack connects to the character within the religious scene through the way he defies the social standards of others living in the Bottom (EX. declaring National Suicide Day), as this parallels to the way ‘Shadrach’ challenged the demands of the Babylonian king and disregarded the nationally worshipped idol. Shadrack and ‘Shadrach’ are similar through their independent struggles to seek lives as unique individuals. Both characters possess a great amount of pride in their identities, shown in how both Shadrack and ‘Shadrach’ are willing to die for what they believe in.
Next, Jude connects to the Biblical tale of ‘Judas’, one of Jesus’ twelve disciples who sacrificed the Son of God for thirty pieces of silver. I can’t say much for the greater deal of the story that connects Jude to the apostle ‘Judas’, but I can say that Morrison’s character represents the general betrayal and unfaithfulness seen in the ‘Judas’ story. For instance, Jude and Judas’ treachery is unknown to them until the actual moment of deceit—where Jude has an affair with Sula, and Judas realizes that he is disciple Jesus foresaw would betray him.
The connection of Jude's character to Judas Iscariot is one I agree with, and wish to back up further.
DeleteIn addition to what Monique has said already, Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus with a kiss--like how Jude betrayed his relationship with Nel when he kissed Sula. Judas made a deal with the authorities that the man he kisses (they were all at the Garden of Gethsemane where there was a gathering of Jesus and his disciples so they needed to identify him discreetly) is the one they should arrest; although it's a stretch (because Jesus was not guilty of crimes), perhaps Jude kissing Sula was an indication of her guilt.
Guilt of what, you ask? Maybe Chicken Little's death since it remains a secret (only her, Nel, and Shadrack know).
Continuing with the Jude-Judas connection, I think it may foreshadow his ending in the story. Judas Iscariot got 30 pieces of silver from his betrayal, and Jude got sex and (arguably) Sula--both only temporarily satisfying. In the end of Judas Iscariot's story, his death is recorded in 2 different ways:
1. He returns the 30 pieces of silver and hangs himself.
2. He buys land with the 30 pieces of silver, but he dies because he falls and his bowels gush out.
If Jude and Judas are really connected throughout the book, perhaps he's going to die, but there will be two different accounts of it. If this happens, I think the two accounts would be from Sula and Nel since they both had the closest relations with him.
Although Sula is perceived as evil by the townspeople, her existence can also be seen as beneficial to the Bottom and sympathetic for the reader. With Sula's decision to put Eva in a nursing home and to have an affair with Jude, she is criticized by the community. However, as people begin to blame all misfortunes on Sula and label her as "evil", they become more connected as a community. By connecting Sula's presence to unrelated events such as the "plague of robins", Mr.Finely's death by chocking when he sees Sula, and Teapot's fall from her porch, the community is able to come together and live more harmoniously with one another. After Teapot's accidental fall, his mother begins to care for him more due to her resentment towards Sula. The town's shared disapproval of Sula's behavior gives people a sense of unity. Similarly, Sula's affairs with white men causes people to become more aware of their racial identity and pride. In addition to indirectly improving the welfare of the Bottom, her experience with Ajax also evokes a feeling of sympathy. Despite being so independent, Sula still feels the desire to possess her lover but Ajax doesn't feel the same way. Even though she condemns traditional social expectations, Sula finds herself at a loss when trying to find security of love.
ReplyDeleteI definitely took note of this exact thought when I was reading! I would like to point out a specific action Sula takes that connects very well to this comment as well as earlier themes in the book. Sula's affair with Jude causes her best friend Nel to break ties with him, and Jude moves away to Detroit. On the surface, Sula seems like a terrible friend to Nel, which is the standpoint almost all of Medallion takes when they find out about the affair. Looking back, however, I think about the last assigned reading where the connection between marriage & death comes up ("She remembered the wedding dream and recalled that weddings always meant death" (Morrison 78)). To me, looking at the celebration of women themes in Sula, to get married is for women to lose some independence and choice-making because a man is now superior to them. Also seen in the last assigned reading, Jude marries Nel because she doesn't step out of line and will simply become a part of him, not another independent person to be family with. Sula could actually have some rational reasoning for causing Nel and Jude to divorce - to free her best friend from the tie of being married. Sula comes back to Medallion after ten years with a newfound quality, independence, and I believe this adds to the town's overall view of her being evil. So in my eyes, Sula not only brings the people of Medallion together over one common interest, but also helps her closest friend be freed from a man's clutch - even if Nel didn't necessarily want to divorce Jude.
DeleteIn Greek mythology Ajax is one of the most valuable warriors; he is the strongest, the most courageous, the bravest. Ajax the Great’s story can be related to the Ajax in Sula. In mythology, Ajax is the second strongest warrior after only Achilles. In Sula, Nel can fill in for the place of Achilles. After Achilles dies (Sula: Nel catches Jude cheating on her with Sula and stops being friends with her. Nel now “belonged to the town and all of its ways” (Morrison 120), which is effectively being dead in Sula’s mind), Ajax loses out on getting Achilles’ armour, which causes his death since he is so disappointed. In the book, this can be related to when Sula cleans the house to make it more welcoming and Ajax leaves her and never returns. After Ajax the Great kills himself, he turns into a flower that bear his initials. This part is basically what happens when Sula finds Ajax’s driver’s license which show his real name: Albert Jacks.
ReplyDeleteAlthough this isn't a perfect analogy, some parts fit very well together. Ajax’s character was always held up in a high place in the book. When we first heard of him, he was on this pedestal based on his looks. His fame is similar to the greek hero’s fame. If one had known of Ajax the Great’s story beforehand, they could've predicted Ajax’s story arch.
This is such an interesting comment and really puts Ajax's character in perspective.
DeleteAjax himself was always someone who one would think of as manly, or strong. When Sula and Nel first spoke to Ajax for the first time, he was like a celebrity crush to them and the image of their ideal man. Later in the story, he is the first man who Sula grew attached to - also he was the first person other than Nel who she really cared about.
When Ajax figures out how Sula feels about him - like the way he saw her green ribbon - she becomes lower in his eyes. He then decides he does not want Sula anymore and makes up his mind to leave. This part really confused me because Ajax has had many lovers who all became possessive of him at some point in their relationship - which Ajax hated - but with them he never left town because of them. What made his relationship with Sula different in the way that he felt he had to skip town? Did he have more feelings for her before than the other woman he was with?
This allusion really is interesting. I had known about Ajax being Achilles' cousin in Greek mythology beforehand, although I hadn't really known enough about his story. Ajax was definitely put on a pedestal since he was first introduced in the book. According to the novel, he cares greatly for his mother and is kind to the women who he spends time with. The townspeople love and adore him. Even when he cusses they praise him for it. After he senses that Sula becomes more possessive of him, he is unwilling to stay with her and flees; a decision which raises questions for his character. From the beginning, he sparks something in Sula and captivates her until the end of their relationship. He always behaves freely and does what he wants like when he steals bottles of milk as gifts for Sula. Sula too behaves as if she’s free and acts as how she wants. Perhaps that’s what attracts them both about each other. They are free to do what they want without having to commit to anyone or anything and once Sula starts wanting more from the relationship, she is taking away that freedom and so Ajax chooses to run away like many men in the novel. However, unlike the males in the story, Ajax is the only one that sparks an interest in Sula, showing a different side in her and making him a unique character.
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ReplyDeleteIt is very easy to fall into the idea that Sula is evil, especially since her return to the Bottom was “accompanied by a plague of robins” (Morrison 89). This sets an ominous feel to the whole town because of her presence. Even Eva, a woman who murdered her own son and basically wanted complete control over her household in the most violent and aggressive ways, feared Sula and saw her as a threat. Then after Sula sends Eva to a nursing home, the whole town labels her as evil. In Sula’s defense however, she did it because she was still afraid of Eva, despite Eva being threatened by Sula. Sula’s affair with Jude, which betrayed Nel’s friendship, also seemed to serve as evidence for her being a person full of evil, and so more and more unfortunate occurrences were piled onto her. Despite all of these unfortunate circumstances that seem to bother or stir up problems within the Bottom and their residents, Sula’s actions actually had a more positive outlook than is seen at first glance. Eva was placed in a nursing home where her mania maniacal ways could be easily suppressed, Nel’s abandonment from her husband made it evident that her views on marriage were not accurate and would have never been fulfilled, and overall, the Bottom’s sense of unity was heightened because of Sula. Sula’s independence and unconventional ways allowed people to see what they were afraid to find out. Sula’s character can even be viewed as a catalyst for introducing the problems of the community that the common conventional person would not have stumbled upon in the first place. Sula’s ways, despite being very extreme, were actually beneficial to the community and therefore cannot be labeled as a fully evil character.
ReplyDeleteChristian Gomez
ReplyDelete- The meaning of Sula’s name is “peace” which is all the more obvious considering the fact that her last name is,”...Peace” (Morrison 94). This may imply that that Sula’s personality/ character instills a sense of peace in other people, however, this is wildly not the case in the book at this point. Sula, as a child, has been presented as a wild child who is prone to,”...dropping things and eating food that belonged to the newly married couple and started in worrying everybody...” (Morrison 74). As an adult her return back to Medallion, is marked, “...by a plague of robins,” (Morrison 89) whom were, “...flying and dying all around you” (Morrison 89). So far Morrison seems to portray Sula as a person who brings and is chaos. She has brought nothing but stress and disorder to those around her and thus has compiled a reputation of nothing but contempt amongst her community (except from the men). So far it seems that Sula is a living paradox in terms of her namesake, though this can expected since Morrison does hint at the deceptive relationship with her name and her personality with the mention of her birthmark. Her birthmark is mentioned to look like a, “...stem and rose” (Morrison 74) when she was a child, which is popularly attributed with deception due to its beautiful exterior and its hidden thorns
I think that Sula is looking for peace in herself. She has grown up as a very troubled child who was only really loved by one person, Nel. She leaves the Bottom and tries to find peace in new cities and new people. She doesn't find that peace, and returns to the closest thing she has ever had, Nel. When she comes back to Nel, she discovers that Nel's own peace has changed, and no longer acts as Sula's peace. Sula begins searching again, but this time in the Bottom. In the Bottom, she finds the paradox to her namesake, as Christian explained. But she also finds a new person to act as her peace, Ajax. This is why she is so distraught at the end of the chapter.
DeleteResponse to Angela's question on previous blog, applying to this chapter.
ReplyDeleteFirst off I would like to say I really like this question, as it invokes a very contradictory view point to how these things would generally be perceived. I think that these things can be empowering to the right women, and in Sula, I think this is the case. I think that the reason this contradicts and empowers is because in a society where women are oppressed, or at least considered to be less, the attention they get from these men give them power. It gives them the power to sway and control men by being desirable, and basically twisting the intentions back at them. For example, Sula uses Jude for her own personal gain, and although he is married, the attraction she imposed was enough to sway a committed man. This shows the degree of power Sula has obtained; she could create or destroy at will, and if it wouldn't be by the power she has (or doesn't have), then it would be by the manipulation of those around her, specifically men, therefore a "traditionally" degrading event is now spun to be empowering.
Reply to Stephanie (April 16, 2014 at 7:38 PM)
ReplyDeleteI also wanted to mention that Nel only said yes to the proposal from Jude because she wanted a husband. Nel didn't truly love Jude. Back in those days, society expected women to get married and eventually, raise children. Nel only wanted to do what society expected and as a result, she said yes to Jude when he proposed to her. I felt like her identity and decisions were being manipulated by society. I believe that this foreshadows how Nel is going to live an unhappy and miserable life. On the other hand, Sula was taking risks and breaking society's norms. For example, Sula took a risk and decided to go outside of the Bottom for college.
ReplyDeleteIn Toni Morrison’s Sula, Morrison is acclaimed for having used an untraditional approach to the motif of death in his novel in order to symbolize purification, renewal, and freedom to the deceased and/or their family and friends. Firstly, I have no idea how death helps people cope with the deceased because well… people wouldn’t have to mourn the loss of their loved ones if they weren’t dead. I do however understand how death could serve as a form of liberation for some people. That is, if you think that war veterans, playful little boys, moms, and men that eat chicken need some sort of spiritual liberation in their lives. Nevertheless, I do also have some speculation as to how death in this novel can be a thing of beauty, contrary to the sick and horrific deaths we have seen so far. While reading, something that I found interesting was some of the townspeople’s theories as to what Sula’s birthmark is. I don’t have any original speculations, but the one theory where Sula’s birthmark is the remnants of her mother’s ashes really spoke out to me. In a book where witchcraft is believable, Hannah could quite possibly be a vengeful spirit that lingers around her daughter and inflicts harm and casts spells on the townspeople around them in order to haunt the Bottom as a form of revenge on whoever caught her on fire. In this sense, death is beautiful because despite Hannah’s slow and ugly utter decimation, Sula pays respect to her mother by carrying out her wishes of revenge by manifesting her ashes.
Matthew Masangcay
ReplyDelete4/16/14
Sula’s actions throughout the events of the book have been interpreted as “evil” by many residents of the Bottom. However, Sula’s actions, to an extent, can be considered as good for the community. Many deaths or series of unfortunate event have been directly connected to Sula: Chicken Little drowning in the river, Hannah catching on fire and succumbing to her wounds, and Eva being admitted to the hospital. Sula is trying to “improve” many of these people lives. The atmosphere of the entire Bottom community has been described as grim due to the circumstances of World War I and the local National Suicide Day. These ties back to the role of death and its impact on the entire community. Bottom has been plagued by a grim and has been deprived of the fullness of life. Sula, in return, is trying to help these “victims” by “helping” them end what is to be their miserable and depressing lives. Death is, without a doubt, significant in the community since it helps people end their suffering and misery sustained from the Great War. Sula is showing an alternative view of death by showing that death is not entirely grim but rather it puts people out of their misery. Thus, Sula should be interpreted more rather as “good” rather than evil. Furthermore, Sula helped Eva admit to a mental hospital. The community is shocked to hear that Sula has committed her own grandmother to a mental hospital and has cursed upon her. The community does not like to adapt to change as previously mentioned by several people on other blog posts. It is interesting how such a community is refusing to adapt to change despite the fact that Sula is assisting them. In general, one (notably Sula) is viewed as “evil” when they do such an action incredibly shocking or unexpected. At the end, it is not clear why Sula should be permanently or be totally viewed as “evil” but rather she should be viewed as one who does great deeds for everyone. Sula as a dynamic character, demonstrates that the community should be willingly to adapt to change including accepting one’s (or Sula’s) help.
I looked up the meaning of the name Eva, and it turned out to mean “life” and it is also another version of the name Eve. Even though it’s a bit of a stretch, I connected Eva to Eve in the Bible. Eve supposedly represents original sin, and I feel as if Eva does too. As the head of the family tree (at least as far as we know), Eva’s evil is shown when she kills her son, Plum. It is also ironic that even though her name means “life”, she is the one who takes it away from her child. As the generations pass, both Hannah, Eve’s daughter, and Sula, Hannah’s daughter, have evils of their own. Sula is described to carry “Eva’s arrogance and Hannah’s lust” (Morrison 118), both malevolent qualities. Eve in the Bible passed down her sins to the entirety of the world in the same way that Eva seems to do with her own family.
ReplyDeleteResponse to Kayla's guiding question: What are the gender roles in Sula? How are men expected to act? How are women expected to act? Who is expected to run the household, and how are they expected to run it?
ReplyDeleteIn this book, men are expected to have a manly identity. They are expected to have a wife and work in a job that requires manual work. For example, Jude got rejected from a job that requires manual labor because of his race. The job would much rather hire a white man instead of him. The rejection made Jude feel like he lost a part of his manly identity. This motivates Jude to go out and find a woman to marry regain his manly identity. He decides to marry Nel not because he is in love with her, but because of the fact that he wants to regain his manly identity.
On the other hand, women are expected to find a husband and raise children. For example, Nel says yes when Jude proposes to her because she wanted to fit into society's norms. Nel and Jude get married not because they're in love with each other but because they wanted to fit into society's norms.
Despite Toni Morrison’s claim that “evil preoccupied [her] in Sula”, I can’t necessarily agree that Sula is an “evil” character. She doesn’t really go out of her way to make others’ lives difficult; she simply lives by her own rules and always puts her needs before others, “Eva’s arrogance and Hannah’s self-indulgence merged in her and, with a twist that was all her own imagination, she lived out her days exploring her thoughts and emotions, giving them full reign, feeling no obligation to please anybody unless their pleasure pleased her” (118). Other characters call her selfish, along with all kinds of other degrading names, however, I don’t agree with those claims to the extent of calling her “evil”. Society tends to react negatively with change or anything outside its usual norm, and Sula’s character is nothing like Medallion has ever seen before, “Sula was distinctly different” (118). They simply don’t know how to react to a woman like her, the type of woman who goes with her gut, lives for herself, knows what she wants, is independent, and does not need a man to define or complete her. During Sula’s time, women were the opposite of that, and her behavior was absolutely out of the question. Furthermore, this relates to another recurring theme, the idea that Sula is a novel that celebrates women and challenges the power of men.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, my point is that just because Sula’s behavior is completely foreign to society at this point in history, I do not believe it is fair to call Sula “evil”. Her actions are not prompted by malice, she does not seek revenge on anyone (except maybe Eva), and she certainly does not mean to hurt Nel. The twisted events of her childhood do lead the reader to question Sula’s humanity, however, it’s her courage and her independence that set her apart from the typical, innocent woman, not the fact that her actions can, at times, be hurtful to others.
Comment from Jennifer: In the novel, Sula first met Shadrack when he told her “Always” (Morrison 63) during the Chicken Little incident, and Sula saw him again when he “tipped [his hat]” (Morrison 117) to her. If Shadrack is known for his desire to keep order in society and Sula is known for her rebellious and chaotic nature, why does Shadrack appear to respect Sula? What is the deeper relationship between the two, and how do their similarities and differences impact the theme or ideas in the story?
ReplyDeleteFrom chapter 1941, we learn the answer to why Shadrack appears to respect Sula. Shadrack realizes that he is lonely, especially when he sees Sula, "the same little-girl face, same tadpole over the eye" (Morrison 157) dead. Sula had been her first, and only, visitor to his home. He said "always" to her, on that day she came running into his home afraid, to comfort her with a promise of permanency and to tell her, "she would not have to be afraid of the change" (157). Shadrack showed affection, in contradiction to what we see at the beginning of the book that he acts very stoic and odd because of what he went through in the war. The relationship between the two contributes to how one needs others to survive, even when it seems they don’t. Sula’s and Shadrack’s differences also contribute to a major idea in the story dealing with gender roles of men and women. Although to the eyes of the Bottom community they are both devil-like, the different aspects of their personalities go over that of the traditional views of people concerning men and women. Sula is stronger and more independent than the original view for women and Shadrack just acts weak also contradicting the original view for men.
DeleteQuestion from Alex R. Does Shadrack's ambiguity play an important role in the story? How does ambiguity create a suspense within the story.:
ReplyDeleteAnthony Liu; AP Lit 6°; Ms. Delman; 4 – 23 – 14
DeleteBlog post for years 1941 – 1965
Does Shadrack's ambiguity play an important role in the story? How does ambiguity create a suspense within the story?
Sula is replete with ambiguity. Not only does uncertainty surround Shadrack, but also Sula and her intentions. From the very beginning, Morrison shrouds Shadrack in mystery, both by neglecting to describe him in depth and also by locating him away from the heart of the town. This physical choice of Morrison’s means Sula and Nel know little to nothing about the deranged war veteran, so when Sula runs to his shack in fear and he ominously declares, “Always” (62), she doesn’t know what to think and grows scared out of her mind. The ambiguity around his meaning forces her to fill in the worst mental gaps possible. She believes, “He had answered a question she had not asked, and its promise licked at her feet” (63). Sula’s assumption that Shadrack somehow read her mind serves as the catalyst for her continued corruption and her eventual separation from Nel. Less than twenty pages after Shadrack’s evil word, she witnesses her mother burn to death and enjoys every second of it. Initially, however, Morrison only reveals Eva’s opinion: “that Sula had watched Hannah burn not because she was paralyzed, but
because she was interested” (78). This ambiguity makes it difficult to assess whether or not Sula is evil for much of the book, creating an immense amount of suspense. It’s not until much later that Sula admits, “I wanted her to keep on jerking like that, to keep on dancing” (147). Similarly, it’s not until the very end of the book that Shadrack reveals, “he had said ‘always,’ so she would not have to be afraid of the change” (157). This is absolutely antithetical to what Sula thought he meant, raising questions as to how Sula would have turned out had she not feared that Shadrack knew of her complicity in Chicken’s murder. The suspense of the word “always” lingered for the majority of the book to the point where it didn’t seem like its meaning would ever be revealed. The fact that it was and, more importantly, that its true meaning was so surprising, makes it a significant agent of suspense.
Question from Genny: In Sula, there are many religious references. Sula's birthmark looked like many objects, including a rattlesnake, and she is also portrayed as evil. How does one of the Biblical stories we went over, "Adam and Eve", compare to Sula?
ReplyDeleteThere are two ways that Sula can be translated into the Adam and Eve story. In both of these, Sula is the serpent.
DeleteIn the first one, Nel is Eve. Sula tempts Nel with their their friendship (or the forbidden fruit). Nel was always forbidden to spend time with Sula because of her mother’s crazy antics. Nel broke away from Helene’s rules, which in turn allowed her to see life in a new way. Nel could now be her own person with Sula. She didn’t need to conform to her mother’s strict ways.
The second interpretation could be that Jude was Eve and Sula tempted him with lust (or the forbidden fruit). This was a break in Nel’s trust (or God’s trust) and it led to Nel abandoning Sula. Nel’s abandonment of Sula caused Sula to live the rest of her life lonely, which could be interpreted as the punishment humanity had to suffer for eating the forbidden fruit.
Question from Ellis: Should Sula's act of having sex with Jude be considered evil, or is Sula just acting by different social standards? Was it more of Jude's responsibility or Sula's to not betray Nel?
ReplyDeleteIn general, adultery tends to be accepted as an immoral action in society (an example of it being frowned upon is The Scarlet Letter); however, because of Sula's unique background, it can be argued that she herself should not be considered evil for her actions. I say this particularly because her lack of proper role-models as a child. Recall that the only ones she could look up to were Hannah and Eva--a so-called whore and a mean old woman. Neither of them spent time developing Sula's morals, and because of her lack of guidance, she could not identify that sleeping with her friend's husband was a wrongful thing to do.
DeleteIn response to the second question, I believe both were equally responsible, but Nel was affected significantly more by Sula's act of "betrayal." They were best friends (regarded by some as one and the same person) and were equals. Nel's relationship with Jude was one where she was expected to be a part of him. For Nel, betrayal from Jude was like detaching herself from him, but betrayal from Sula was like cutting herself in half. Because of Nel's stronger ties with Sula, her betrayal definitely was greater.
Question from Farah: What seems like a social flaw, turns out to a "peace" maker in a messed up neighborhood.In what ways does Sula, now being labeled as "evil", change the community positively, what does this prove about her character and her significance within the community, use Teapot's mother as an example to show the positive impact Sula has made and draw a connection to Toni Morrison's theme of evil.
ReplyDeleteMorrison is pointing out the necessity for some people to have an anti-role model in order to truly act as best they can, that a yin yang of morals must exist for there to be a solidly defined good. Teapot’s mother only ever treats her son properly when the threat of Sula is present in her life, and prior to that she is a terrible mother. Without threat, there is no greater evil or unhappiness for Teapot’s mother other than her own inconvenience and discomfort, so when she doesn’t feel an exterior evil imposing on her family, she only sees bad in behavior that would dissatisfy her, such as spending time caring for her son. Yet when Sula, even allegedly, looms over her son, threatening physical injury, Teapot’s mother has a concrete evil to focus on, and a well defined course of action to combat this evil. The presence of Sula’s publicly agreed upon immoral values allows the rest of the community to clearly accept the same set of moral values, and most likely allows easier communication between the rest of the town. Morrison is truly conveying that without external conflict, people begin to find extreme irritation even in the most subtle annoyances, and without a well defined evil to band against, communities and families won’t care as compassionately as they should for each other.
DeleteQuestion from Angela: The epigraph of the beginning of the book can be related to Sula. Her rose birthmark is what is shown to the outside world, but it also has an inner meaning for Sula. What is the rose's meaning? Does it hide her inner "glory" (or any other trait)
ReplyDeleteFrom the beginning to the end of the book, Sula always acted as if she is free and does what she wants. In the year 1922 she protects Nel and confronts the bullies and cuts off her own finger to scare them off. Once she and Nel grows up, she leaves the Bottom to go to college and travel around while Nel stays and has children which is what is expected of women at that time. From Sula's childhood to adulthood, she has always been a free spirit. Perhaps that's her inner "glory" that no one else knew about but herself. Because of her freedom she does what she wants and the people of the Bottom see her as an evil presence and call her a "roach" and that's because no one else really understands and knows of this freedom. As for the rose itself, it reminds me of her birthmark. Different people have different perspectives and opinions of her birthmark and what it actually looks like. Since no one else can fully understand Sula and her glory, no else can really see what her mark really means either.
DeleteQuestion from Matthew M.: As the events and years of the novel progresses, many relationships begin to experience quite a change. Additionally, many characters' point of views begin to change. What is the author trying to convey through the use of these point of views? What role do point of views play in the meaning and significance of all the events occurring in the novel?
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteTwo questions from Ysabel: Why does labeling Sula as ‘evil’ create a stronger sense of community among the residents of the Bottom? Do you think they exaggerate her evil qualities in order to improve their own lives?
ReplyDeleteWhen Sula arrives in town, she is marked as evil because she is “accompanied by a plague of robins” (Morrison 89). What is the significance of robins in an evil sense?
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DeleteWe went over this question in class, but I wanted to elaborate more about why labeling Sula was a good thing for the community. We see Sula being tormented by her community when she comes back to town. They saw someone who was different in whether or not it meant it was meant to be "evil" or not. Things blew out of context starting with Teapots mom, "Teapot's Mamma got a lot of attention anyway and immersed herself in a role she had shown inclination for: motherhood... She became the most devoted mother: sober, clean and industrious" (Morrison 114). Although it was blew out of proportions we can safely say that it did bring the community together. They all had something in common, which was knowing to stay away from Sula, and they worked together to outcast her. I don't think her original intention was to become a better mother, she just wanted to do something, and she got the attention she wanted after saying she told everyone that Sula pushed him. Even though we all know that she was just trying to help him, a job that even his own mother couldn't do. By the end of the novel we witness social progress, colored citizens have more opportunities and more rights, even following the war. She gave the town an identity, but what was the Bottom filled with poverty line people, has now become a rich invested community.
DeleteThe plague of robins that accompanies Sula when she comes home is a foreshadowing of death. Just like many other things that pop out like the deaths of the characters and the freezing whether, Sula returning, the town "in spite of their fear, they reacted to an oppressive oddity...with an acceptance that bordered on welcome" (Morrsion 89). And when she comes to Eva's house she is greeted by four dead robins, which may simply signify the deaths of Plum, Chicken Little, Hannah, and her own death.
Question from Matt C.: Considering Sula's opinion of the people of Medallion and her part in the death of Chicken Little, what do you think Sula's ultimate goal is, if any, in getting the townsfolk to rally against her? What do you think is her motive?
ReplyDeleteNow that we've completed the book, I want to argue that it was never Sula's intention to purposely turn the town against her. Sula does as she pleases, and accepts whatever consequences come as a result--an example being the town's hatred and scorn.
DeleteI think her only goal in life was to not be, well, bored. It said in the book that she left all the places she believed was boring, and did most things not usually for the action itself, but for the "rewards" it illicited. For example, she slept around with guys so she could have time to think to herself and to build reputation (because the talk of the townsfolk interested her), not necessarily because she liked the act of sex.
Another theory I like to think about is that Sula intentionally acted immoral in order to be a "peace" factor for Medallion like her name suggests she is. It's all speculation, but maybe she knew her actions were wrong, but that they would touch the townspeople in a way that would create a community--one that shared a hatred that would unify them. Sula's life did just that, and it was evident after her death that peace was sustained only when Sula was around. Maybe Sula it wasn't Sula's intention to create peace in Medallion, but regardless, she did it by being herself.
Question from Florance: Why does Ajax make Sula seem like a completely different person?What about him that makes her so similar to most of the women in town, dependent?
ReplyDeleteQuestion from Robin: What exactly did Sula do to Eva? She had threatened to set her on fire in her sleep, and then one day Eva is taken out of the house on a stretcher, with no explanation. Did Sula send her off to an old-folks home or did she actually physically hurt Eva?
ReplyDeleteQuestion from Kayla: What is the significance of the gray ball that lurked in Nel’s vision? What did it represent?
ReplyDeleteQuestion from Nika: What is the "gray ball"? What might it represent? Why can't Nel look at it?
ReplyDeleteThe grey ball that Nel struggles with is the ability to accept what has happened between her Jude and Sula. who had just recently slept with Jude, whos married to Nel, and she walked in on them in the act. However, Nel never fully confronts the problem immediately after and ind of "dances" around the subject because she cannot handle and process what she has just witnessed. Due to the neglect of the situation her guilt, anger and rage, is able to manifest itself into a grey ball. the reason its grey is because the color itself is used to portray things that are unclear or not visible. Due to Nel's arrogance and not wanting to confront it, it lingers in the corner of her vision, which her subconscious creates, in contrast to Nel pushing it to the side. Nel can't face the fact that the father of her children, and her best friend, has hurt her in the worst way possible, so she decides to not contemplate on it, leading to the grey ball. the only way she will be able to look at it/confront it is to discuss what exactly happened with Sula and Jude.
DeleteJust a quick note: When the novel first begins to describe Nel and Jude's marriage, it says Nel's love for Jude "over the years had spun a steady gray web around her heart" (95). Gray web. Webs are kind of furry, right? and when you take down a web then roll it up, it becomes a ball, the same way Nel rolled up her feelings for Jude. She tried to toss him aside now that he's left her, but those feelings are unable to escape her. Therefore, the gray ball continuously follows her around and she cannot look at it because that would mean accepting her feelings.
DeleteQuestion from Jesse: What did Sula's connections with Nel and Ajax teach her about relationships with men, her power over men through sexual encounter, or her lack of power in an exchange of love?
ReplyDeleteExplore the generic roles of men and women in their society, how it plays into this question, and if Sula is an exception.
Throughout the novel we encounter a variety of gender roles, where for instance Sula is considered a a feminist who is a strong, independent women of color, and the men are just there and hardly ever there, as they "sit on the sidelines "and watch. It is so hard to actually to fully grasps these roles in society because it is such a big theme in the novel. With Nel it was her relationship with Jude..."So it was rage, rage and a determination to take on a man's role anyhow that made him press Nel about settling down". Women in society like Nel have a pretty conceived idea of what a man in this society needs to be, Jude has to give up his the job he wants to provide for his family because Nel depends to heavily on him, and he ends up having an affair with Sula and leaves(men are disappearing). Ajax "contrary to what anybody would have suspected from just seeing him...or calling filthy compliments to passing women, Ajax was very nice to women" (Morrison 125). Sula needs some level of maturity to be in a relationship and become independent, and reflect a positive impact in her society. Both genders are being oppressed and limited. Yet men, it seems like can get away from acting a certain way, which in a female role of they had done that it can be considered wrong.
DeleteQuestion from Maddie: What is the significance of the relationship between Sula & Ajax as compared to all of Sula's other short-lived affairs with men? What about Ajax makes Sula interested? (If you want to dive even further - what theme do these ideas put out concerning roles of women or celebration of women in Sula?)
ReplyDeleteQuestion from Kanchan: "Why would Ajax decide to leave just after he figures out he is wanted? And how does his background relate to this? Is it connected in any way to the Greek Ajax?"
ReplyDeleteQuestion from Anthony: Sula deals with many different types of relationships. Mother and daughter, husband and wife, enemy and once-friend, and dewey and dewey, to name a few. Choose a relationship between two characters and analyze what makes it nonstandard and special. Are Sula and Nel still friends? Were they ever? Are there any true friends in Sula? How would you classify Shadrack's relationship with Sula? With the town?
ReplyDeleteSula and Nel were once one body with two minds. And the two minds part is very important, each of them are different with two minds. Even in the beginning, Nel was always the one with better sense in a hard situation and Sula was always more of a rebel and interested in being free and and individual. Nel always wanted to be an individual, and that is one of the reasons why she liked being around Sula - Sula made things fun and she was able to explore things she would never do by herself. Sula pushed her to be better and to be herself with no cares to what people thought of her. As they grew up, Nel began to feel the urges to settle down and did! But Sula was still too stubborn to be tied down to a marriage. In the end their differences in minds makes them seem as if they could never be friends and pushes them apart, but who knows what would have happened if Sula had not died when she did. Even in her last moments, Sula wanted to talk to Nel. She would always want her other half - even if they had conflicting opinions. I wonder what Nel would have said to Sula's comment after dying.
DeleteQuestion from Christian: How does Sula's rose birthmark foreshadow her personality and action? A rose symbolizes several themes and qualities throughout literature. Do any of these help the reader foreshadow what is to be expected of her/fit her actual persona.
ReplyDeleteQuestion from Taylor: What is Sula’s motivation for placing Eva in the old persons church? When Sula returns, Eva threatens to burn her, but even though Sula says this is the reason to Nel, she later claims that this was a lie to Nel (121). If not threat to her life, then what would cause Sula to move Eva, and is it possible that the “lie” is that Sula was scared of this threat? Could her evil give her some sort of immunity from the fear of death?
ReplyDelete
DeleteI thought about this from a practical perspective. Sula is well aware of her differences from the townsfolk of the Bottom. After deciding to move back, it is possible that she anticipated the backlash from the town because she had become a progressively minded city woman. She could have wanted to move back in with as little resistance as possible.
With this in mind, getting rid of Eva made it easier for Sula to move back. Eva knew a lot about Sula that would make people distrust her more than they already did. Eva knew that Sula had drowned Chicken-Little. She had also witnessed Sula being a bystander when Hannah had burnt to death.
What really ticks people off about Sula is a lot of contrived evidence and the concrete evidence of her having sex with Jude. Can you imagine if Eva, who had already been on bad terms with Sula, had gotten a little mad? Even if Eva was just a little frustrated, she could have revealed to the whole town that Sula was a murderer.
All in all, I think that, even with the backlash that did occur, sending Eva off was practical for Sula, not to mention the fact that Eva wanted to kill Sula.
Question from Alex T.: Factoring in all of the tragedy that followed her childhood and all the trouble she has supposedly caused since her return, Sula has been criticized by the Bottom as some sort of witch character. Is the townspeople’s intolerance for Sula justified by her “passive evil” or is she only accused and blamed of inflicting death around the town as a result of her naughty behavior and shunned life choices.
ReplyDeleteI think it's mainly because the townspeople do not agree with her life choices. They have a set idea of what women, especially black women, should and shouldn't do. Nel follows this path and falls into a model of what a wronged wife should be, as Sula notices. Sula refuses to follow the model and the townspeople see this as evil.
DeleteSula does have some evil in her. She mentions that she enjoyed watching her mother burn, and wanted it to continue. This is the only obvious evil in her, though. The other things people see in her as evil, like putting Eva in the home, sleeping with many men, among other things, are probably just her being mean, or not understanding social norms or people's needs. And then there's the evil people have conceived in her, like her pushing Teapot. All in all, Sula is evil partially because of her choices, but more because of how people perceive her choices.
Question from Jerica: In the beginning of 1937, why do you think Morrison decided to use the word "plague" to describe the robins following Sula as opposed to "group" or "wave"? Why did she use "robins" specifically instead of "doves" or simply just "birds"? How do the natures of these two words help characterize Sula?
ReplyDeleteI believe that Morrison used this plague of robins as a contradiction of sorts, which is frequently seen throughout the book to characterize Sula (as mentioned in Lian's question).
DeleteThe word "plague" is a much more negative word than say "group". It implies death, grief, hardship, etc. The first thing to come to mind for me is the Black Plague which resulted in the death of thousands in Europe. Basically, this is how Sula is seen by the townspeople. She's seen as a bad omen, a disease, something to come through and taint their lives.
However, robins are one of the first signs of spring which is typically associated with life. Flowers begin to bloom, babies are born, etc. Not to mention a robin is a bird, a frequent symbol of freedom. These are all things that Sula symbolizes. Her carefree lifestyle and refusal to conform to society show her strong sense of freedom and independence. She believes in living life to the fullest, and does this by doing things such as getting an education and leaving Medallion to look for better opportunities.
To the townspeople, Sula's life and freedom is a plague. They feel threatened by her and her beliefs since they are so different from their own.
While looking up the symbolism of robins in literature, I found out that they represented change. Sula definitely changes the lives of those around her. In fact, she's the epitome of change in Medallion. Having gone off to college, stayed off the path of motherhood, and refused to marry, Sula completely altered the role of a woman for herself. Therefore, when Sula arrive, a massive flock of robins flies over Medallion, signaling the change that sweeps over the town. And indeed Sula does reshape the community of Medallion even though they do not realize it. Sula is also a living example of how women do not have to conform to the expected role: missing out on an education to be home nursing children and obeying their husbands.
DeleteI believe Morrison chooses to make use of the word "plague" because as I mentioned in class, "Hell is change". Change is put into a position where it is no longer a positive experience but instead, is associated with "Hell", negativity, suffering. Similarly, a plague (when referred to like a disease) causes suffering and is not a pleasant experience to look forward to. Put those together and you get Sula. She brings about change which sweeps throughout Medallion's families in the same way a plague spreads. It is not anticipated because the folks there are so used to living the same way they have been living for years and ages and now, Sula is seen as a negative figure because she harnesses this change. Now, she's Hell because after all, "Hell is change".
Question from Forest: Why did Toni Morrison choose to bring up the color yellow again? First Jude leaves his tie with "scriggly yellow lines"(104) and immediately after that says she mentions Judes look reminding her of "when my mother turned to custard"(106). I also wondered why Morrison is choosing to use the color yellow to represent insecurity and internal pain?
ReplyDeleteQuestion from Monique: “Nobody knew my rose of the world but me… I had too much glory. They don’t want glory like that in nobody’s heart” –The Rose Tattoo
ReplyDeleteHow does Sula’s rose-shaped birthmark connect to the novel’s epigraph regarding the “Rose Tattoo?” Does the “glory” mentioned in the quote relate directly to define Sula’s pride and the Bottom’s conflicting reaction to her great sense of individualism? Or is “glory” seen in a much more negative connotation, where “glory” is known to be the inhibitor of evil?
Question from Lian: Among the many themes and motifs in Sula including death and the roles of gender, I noticed one that particularly struck me: Contradiction
ReplyDeleteThere's a lot of contradiction present throughout the book. For example, the Bottom which is on top of a hill where the main characters reside in. Sula's mother, Hannah, who is loved and adored by everyone in spite of sleeping with women's husbands. The symbolic meaning of fire that supposedly cleanses and baptizes Plum (in contrast with the biblical image of hell in which evil doers are punished). And also how Sula's return (which is seen as negative) influences others to be more caring (something positive).
Why does Morrison repeat this theme of contradiction and inverted meanings and how does that affect the novel?
Morrison uses lots of contradiction and ironic moments in the book to emphasize all the characters’ personalities and relationships. I think it's used to emphasize Nel and Sula's friendship, which is a major subject of the book. A plausibly theme about the complicated friendships and relationships centered around the novel is that friendship and relationships with others can truly affect one's decisions and actions in life, even when they don't know it or realize it. By the end of the novel, Nel realizes that in all those years, she really missed Sula way more than she missed Jude. After all, Jude left her, even though he didn't have to, but Nel didn’t forgive Sula so easily, even though Sula really missed her friend and thought about Nel even when she died. Additionally, when Nel realizes her thoughts about Sula, she is able to let out all that sorrow she wasn’t able to let out at the time when she thought she mourned the loss of Jude more.
DeleteQuestion from Johann: Although Sula tends to stray away from conventional social expectations, her feelings toward Ajax shows otherwise. She too, wants to experience the security that her love with Ajax seems to offer. What is Morrison trying to say about the independence and role of females in society through Sula's experiences?
ReplyDeleteI think that Morrison tries to convey that the sexes complete each other in a way. They are both dependent on each other, and in society many fail to recognize, that the dependency is two sided. Morrison conveys this through sex, which Sula and Hannah use to be dominant and independent, but also shows their need for men. More specifically the sexual relationship between Ajax and Sula displays their co-existing need for eachother. Sula finds a sense of power-fullness being on top of men, and Ajax craves Sula "Towering above him"(129). This also allows Ajax to feel a sense of power in the same way he would feel flying a plane, for he feels one with something more powerful, and through that he feels free.
DeleteQuestion from Monica: During the argument between Sula and Eva, Sula exclaims, "Which God? The one watched you burn Plum?" (93) In what ways does the quote reflect the story discussed in class in which Shadrack plays a part?
ReplyDeleteQuestion from Stephanie: What is the significance of the rose mark on Sula's eye? How does it connect to the epigraph at the beginning of the novel? What is the significance of the rose being "darker than [Nel] remembered" (96) and why do you believe that it got darker.
ReplyDeleteThe Significance of Sula's rose mark over her eye is the reflection of Sula's personality and physical state. As a child Sula had the mark and it was "Shaped something like a stemmed rose", which is the start out of a rose as it to grow. Later on, it slowly grows more and more vibrant, in which it starts to look more and more like a growing rose. As we near the end of 1940, the Rose has gotten darker than it ever has, and coincidentally Sula's time was also coming to a close. Over time, the rose reflects Sula's physical life, and grows and withers away just like Sula does over time. Now the rose also represents how Sula acts. In a rose its beautiful to look at and admire, but if you don't pay attention to the thorns, you get hurt.The first time Sula meets with Nel since she left eight to ten years beforehand, Nel was amazed by how sula dressed and looked. However, in the end nel was the hurt party, after finding Jude and Sula sleeping together. As for the epigraph, it connects to Sula's life style. The rose mark represents her life that she desires that people don't understand such as the epigraph talks about how "they don't want glory like that in nobody's heart".
ReplyDeleteI dig your analogy with the rose and Sula, and I was trying to figure out in what way this connects to Shadrack's interpretation. He says that it seems like "She had a tadpole over her eye"(156). A tadpole is like the early state of a frog or fish that can only reside in water, and this made me wonder if he saw it transform like people saw the rose did or if he always viewed it as the youthful tadpole. It seems as if people see what resonates most with them in the marking above Sula's eye. A rose much like her eye marking can be viewed in many manners, which is why its a common symbol. It can be seen as a danger or harm like the citizens saw Sula when they turned her in to the scapegoat for all their problems, while it can also be seen as a representation for love and beauty. Features that Sula heavily embodies
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