Toni Morrison's Sula - Sula and Nel as Soulmates
analytical Essay
2111 words
Sula and Nel as Soulmates in Toni Morrison's Sula
In examining the two distinct characters of Nel (Wright) Greene and Sula Peace from Toni Morrison's Sula, a unique individual soul emerges from the two women. This soul takes into account good, bad, and gray area qualities. They gray area qualities are needed because, while Nel exhibits more of the stereotypical "good" qualities than Sula, the stereotypes of good and bad don't fit the definition completely. Nel and Sula combined create a type of ying and yang soul, each half including some of the other half. While at times the two women are polar opposites of one another in point of view, they arrive at their opinions with the help of the other. The two characters need each other in order to exist to the extent that they become "two throats and one eye" (Morrison 2167). A physical example of how connected the two girls are is seen when they line up head to head forming a straight, continuous, and complete line (2124).
The greatest influence on a growing girl is her mother, and in some cases, like Sula, her grandmother. In order to fully grasp the connection between Nel and Sula, one must examine who and what their mothers were and what traits and beliefs they handed down to their daughters. Nel's mother, Helene, sought to teach her daughter the ways to be a stereotypical "good woman," a supportive wife and a caring mother. As an example to her daughter, Helene took great pleasure in raising Nel and found in her "more comfort and purpose than she had ever hoped to find" in her life (2105). Helene took pride in motherhood and was proudest when someone complemented on how "obedient and polite" Nel was (2105). Helene's embracing of these qualities, an accommodation to the sta...
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Pessoni, Michele. “‘She was laughing at their God.’: Discovering the Goddess Within Sula.” African American Review 29 (1995): 439-451.
Rigney, Barbara Hill. The Voices of Toni Morrison. Columbus: Ohio State University Press, 1991.
Rubenstein, Roberta. “Pariahs and Community.” Toni Morrison: Critical Perspectives Past and Present.
Ed. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and K. A. Appiah. New York: Amistad Press, Inc., 1993. 126-1 58.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how nel (wright) greene and sula peace, from toni morrison's novel, create a unique individual soul that takes into account good, bad, and gray area qualities.
- Analyzes how nel's mother, helene, sought to teach her daughter the ways to be a stereotypical "good woman."
- Explains that while nel and sula had grown separate emotionally and physically, spiritually they were still connected. they were the opposites of the singular line they had been as kids.
- Opines that pessoni, michele, was laughing at their god. discovering the goddess within sula.
- Explains that ed. henry louis gates, jr. and k. a. appiah.
- Analyzes how the people of the bottom, including helene, saw sula's mother, hannah, as "sooty" and sex as a part of life.
- Analyzes how the picture of ying and yang sums up nel and sula's connection to one another.
- Explains davis, cynthia a., and gray, paul. "self, society and myth in toni morrison's fiction."
Related
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In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how toni morrison's beloved breaches the supernatural theme of slavery and the aftermath of the horrible treatment of slaves.
- Analyzes how sethe is haunted throughout the book, both by her past and by belove. the significance of this obscene scar on her back has to do with the fact that it is just one more thing she cannot see.
- Analyzes how beloved's presence is apparent to sethe, baby suggs and denver, but it is not until the day that paul d steps into the house that things change.
- Analyzes how beloved seizes sethe and tries to make her her own. she sucks the life out of denver with her insane jealousy.
- Analyzes how beloved was able to play off of sethe's haunting of her past to get what she wanted.
- Analyzes how the characters don't forget and could never forget their past and what had happened to them. instead of forgetting, they "disremember."
- Analyzes how morrison depicts disturbing stories and events that had happened the characters stories that a normal reader would not soon be able to forget.
- Analyzes how slavery plays a large role in the story. mister the rooster had all the freedom paul d never thought he would have, and it was all thanks to him.
- Opines that paul d's tobacco tin was a sad representation of his heart since sweet home. it was some time before he could put alfred, georgia, sixo, schoolteacher, halle, his brothers, sethe, mister, the taste of iron,
- Explains that the tin can was a hindrance for him accepting and moving on from his past, but it also played an important role in his relationship with sethe.
- Explains that paul d. kept the rest where it belonged: in a tobacco tin buried in his chest.
- Analyzes how the main focus of the story always reads through clearly. some may choose to read into the supernatural aspects, while others read to the slavery aspect. morrison did her job well.
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In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how toni morrison's novel sula is rich with paradox and contradiction, from the name of a community on top of the hill called "bottom" to the family full of discord.
- Narrates how nel and sula worked until the two holes were one and the same. when the depression was the size of a small dishpan, they threw the pieces into the hole.
- Analyzes how the image of the girls digging holes in the dirt begins with each girl digging her own hole, but symbolically the two separate holes become one, representing the merging of sula and nel into a deep and meaningful relationship.
- Analyzes how the girls throw their twigs into the hole to be buried, symbolizing the end of their autonomy and dependence on each other.
- Analyzes how the narrator's "defiling" objects and representative twigs are buried in the "grave," stressing the finality of the girls' independence from each other, and their girlhood innocence.
- Analyzes how the girls accidentally kill chicken little, which ends their innocence and marks the beginning of a lifelong secret between them.
- Analyzes how the ceremony affirms the importance of sula and nel's relationship. although portrayed differently, they impart a sense of balance for one another.
- Analyzes how the hole digging ceremony and subsequent death of chicken little give the reader an insight into the silent commitment between two friends.
- Cites the american heritage dictionary, benholtz, rita, coleman, alisha and smith on toni morrison's sula.
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In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how toni morrison's novel, sula, focuses on a unique, self-confident woman with impulsive, hot-tempered, and passionate nature.
- Analyzes how hannah feels no possessiveness towards men, and enjoys having multiple lovers. she is lenient and has the ability to make her men feel like they are the center of the universe.
- Analyzes how hannah and sula are unable to maintain steadfast friendships with women due to their innate desire to sleep with multiple men.
- Compares the lives of sula and hannah, who have conflicts with the arrogant, controlling eva.
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In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how toni morrison's novel, sula, depicts the development of the peace and wright family through childhood into adulthood.
- Analyzes how eva peace, sula's grandmother, is viewed as a matriarchal figure. she sets her son, plum, on fire to save him from heroin addiction after returning from world war i.
- Analyzes how sula learns to develop herself and create her identity to become nothing like her mother, hannah, who sacrifices the relationship with her daughter to have a sex life.
- Analyzes how the wright family lives conventionally. helene was raised by her grandmother because her mother was a prostitute in the new orleans.
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In this essay, the author
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- Analyzes how beloved and sethe's relationship can be described with an african term called jéj.
- Analyzes how paul d symbolically acts as sethe's protector and shield when he exorcizes the ghost from the house.
- Analyzes how morrison uses symbolic events to represent sethe's long road to psychological recovery.
- Analyzes how morrison enthralls the audience into her captivating story of beloved and teaches the reader to realize the importance of recognizing that the past, no matter how terrible, needs to be remembered, accepted and moved on from.
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In this essay, the author
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- Explains that sula was her own parasite. she internally killed herself by slowly eating away at her soul, which was also a part of nel.
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- Explains that sula went through an obstacle course of emotions and relationships, which led to her ultimate demise. she chose what she thought she wanted, despite knowing what was really needed.
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In this essay, the author
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- Explains that sula and nel are both guilty for chicken little's death, one for throwing him into the river and the other for watching it.
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- Analyzes how bigger's overt reactions to his inner feelings can only be called violent. he takes pride in his doings after the bloodshed is over.
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- Cites appiah, k. a. and gates, jr., eds. richard wright: critical perspectives past and present.
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In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how sula begins with serious questions within the mind of a reader. many motifs challenge social structure, and what it means to be human.
- Analyzes how a good chess player can be compared to other occurrences. in sula, eva peace ended her son's suffering by killing him, which was criticized by the bottom community.
- Analyzes how sula and eva's actions create katharsis within the audience member, because they are morally ambiguous characters.
- Analyzes how toni morrison's provocative questions create a bond between character and audience.
- Cites krakowiak, k. maja, morrison, toni, and sula. sparknotes editors.
935 wordsRead More