Death is a dominant theme 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.
Post a comment here if you want to start a discussion of death in Sula.
Morrison portrays death as imminent and inevitable event. She does not insert giant gaps of mourning or have Helene fall into extended periods of depression after the death of her grandmother. Morrison does this to highlight that there is nothing to do but move on in order to overcome sorrow. Traditionally, mourners spend days trying to lift their spirits and surmount their grief. In response, writers usually dedicate an entire chapter or section of a story,(or perhaps the entire book), trying to grasp the overwhelming emotions that emanate from the death of a loved one. The only depiction that a character has of Cecile Sabat’s funeral is witnessing “the face of the dead woman and the sound of the funeral drums” (Morrison 28). Due to Morrison’s lack of detail towards Sabat’s death, it can be inferred that Morrison feels that death is an everyday occurrence. Although the death of Sabat takes center-stage, Morrison does not want the audience to just focus on how the characters react to the dead. She wants the audience to examine how family members interact with each other when they meet during the time of a funeral.
ReplyDeleteJeremae Huertas
ReplyDeleteBuilding on what Monina had stated, Death is portrayed by Morrison as unpredictable yet accepted by the society. For instance, when Helene arrived at her grandmother's home, she states the opportunity missed that Cecile unfortunately is "the old woman that died without seeing or blessing her granddaughter" (Morrison 25). Although this does show a sense of regret, this line was the only sentence following the death of Cecile that dealt with some sort of sorrow feeling and the rest transitioned its' focus towards the encounter between Nel and Rochelle. Morrison then uses this attention of the major event of death to not just make the reader dwell on grief but use the attention to incorporate another important interaction and new relationship within the family. Also, the lack of detail of the death and grief of the family represents the common occurrence throughout life, like Monina stated. These types of scenes help Morrison portray and incorporate examples of how the society was at the time and how one event leads to another.
Building on what both Monina and Jeremae had stated, Morrison's portrayal of death as something that should accepted as opposed to something that should be avoided is represented by Shadrack's self made holiday "National Suicide Day." Shadrack carried out his holiday by walking "through the Bottom down Carpenter's Road with a cowbell and a hangman's rope calling the people together. Telling them that this was their only chance to kill themselves or each other" (Morrison 14). Shadrack imposes his thoughts toward death on the Bottom through his actions. In addition to the town being frightened and labeling Shadrack as a mad man, the Bottom eventually comes to accept the holiday as it "became a part of the fabric of life up in the Bottom of Medallion, Ohio" (Morrison 16). The holiday becoming integrated into their society is symbolic of the Bottom's acceptance and tolerance of death.
ReplyDeleteBuilding on Dominic's statement, Shadrack creates an annual day for death to create a sense of order. Shadrack dedicates death to one day so it is not a spontaneous and surprising moment. Since Shardrack is very afraid of dying, he finds order in this one day. As a result, the community weaves it into their lives as an annual event avoiding joyous events occuring during Suicide Day. For example, a couple plans their wedding and, "make sure it ain't on Suicide Day" (15). A wedding is an extremely joyous day celebrating happiness, but because they consider Suicide Day as a true holiday, the couple avoids having a wedding on that day.
ReplyDeleteHere is a response from Amber (blogspost won't let her post it, sadly):
DeleteAdding to what Dom, Monina and Jeremae said, Morrison depicts death as inevitable, and the society seems to accept the inevitable and move on. Morrison does not spend time talking about the feelings surrounding death. Morrison instead says things like “Blotting her lashes with a white handkerchief”(25) which lets the reader know that Helene is upset without expressing her exact feelings. The reader then can’t immerse themselves in the characters feelings, but instead looks at the death as more of just a part in the plot. That feeling in the reader connects to how I believe Morrison wants to portray her characters, seeing death as just a part of life. I think this adds specifically to what Monina said about lack of detail making death feel like a common occurrence. Through the characters quickly moving on from death it allows the reader to also move on and focus on the importance of the next part of the plot, the meeting of Nel and Rochelle. Morrison instead puts much more emphasis on Nel's feelings of freedom and imagination which are portrayed as more important in the work.
Haley Holmes
ReplyDeleteIn response to the previous posts, I believe that the use of death is not merely a way to show an acceptance in this society as everyone has said, but a way to signify change in the characters. The first instance of extremely notable death mentioned by Morrison is in the battlefields of Europe with Shadrack. As Shadrack sees "the face of a soldier near him fly off" (Morrison 8). Inevitably, the intense amounts of death witnessed by Shadrack lead to his stint in the hospital and state of mind upon leaving. Therefore, the horrendously sudden and brutal deaths Shadrack sees are what push him to desire order in death. He can no longer handle the idea of dying peacefully, and so he must set up a day to expect it. The PTSD I believe he suffers from is what causes death to loom over him in a perpetually negative light, except on the one day that he expects it. When it comes to the townspeople, I believe they don't so much accept National Suicide Day as ignore it. When the people speak of it, they pass over it as if it is nothing more than a bothersome day that invokes negative feelings. No one really takes the time to think about how Shadrack actually expects people to die on National Suicide Day. Also supporting the changes that come in death is when Helene takes her daughter with her to view Cecile's body. The very journey that death has put them on changes our perspective of Helene. In the process of traveling, we witness Helene in situations that call her strength into question. As "all the old vulnerabilities, all the old fears of being somehow flawed" (20) come up, we begin to understand what Helene had come out of before settling down in Bottom. In addition to this, upon returning, her daughter Nel also has a realization. She has a "new found me-ness" (29) that this trip sparked within her. Therefore, Morrison uses death to bring about major changes within characters that otherwise would have remained hidden. Death is the spark that ignites fires of change within the affected persons.
N. Guimbatan; Sorry it took long Ms. Scher!
ReplyDeleteI agree with Haley that death bring something out new characteristics in a character like Nel saw "the disgust on the face of the dead woman and the sound of the funeral drums.It had been an exhilirating trip but fearful one"(28). Nel finds a new "me-ness" in herself after attending a funeral. I would somewhat like to disagree with Haley because it wasn't just death that brought changes in Nel, it was the entire trip. But I do believe death plays a vital role in changing a person. Also like what everyone above me mostly said Morrison talks about death in a euphamistic way, but it is straight the point. Instead of saying where the dead body is, Morrison says "... where Cecile's body lay" and the topic of her death continues, but with only one sentence. Morrison conveys that death happenes just like that and in society now, no one dwells so much on it, compared to previous years and other countries. Morrison cynically incorporates fragrant flowers and the color yellow with death. The house where Helene grew up had "death sigh[ed] in every corner and candles sputtered, the gardenia smell and canary-yellow dress emphasized the funeral atmosphere surrounding them"(25). Yellow usually symbolizes rebirth or joy. Morrison wants to show that deah shouldn't be something people mourn over for a long period of time, but only for a short while. Helene doesn't really show any strong emotions toward the death of her grandmother only "blotting her lashes with a white handkerchief" (25). Also with all he Virgin Marys around, people could infer that Morrison believes in life after death, which could explain why the character's in the book didn't mourn or cry so much.
Side note: I noticed that Morrison doesn't like to use names, and I found it kind of "weird" that Morrison used "the old woman had died without seeing or blessing her granddaughter" instead of her name Cecile. Even at intimate moments in the books, Morrison makes it seem as if it's not so intimate.
At first Sula seems to be a sweet girl in way, not very threatening, plus quiet and seemingly gentle. Of course how could one be threatened by someone who, “could hardly be counted on to sustain any emotion for more than three minutes” (53). However, as the book continues Sula becomes more and more powerful with her personality. She starts to become defensive of her friend, and in that right, a little bit of a dark soul starts to appear within Sula. At first both Nel and Sula are content to avoid confrontation within some local bullies, but then it is Sula who initiates that both of them confront the boys. Sula doesn’t seem to be scared or even intimated, at what could eventually harm her in a serious way. What she does is scare the boys by slashing off “only the tip of her finger” (54). The bleeding wound is paid no mind to Sula as she continues to frighten and threaten the bullies. That is only a taste, for later Morrison intrudes a short lived character, Chicken Little. This little boy was sadly killed by Sula when she flings him into the river. However it isn’t the actual event that makes Sula necessarily “evil” but it is what Sula does after the event is what makes the character a little iffy. She doesn’t seem to feel any remorse for the actual death but a huge fear that someone saw her kill him. She even over takes her instincts to run away from someone who could hurt her and pushes forward to get her answer, whether or not he saw. Then afterwards she doesn’t feel remorse enough to tell someone it was an accident but keeps it to herself. In fact, it doesn’t even dwell on her mind. That is not the expectation to happen to someone who is truly good. This gives off an impression that Sula isn’t going to be some heroic protagonist that ponders over every death and wishes to morn for a period of time. This protagonist simply wishes to ponder “what happened to the butterflies in the winter” (66).
ReplyDeleteDominic Monares
ReplyDeleteAdding on to what Rachel had stated, while reading through chapter 1922 I had noticed a new concept being associated with death. The incident of Chicken Little's death leaves Nel and Sula traumatized and full of guilt. This event can be considered to be symbolic of the death of childhood innocence. Just as childhood innocence is involuntarily lost over time and is unintentionally outgrown, Nel and Sula unintentionally drowned Chicken Little. The girls then fail to proceed to tell anyone of what they had done. Sula doesn't feel any guilt at the moment she flung Chicken Little into the water because she is preoccupied with getting in trouble for it. After Chicken Little's funeral is held Nel and Sula walk away "wondering what happened to butterflies in the winter" (66). The girls "wondering what happened to butterflies in the winter" is them wondering what had happened to the sense of innocence they had previously possessed.
Death is used as a cop out or a scapegoat in many situations though it may seem redeeming ostensibly, the act weighs down on the doer eternally. When Plum is being soaked with kerosene, his hazed mind sees it as a "baptism, some kind of blessing, he thought. Everything is going to be alright, it said" (Morrison 47). Although Plum's vision and consciousness is clouded, his view on this event is one of renewal. Eva is getting rid of whatever replaced her precious son, and he is finally going to "sleep". Death, in this instance is seen as a conduit to get rid of unwanted troubles. Eva didn't like the knew Plum, and he wanted to escape the world that caused him pain. So Eva burns him alive, and Plum gets to leave. Morrison uses death as this scapegoat, I believe, to show the mindset of this culture. Instead of working out problems and trying to get by, this community just gives up and casts away troubles without forethought. Even though Eva looks as though it doesn't affect her,I believe, this event will stay with her forever. The careless deed will burden her for the rest of her life.
ReplyDeleteGiven that Morrison's writing style is recognized as being distinctly unique, her idea of death takes on a radical approach in the novel Sula. Although death is traditionally feared and paired with emotions of anger and anguish, Morrison interprets death as an event to evoke love or emotions of affection. This interpretation is shown throughout 1921 and 1922. In 1921, Eva's son,Plum,returned from the war after many promises of coming home from arriving at Chicago, New York, or Washinton D.C. When he returned,"his hair had neither been cut nor combed in months, his clothes were pointless he had no socks"(pg.45) in addition he had picked up an addiction to heroin, "His habits were much like Tar Baby's but there were no bottles","It was Hannah who found the bent spoon black from steady cooking"(pg.45). Eva had seen all that he was going through and killed him out of love, "Eva lifted her tongue to the edge of her lip to stop the tears from running into her mouth"(Pg 47). After Eva left the room Plum defines his death as "the great wing of and eagle pouring a wet lightness over him. Some kind of baptism, some kind of blessing,he thought"(pg.47). In this event Morrison shows that death was the salvation of Plum, and Eva had loved him so much that she would endure the pain of killing her own son.Morrison's use of death is uncommon, however this depiction affirms the meaning of the novel.
ReplyDeleteAgreeing with what Jeremy said, Eva murdering her own child is a sign of affection for her son. Since it is clear that she loves her son, Plum, so strongly, she would want him to live in eternal peace than to suffer a painful life. Morrison writes that his death is, "some kind of baptism, some kind of blessing" (47) to show that it is a renewal of his life. His did not end, but he lives forever without suffering. "Everything is going to be all right" (47) his mother says knowing that death is not something she wants to anticipate unexpectedly. Eva murdering her son is an act that she did not even give a second thought to because she knew that he would go to a better place. Death in Sula is not the typical view of sorrow and melancholy, but something that frees a person from temporary suffering.
ReplyDeleteIn her novel Sula, Toni Morrison utilizes death to reveal unorthodox facets of certain characters and also to represent change in a character’s life. These deaths are often profound and unsettling; more so than what is usually conceived as a conventional death. In the years 1920 and 1921 of Sula, two characters fall prey to bizarre and disturbing deaths. In 1920, it is Eva’s son Ralph (or Plum) who is so unfortunate to die. Ralph had left his mother’s stead to fight in the Great War. When he returns from the war, he returns with a heroin addiction and as a result, a scarred personality. Rather than see her son descent down the downward spiral of drug addiction, Eva burns Ralph alive. Interestingly as he burns, she reacts, “’Is? My baby? Burning?” (Morrison 48). This act is an unusual representation of love, but it is representative of extreme love nonetheless. Come 1921, it is a young boy, Chicken, whom death befalls. Whilst playing with the boy and having a genuinely friendly moment with him, Sula unwittingly leads to the boy’s demise as she swings him into a nearby river and he fails to surface. This is representative of Sula’s step into maturity leaving childhood. The deaths of Ralph and Chicken, being unconventional, are extremely disturbing and thought-provoking. Morrison uses these unusual cases of death to represent a theme or change in a different manner.
ReplyDeleteJasmine Quesadilla
ReplyDeleteAs the previous posters stated, Morrison views death as a natural event that must be accepted. According to her, death is not something to linger and mourn on, yet a factor of life we must learn to face. Morrison incorporates her views on death through the characters throughout the novel. As Tar Boy sings during the prayer meetings, the people “just listen to him sing, wept and thought very graphically of their own imminent deaths” (Morrison 40). The people of the church are fully aware that they are all going to die sooner or later. Although death is not something to look forward to but should be accepted, it gives a reason to cherish the life they are living even more. As Monina stated, Morrison includes very minimal details towards death, which causes the reader to steer their attention to the aftermath of the death, not the death itself. As for purification and renewal, Morrison also incorporates these factors through the characters actions. After Hannah’s husband Rekus dies, “what she wanted…and what she succeeded in having more often than not, was some touching everyday” (Morrison 44). Hannah’s affairs with other men show how quickly she has gotten over her deceased husband. Another factor is when Eva burns Plum alive. Eva decided to take away the suffering from her child by ending his misery. Plum felt as if it was “some king of baptism, some kind of blessing…everything is going to be all right” (Morrison 47). Morrison uses the burning of Plum as an acceptance of death for both Plum and Eva. They are both accepting that it is for the best.
I agree with Reinaldo when he says that Morrison utilizes death to represent change in a character's life. I also believe that Morrison uses death to stress the importance of the person's life and how much of an impact that person played on the people around him/her. Morrison chooses to kill Hannah by burning her, just as she did to Plum, showing a connection between the deaths, but also the impact and "scars" it left on everyone else. Eva was left with both physical and mental scars after the death of her daughter, which can be considered "a spectacle that demands attention". The death of Chicken Little influenced the lives of Sula and Nel drastically. His death changed Nel to live a life full of guilt, eventually leading her to marry Jude and live the role as the submissive wide. Sula, on the other hand, changed in the sense that the evil inside her began to grow from that forward. Because of the death, she started doing everything she could to cover up the incident, rather than finding someone to help. I believe this incident snapped the trigger than sparked the evil within her, shown when she was "interested" when she say Hannah burning in flames.
ReplyDelete