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?
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Near the end of the second chapter we see a sudden change in the character Nel. This is seen after her first trip outside of Medallion, after the incident of meeting “the woman in the canary-yellow dress” (25). Where Nel started out “obedient and polite” (18), she was now questioning who she was as a person. After thinking about how she was raised and the “nose her mother hated” (28), she clearly stated “I’m me.. I’m not their daughter. I’m not Nel” (28), stating that she was her own person and was able to do whatever it is what she wanted to do. Soon after this event, Nel began her interactions with Sula. It seems that with each interaction, Nel’s personality becomes more out of the ordinary with her “new found me-ness” (29). Her meetings with Sula could be the continuation of her self-absorbed manner, now labeling Sula as somewhat evil. Sula’s source of this evil could have been brought up by her “mother’s slackness’ (29). Seeing as how Sula is “never scolded or [given] directions” and how her home consists of “newspapers stacked in the hallway and dirty dishes left for hours at a time”, shows the lack of discipline and the chaotic manner in which she lives (29). Sula’s manner would later influence Nel’s behaviour even more later on. Her interactions with Nel can be a foreshadowing of how her “evil” will be significant to the relationship she has with the residents of Bottom.
ReplyDeleteBuilding on Andrea's idea of how Nel is affected by evil, we see a change through her personality in the 2nd chapter. Under Helene's close supervision, Nel was raised to be "obedient and polite (18). Any signs of that changes when her first interactions in the train take place. After witnessing the demoralizing encounter Helene had with the conductor, the evil of racism began to impact Nel's personality. It was after seeing her mother be degraded socially because of racial norms did we see evil show its true presence in it's role in the story. At the end of the chapter, we see Nel speaking to herself, saying "I'm me. Me. I'm me. I'm not their daughter. I'm not Nel I'm Me. Me (28). The "obedient and polite" Nel has developed into this character who begins to doubt her true existence. Further demonstrating the train incident's impact on Nel's personality, we see Nel befriend Sula, the daughter of a woman her mother was never fond of. The presence of evil within society takes a role in manipulating the characters into someone they would never see themselves as.
ReplyDeleteThroughout Sula, the evil being portrayed is the death of innocence. Chapter two highlights Sula through her childhood years as evil begins to penetrate her soul and take over her moral being. Morrison recollects Sula’s family history through the emphasis of her family’s misfortunes rather than their triumphs. By only stating the Peace family’s hardships, it can be assumed that Sula does not live in a stable environment. Sula’s “household of throbbing disorder” (Morrison 52) causes her to act erratically and wildly. Morrison also concludes that Sula’s mother, Hannah, is a focal influence on her. For example, Hannah’s short lived experiences in the pantry with fast men encourage Sula to believe “that sex was pleasant and frequent, but otherwise unremarkable” (Morrison 44). While other children still “giggled about underwear”, Sula’s once-innocent thoughts are tainted with the belief that sex, along with a person’s body and morality, are not sacred. Sula’s emotional isolation from her mother causes her to have difficulty displaying her emotions. For example, after hearing her mother state that she does not like her, Sula begins to run. Sula uses anger towards others as an outlet for her sadness and disappointment. Branching off of Andrea and Kenny’s ideas, Sula’s madness begins to rub off on Nel. Nel, the once “obedient and nice” (Morrison 18) girl begins to transform through her “new found me-ness” (Morrison 29).Through her friendship with Sula, Nel starts to allow the world’s wickedness to tarnish her purity. Sula’s actions not only ruin people’s innocence, but can also make people flash back to a time of innocence when they did not recognize evil. Due to Sula’s accident with Chicken, the Bottom residents do not just reminisce of the dying boy, but they also begin to feel nostalgic for their innocent years of childhood.
ReplyDeleteRespectfully disagreeing with Monina, I think Morrison actually expresses Sula's evil by portraying her innocence. An example of this is her murder of Chicken. Sula's innocence is clear when she urges Nel, twice, to "Leave him 'lone" (59) and offers to "help [him] climb a tree" (59). Sula exhibits great care "steadying him, when he needed it, with her hand and her reassuring voice" (60) yet cruelly mimics him with scorn when he climbs back down and expresses excitement over his achievement. There is a cruelty, a certain luring deception about Sula's seeming innocence that Morrison pushes through the text with Sula's sudden change in character. Furthermore, after Sula "picked him up by his hands and swung him outward then around and around" (60) and he lands in the water, Sula doesn't react. "Terror widened her nostrils" (61) only after she realizes that there is a witness to their crime. Sula's innocence works as an excuse for the crime, but is also the quality about her that makes Chicken's death all the more shocking. Sula's innocence is scarred with murder after the incident but is already sickly cruel to begin with. As stated by Monina, Sula grows up in a home of disorder, with her mother's lifestyle detracting much of her innocence from day one. Sula's lack of initial innocence blurs the line between sweet child and vicious murderer, creating a jarring discomfort that exudes from the page each time she enters. Therefore, Sula's evil is manifest through her seeming innocence, though it is difficult to discern the extent to which her evil truly reaches.
ReplyDeleteContinuing off of my original statement and agreeing with Monina’s idea of Sula’s evil being portrayed as the death of innocence, Sula’s interactions with the people of Bottom become more intense. The source of her “evil” can easily be found when she overhears her mother’s conversation, hearing “I love Sula. I just don’t like her. That’s the difference” (57). Upon hearing these words, something inside Sula had triggered, causing her mindset to change into something that could have been prevented. “Sula’s craziness” (75) had then formed. It was also suspected by Eva, who had “seen Sula standing on the back porch just looking” (78) as her mother burned to death. Not long after Sula reappears in Bottom, the “evil days” (90) came along with her. She had somehow managed to get Eva out of her own home and was caught in the act of promiscuity with her best friend’s husband. By this point in the book, Sula’s “evil” is no longer a death of innocence, but is now a death of relations with whom she was once close to.
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ReplyDeleteIn response to Allison's post, I concur with the idea of Sula's evil being manifested in her innocence. As Allison stated, Sula has initially been portrayed as innocent by Morrison and is not. This is evident throughout 1937. In 1937, Sula returns from college and sends Eva away to a care facility with poor conditions. Just as they are escorting Eva away,"just above the word guardian, she very carefully wrote Miss Sula Mae Peace" (94). By signing her name on the line, Sula is trying to sell her innocence by saying she is a someone who cares for their dependent's well being. However, this act swiftly becomes transparent after she has an affair with Jude. Even though she clearly did Nel wrong, Nel "thought of Sula as though they were still friends and talked things over" (110). Sula's feigned innocence still maintained a grip on Nel, Nel trusted her and that is the source of Sula's evil. Sula preys on the people who trust,love,and care for her most. Sula sees this as a weakness or vulnerability and quickly uses it to her advantage. With that said, her evil presence is known in Bottom ,"There were scattered hellos and nods but mostly stares. A little boy ran up to her saying Carry yo bag mam?" (91). This moment reveals how the town acknowledges Sula's presence as a lurking negativity within the community. This negativity is an embodiment of everything that haunts Bottom. Bottom was doomed from the very origin of its creation and Sula's presence symbolizes its never ending curse.
ReplyDeleteOn a semi-related note,I foresee Sula living in Bottom forever despite her accomplishments in college and bettering herself (in comparison to the rest of their society)since it seems that there is no hope for prosperity there.
I don’t actually think Sula is evil. She is simply morally ambiguous, and it’s not surprising considering her upbringing. She grew up surrounded by unconventional ideas. Like Jeremy said, the people of Medallion label her as evil; however, this is because they’re afraid of her. They don’t understand her, so they make excuses and call her evil. Sula’s affair with Jude and placing Eva into a nursing home are both actions that people feel threatened by. Eva has been the powerful, strong influence in Medallion for years; to have her suddenly uprooted and disposed of so easily shocks and frightens those who depend on her and who hold expectations of her permanence. To me, evil implies the intention to harm others. Sula does not intend to hurt anyone- it just doesn’t occur to her that the set of standards she uses might be different from those of her friends and family. When confronted by Nel about her decision to have Eva taken away, Sula responds, “I’m scared of her, Nellie. That’s why…” (100). There is the possibility that Sula is aware of her ability to manipulate Nel due to their friendship, but I do not think this is the case. I believe Sula is genuinely afraid of Eva’s power and what she is capable of, which is why she felt the need to secure her own safety.
ReplyDeleteContinuing on with Jeremy's and Allison's idea, I agree that Morrison portrays Sula's inner evil through her acts of "innocence". For instance, as she returns to Bottom, Sula happens to create problems within those that do care and love her, and take advantage of the benefits they can give her. Although Sula visits her "best friend" Nel, she results in having an affair with Nel's husband, Jude. As a result, Sula's evil is shown through causing Jude to leave Nel and their kids and "get my things in the morning" (109). However, Nel is still able to say that they are still friends and talked it over. The fact that Sula was able to have affair with her best friend's husband and ruin their family's lives, and simply make it better by talking it out. This proves that Sula takes advantage of those who care for her, and always expects things to still be okay even through her mistakes. Continuing in, I realized that Sula tends to like to witness people, especially those she knows and are close to, when their lives are tumbling down or are suffering and reacts in a way that isn't very effected by what the mistakes she committed. For example, Sula witnessed Chicken Little die after accidentally pushing him off the tree, she stood and saw her mother being burnt to death, and now she witnessed her best friend's family fall apart. I feel like this proves that Sula's presence is a curse and will lead to destruction within the lives of those who love and care for her.
ReplyDeleteBuilding off of Jeremy’s idea, chapter 1937 clearly signifies Sula’s inherent evil through a multitude of examples. With Sula’s return to the Bottom, she is accompanied with more death. Although not as striking and direct as Chicken’s death, when she visits Eva’s house, “there were four dead robins on the walk” (91). Morrison incorporates death through imagery to emphasize the negative aura that sula manifests while in the Bottom. Also, while in the house, Eva describes Sula’s inherent evil by saying “Hellfire don’t need lighting and it’s already burning in you…” (93). Morrison uses hellfire as a way to describe Sula’s inner personality. Also, the reference to hell’s fire burning in Sula indicates that she has hellish characteristics within her. Furthermore, Sula’s quote of “The real hell of Hell is that it is forever” and “doing anything forever and ever was hell” (108) signifies her damnation. It is ironic that Sula says this because she is a character who takes advantage on the innocent, indirectly through Chicken, and as Jeremy said, much more direct through Nel.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I agree that Sula is evil, I don't think that she was ever truly innocent. Even as a child she was never afraid of traditionally frightening circumstances like a group of older white children harassing her or her mother burning to death. In the face of all her conflicts she remains calm and collected, a quality that innocent children do not possess. By having an affair with Jude, a man she clearly does not love and her best friend's husband, she commits a number of sins that demonstrate her immorality. None of her actions, like slicing off the top of her finger or drowning her peer, convey a childlike innocence. In addition, Sula never performs a selfless or helpful act. Though she is a good friend to Nel, Sula also drags Nel into her schemes like in the case of Chicken Little's murder. Sula assures her that everything will be okay and persuades her not to tell anyone. Although it may not be her fault that she is evil, considering her family history, Sula is still a crazy devil child.
ReplyDeleteSula portrays her inner evil by showing it through innocence much like how everyone else's comments. In another sense, I feel as though Sula portrays her inner evil through manipulation of her once close family and friends. When they were escorting Eva away, Sula writes "just above the word guardian, she very carefully wrote Miss Sula Mae Peace" (Sula 94). This not only shows the deception that Eva evokes which is the compassionate granddaughter that wants nothing better for her grandmother but also shows her manipulation. Eva not only gave her money, but treated her growing up and Sula repays her by growing against her family traditions and putting her in a seniors' home. The symbolic relationship between birds and Sula also emphasize the perception of Sula's relationship with the town while contradicting with her relationship with Nel. When Sula arrives back at Medallion, Morrison writes, "there had been a plague of birds...bird shit everywhere...it was like an omen of bad luck" (Sula 91). This perception of the relationship between Sula and birds suggest that the villagers are skeptical and afraid of her. Sula is perceived as an evil creature, and the dead birds scattered around during Sula's arrival emphasize the so called "evil" arriving as death is rampant all around. The birds also tie in with Chicken Little's death as Morrison mentions the presence of birds during this death in the lake. This is perhaps foreshadowing bad things to happen because of Sula's arrival. Nel however perceives Sula's arrival as peace and good fortune as she says, "It was like getting an eye back or a cataract removed" (Sula 95). This offers a different perspective as Nel thinks Sula's arrival is a bright spot in her life. Nel shows the complete reverence and love for Sula through the comparison of getting sight back which emphasizes how happy Sula's arrival is for her. Ironically through deception,Sula then goes to sleep with her husband, and thus resulted in the loss of Nel's best friend and her husband. This tragic event, emphasized the deception and innocence Sula portrays in an effort to shroud how truly evil she is.
ReplyDelete-Li Zhao
I agree with Li. There is a lot of symbolism with the enormous amount of birds that are dead around Bottom. The specific choice that Morrison made is using a robin as a symbol of Sula's return and evil. When she starts climbing the hill she "stepped off the Cinncinnati Flyer into robin s***" (90). A robin is usually a symbol of rebirth and return, but, "At Eva's house there were four dead robinson on the walk" (91) which emphasizes Sula's evil because her return only brings back the memory of death. In this particular chapter, there is a very ambiguity in whether Sula is evil or not. She sends her grandmother to a nursing home, but she does it for the sake of safety. Ironically, elders are sent to nursing homes for the elders sake, it is never for the sake of the child. This shows that is Sula is not truly evil because her upbringing tells her that Eva is the evil one for murdering Plum. She sends her grandmother to a nursing home because she is in fear of her safety. Yet, even though she tells Nel things that sound just, Sula ultimately ends a marriage through actions that undoubtedly are evil. Yet, she is not the one who tells Jude to leave Nel and his children, but due to the community in Bottom, she is depicted as evil.
ReplyDeleteMuch of the perception of Sula's moral reprehensibility is derived from the acts she commits in this chapter. For one, she dispatches Eva to a mental hospital supposedly to rid herself of the threat the latter posed to the former. This reason is not the case, however, as Sula saw Eva as a mere nuisance. Secondly and most profoundly of this chapter, Sula sleeps with Nel's husband, Jude, effectively neutralizing Nel's relationship with the two. It is easy to label Sula as evil just as the people of Bottom have labelled her, but to pinpoint her motives for this evil is difficult. However, the reader can clearly note Sula's sociopathic tendencies, so regarding to what extent Sula's evil arises to, her motives may be entirely selfish as opposed to sadistic. To give Sula the benefit of the doubt, she may just be "incapable of making any but the most trivial decisions", as claimed by Nel, who went on to say that, "..she *Sula* behaved emotionally and irresponsibly and left it *matters of grave importance* to others to straighten out" (Morrison 101). In this case, Sula is not evil, but merely suffering from poor, rash judgement.
ReplyDeleteThroughout the novel, Sula has manifested evil as she progresses more and more in life. I believe this is due to the corruption of her innocence. At a young age, she caught her mother in sexual acts regarding the husbands of other wives with her mother expressing no regret. It was also early in the book where her mother said that she “didn’t like her.” Ever since then, she slowly started to spiral downwards. Her actions were solely selfish. From the time when she killed Chicken Little, she did not immediately go to save him, but looked around to see if anybody had witnessed the event to keep herself safe. She also just sat idly while her mother burned to death right before her eye, for arguable reasons of interest, or shock. This could also be due to the fact that her mother didn’t like her. From then on her evil nature became more prominent. When she returned back to The Medallion, she immediately disrespected her mother, Eva. Eva, the same mother who raised her and help pay for her college tuition. She threatened to burn her and put her in a nursing home, but her evil did not stop there. Sula betrayed her best friend, Nel, by sleeping with her husband. This is arguably the most direct action of evil she has taken. For out of all of her evil deeds, they could be looked over, but she can never regain Nel’s trust. In conclusion, Nel is indeed evil, but it is due to a corrupted childhood that led her to this state.
ReplyDeleteJasmine Taco
ReplyDeleteI believe that the perception of Sula’s “evil” rooted from the innocence she had lost at a young age. After Sula had seen her mother in bed with a man, it “taught Sula that sex was pleasant and frequent, but otherwise unremarkable.” (Morrison 44). This first sight of her own mother in the arms of a man is where the corruption of Sula’s innocence begins. Hannah, as Sula’s mother figure, plays as a role model in Sula’s early child and adolescent life. Seeing her role model participate in such crude actions first-hand, give the young Sula’s mind the idea that having sexual interactions with multiple men is okay. All other events that had taken place after this, such as Chicken Little’s accident, also took part into eating away Sula’s rotting innocence. The now-grown Sula displays her “evil” behavior as she sleeps with her childhood best friend, Nel’s husband, including many of the other townswomen’s husbands. Although the women of the town blame her mother, Hannah for her promiscuous behavior, “Hannah had been a nuisance, but she was complimenting the women, in a way, by wanting their husbands. Sula was trying them out and discarding them without any excuse the men could swallow.” (Morrison 115). In comparison to Hannah, Sula was viewed more “evil” in her ways due to Sula’s selfishness, even when sleeping with other women’s husbands. In my opinion, the key source to the “evil” in Sula that Morrison portrays is Sula’s early corrupted innocence, which cause the townspeople to look down on Sula as a “roach.” (Morrison 112).
Interestingly, Sula’s nature, which was assumed as inherently evil in the previous chapters, is not as apparent or straightforward as her actions would suggest, for her motives and drives are clarified in chapter 1939. As opposed to the immoral, sociopathic woman whose selfish motives and disregard for supposed moral norms drove her to neutralize her relationships with close friends and neighbors, she instead draws upon the influence of her mother Hannah, who slept regularly with married men, and her once strong and close relationship with Nel, with whom they would share notes and tales of their promiscuous adventures, both of which strongly affect her actions (particularly in the case of her sleeping with Nel’s husband, as she saw this as just a reenacting of their past friendship) (Morrison 120).
ReplyDeleteNonetheless, Sula is still seen as evil by the community of Bottom, though their misgivings are mostly drawn from their own superstition and radical assumptions. Ironically, rather than a source of disturbance for the town, Sula’s presence serves as an impetus for good (For example, Sula’s supposed pushing of a little boy results in his once-negligent mother taking better care of him). Morrison’s utilization of evil (or what is perceived as evil by society) to bring about good begs the question of Morrison’s own views on principles such as Machiavellianism or pragmatism.