Thursday, April 11, 2013
Sula--Evil
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?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Sula's evil is a buffer that aims to protect her from pain. Sula is a bastardized black girl in a community bred from racial tension; in many ways it is not surprising that she would be evil. When Morrison writes, "each (Sula and Nel) had discovered years before that they were neither white nor male, and that all freedom and triumph had been taken from them" (Morrison 52), it shows both girls acknowledge their community’s racism and sexism openly. Sula must also deal with the pain of her broken and dysfunctional family. With no true father figure, her mother Hannah should be her role model. However she is loose, and is known in the town for her many sexual affairs with all the Bottom’s men. Sula also overhears one part of her mother’s conversation with two friends saying, “You love her like I love Sula. I just don’t like her. That’s the difference” (57). The events following this “Sting” (57), shows the ultimate outcome of the abuse and neglect the adolescent faces; she takes it out on another resident, Chicken Little, by drowning him.
ReplyDelete-Hannah
I completely agree with Hannah's analysis on the association of Sula with evil. Sula's evil is a way for her to shield and distract herself from the pain that others indirectly and directly inflicts on her. Hannah, Sula's mother, is someone who triggers part of the evil within Sula. Sula witnesses "her mother in the bed, curled spoon in the arms of a man" (Morrison 44), and at one point, she overhears her mother stating, "I just don't like her [Sula]" (Morrison 57). Both situations hurt Sula and her mentality. Sula's mother should be a figure in Sula's life that frequently provides love and attention, yet she is without empathy thoughtfulness when it comes to mothering her child. Her mother's statement not only causes Sula to find comfort in Nel, but it also causes Sula's evil to manifest. Sula's mind is already preoccupied with the words of her mother and the incident with Nel that she could not completely control her hands when holding onto Chicken Little. By letting go, drowning, and ultimately killing Chicken, Sula commits one of her first acts of evil albeit it is seemingly accidental.
ReplyDeleteThe evil that possesses Sula begins to unveil upon her return to the Bottom. The residents of the Bottom – both men and women, begin to label Sula as a “roach” (Morrison 112) for numerous reasons. Sula betrayed Nel by having an affair with Jude (as well as other white men), her return brought a “plague of robins” (Morrison 112) to the neighborhood that burdened the residents, and was blamed for killing Teapot and Mr. Finley although it wasn’t her intention to. Despite angering the community, Sula’s thoughtless actions serves to augment the lives of those who live in the Bottom; Teapot’s mother became the most devoted mother “sober, clean, and industrious” (Morrison 114), in response to her son’s injury that Sula was blamed for. Although Teapot’s mother was once careless about him, she now possessed and inclination to protect him as a result of her hatred toward Sula. Sula’s presence disturbs the town, but ironically, her iniquity motivates the people of the Bottom to improve their own lives and to create a sense of unity amongst them all. Perhaps without Sula’s evil presence, the residents would be unable to see the evil in themselves.
ReplyDeleteAnjanette, I really agree with your analysis and I would just like to go further and add some more to your thoughts. Morrison does in fact present Sula as almost a foil character for the residents of Bottom and for Nel too. Although she is called “roach” and a mixture of “Eva’s arrogance and Hannah’s self-indulgence”, she isn’t necessarily evil as a person (112, 118). Most of the evil found in her is speculation by the town; they only call her evil for sleeping with white men, being interested in her mother’s death, and Teapot’s fracture. Though Sula did commit some of these acts, not all of them are worth her evil reputation. She’s rather selfish in the sense that she didn’t think of “causing Nel pain,” despite the fact that they used to be best friends, and she did send Eva away (121). However, she isn’t the devil. As Anjanette mentioned, it is Sula who cause the people of Bottom to better themselves. Therefore, while the residents of Bottom characterize Sula as evil, she’s really just the opposite of the folks in Bottom in thought, tradition, and desires.
ReplyDeleteSula is considered evil because she is different and subverts accepted social norms. Her evil comes mostly from her mother and grandmother: “Eva’s arrogance and Hannah’s self-indulgence merged in her” (118). She refuses to listen to anyone, and her only thought is for herself; in fact, her main purpose in life is to know “the other half of her equation” (121). This leads to Sula becoming “evil” because it leaves her with no morals: by only thinking of herself, she doesn’t consider any accepted law or rule, including thinking of others. This leads to her being “interested” (78) at Hannah’s death, and sleeping around, just because it shows her how it feels to be “in a position of surrender” (123). In all, Sula’s evil stems from an intense curiosity in the nature of herself and a desire to above all else know it and become “intimate” (121) with it.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Mr. Alexander Giannousis. As he has expressed similar ideas as me in regards to how Sula is evil, I shall expand on it by stating how Sula’s “evil” characteristics affect the rest of her community.
DeleteSula’s “evil” unites her community and gives the residents an opportunity to improve their lives and the way they treat one another. Under the impression that Sula hurt her child, Teapot’s Mamma “… became the most devoted mother: sober, clean and industrious” (Morrison 114). Although Teapot’s Mamma did not willingly accept motherhood, she was forced to by Sula’s interaction with Teapot and, in return, this will help Teapot’s development because now he will have a responsible mother to care for him and “protect” him from Sula. In addition, Sula engaged in sexual relations with the town’s married men so the women of the Bottom “… cherished their men more…” (Morrison 115). Her promiscuous actions strengthened the relationships between husbands and wives and they began to treasure each other. Marriage was no longer a breakable bond because wives realized the necessity to soothe and please their husbands the way Sula did (or better) so that they would not lose them. Without Sula’s reappearance, the townspeople of the Bottom would not have a reason to come together, but since Sula has returned they are united by their common feelings of fear and hatred towards her.
While I do agree that Sula’s wickedness has the potential to bring out the kindness within others, I also believe that she represents the personification of sins. Her obvious crimes are the murder of Chicken Little and the act of adultery toward Nel’s husband, Jude; however, she also displays a sinful nature in her threat to “tie on up here with some kerosene” to burn Eva and her ruthless comment towards her mother: “Mamma must have skipped that part. Her days wasn’t too long” (Morrison 93). Nevertheless, the townspeople “did nothing to harm her”, and, instead, they gradually change into more caring people. Teapot’s mother becomes “the most devoted mother: sober, clean, and industrious” (Morrison 114) and the wives of others “cherished their men more” (Morrison 115). Looking at this story through a religious standpoint, Sula’s sin acts as a catalyst to allow others to better their own selves, similarly to how sin is forgiven by God so that people can still go to heaven. Therefore, Morrison uses Sula’s evil to demonstrate the horror of wickedness and to motivate others into resisting such a path.
ReplyDeleteWow,Alan! Such an inspiration to all. I agree with your point that Sula's wickedness brings out good in others, and Morrison uses her to represent evil. The "plague of robins" is an evil omen to her return to the Bottom, yet she is a sort of blessing in disguise, for her "evilness" allows others a universe of hateful obligation, with Sula as their center. Evil nearly manifests itself in Sula alone, as Alan stated, the townspeople "did nothing to harm her", and instead became better people. Such evil as represented in Sula can even inspire the worst to some become the best to some; Teapot's mother for example.The evils occurring around Sula, such as Jude's unfaithfulness, are overlooked, as Sula's evil deeds are larger in stature. Such as Shadrack, Sula is used as an anti-hero, an example to all of what not to be, of what not to become or do.
DeleteAs the novel has progressed my views on Sula and her evil nature have progressed with it. Sula is a morally confused character because she is able to see the evil in her community but cannot stifle her inner evil. She criticizes her grandmother's murder of Plum, saying that no god would strike her (Sula)down because that same one would have had to have "watched you (Eva) burn Plum" (93). She views the murder as so wrong that it is evidence that there is no god because he would have prevented such an event. She also recognizes the evils of conformity as it consumes her former best friend, Nel. She views Nel's rebirth into the community as we view the Deweys' unnatural bond. She describes Nel's relationship to the community as "Nel belonged to the town" (120) as if they owned her. Like the Deweys, she is losing her identity and Sula recognizes that as a potential evil in the town.
ReplyDeleteGranting the fact that Sula does not intend come off as evil, it is through the perceptions of others that characterizes Sula as evil through her accidental encounters with death and immoral acts of adultery. Sula did not plan to kill Chicken Little, but he “slipped from her hands and sailed away…” (Morrison 60) portraying Sula as his killer regardless of her intent. Eva thought Sula watched her mother, Hannah, burn because she wanted Hannah to die, but Sula watched Hannah burn because she wanted Hannah to seem the complete opposite; Sula wanted Hannah to seem more alive so she wanted Hannah to “keep on dancing” (Morrison 147). On top of that, Sula commits adultery with Jude and numerous others and puts her friendship with Nel, along with the relationships of wives and the men she slept with, in danger. Morrison uses Sula as a foil to make the residents of the Bottom appreciate each other more. Because the citizens believe Sula is evil, the people of the Bottom become more caring and protective of one another and make sure that no one they love associates with Sula. It is because of the fear of people in the Bottom that Sula seems to be evil, even if Sula did not try to come off as evil in the first place.
ReplyDelete