American Literature

A 1973 novel written by Toni Morrison, Sula tells the story of how Sula was regarded to be the epitome of evil with her actions and lifestyle. Sula, together with her friend Nel grew up in a community in Ohio known as The Bottom which was mostly composed of blacks. The community was given to a slave and it became one bright and lively society. However, wealthy whites started to threaten the vibrancy of the community by wanting to destroy the land and taking over in order to build a golf course out of it.

Nel and Sula come from families in The Bottom. They are quite the opposite of each other as Nel and her family was conformists while Sula was different and unconventional. Nel however can sense some uncertainty with her mothers conventional life as it was utterly linked to the wealthy whites of those in Medallion (the place that was said to be more desirable), Nels mother, Helene, still suffered racism despite her religious, and conservative lifestyle. Nel met Rochelle, her grandmother who used to be a prostitute and she realized that she came from a family who defied the conventional boundaries of their society. Nel became determined to live a life in accordance to her own self and rules. Sulas lifestyle had always been unconventional since their family had been known to be loose and unusual. Sulas home was active, exciting, and always open to changes. Nels on the other hand was always uptight, well-kept, and very much in order.
In spite of the differences they have, Sula and Nel became friends and were intensely connected during their adolescent years. Their personalities are extremely different with Sula being assertive and spontaneous while Nel was very modest and quiet. They were two different girls that form one whole person when they are together.

A disturbing accident changed their friendship as one day while Sula was playfully swinging a neighborhood boy, she lost her grip and the young boy, Chicken Little, fell into a river. Chicken Little drowned and Sula and Nel never told anyone what happened. The death of the young boy made Nel and Sula see how one can die in an instant. They had loss their childhood innocence with the accident. Nel felt very guilty fairly because of her family background and upbringing. They never told anyone about what happened as they were very much afraid of the accident. They thought of how they can be misunderstood and get blamed for the accident. Since then, they began to grow apart.

Upon finishing high school, Nel broke her promise that she will define boundaries by following her own self and her personal rules. He decided to marry and become a conventional wife and mother. She followed the footsteps of her mother who also got married at a young age. Hence Nel essentially fulfilled her mothers desires and expectations instead of her own plans. Nels marriage symbolized the fall of possibilities for Nel. It also indicated her separation with Sula, as Sula left the Bottom right after Nels wedding.

Sula had many affairs when he left the Bottom. Some of which were white men. However, Sula decided to go back to the Bottom when she saw people doing and following the same uninteresting routines in different places. After 10 years of being gone, she had returned to Nel and to the Bottom. She was deemed to be the epitome of evil with her transparent indifference of the social customs and norms. She again broke the social convention when she placed her grandmother in a nursing home. Sulas grandmother Nel oddly criticized Sula for being unconventional. Considering the life that Eva, Sulas grandmother, had lived, she was very judging when it came to Sulas life. She criticized her granddaughter for staying single and not being married. She pointed out Sulas independence that led her to act in very unconventional ways. The hatred of the community when it came to Sulas interracial affairs became stronger when Sula had an affair with Jude, the husband of Nel. Sulas constant disregard for the social norms and rules concerning marriage almost destroyed her friend Nel. Because of the extramarital affair, Jude decided to leave his family. Sula may have caused a part in the separation of Nel and her husband, but it is also essential not to put all the blame on Sula as there can be other reasons why Nels marriage failed. Nels husband had the same share of actions in by being in the affair, and Sula never forced him to abandon his family.

Sula stayed on the Bottom and the people remained against her. As the community continued on labeling Sula to be evil, it was ironic how it changed and improved their own lives. Because of Sulas existence, the community made sure that they would all live in harmony together. The community at the Bottom became more collective when it came to their strength and identity.

When Sula got ill, Nel visited her and took pride knowing that she was superior to Sula in more ways than one. Just like the community, she felt that Sula betrayed her and caused the failure of her marriage. When Sula was about to die, she and Nel somehow got a half-hearted understanding. The harmony and strong identity of the Bottom dissolved upon the death of Sula. The community of the Bottom thought of Sulas death on a positive note. Sula, with her unconventional doings, motivated the people to uphold the social conventions even more.

As Nel visited Sulas grave she finally realized the regrets she have for the life she had lived. She cried out the name of Sula, admitting her love for her friend and how much she is mourning for the loss.