Sula

“Is that what I’m supposed to do? Spend my life keeping a man?”

“They worth keeping, Sula.”

“They ain’t worth more than me” (143).

Sula by Toni Morrison is a classic. It comments on the fear of change, the expectations placed upon women, and how society molds their young to become their old. The novel focuses on numerous characters, but their stories primarily revolve around a woman named Sula Peace.

Sula Peace, unlike the vast majority of Black women living in a part of town called the “Bottom”, treats men like conquests and women as if they were below her for accepting the life given to them. Many living in the Bottom have never left, not having the need or ability. Sula is one of the few who has, which spurs jealousy from those around her.

She momentarily escaped the craziness of Shadrack, her merciless mother, the rumor mill, and the rest of the Bottom.

The town never advances and improves, which is what many appreciate about it. When Sula returns, she is not the same little girl the town previously knew her as. Change is not welcome in the Bottom because of how frightening it is. The townspeople cherish keeping the community they have created that will hold them upright during hard times. Since Sula chose to leave, many feel betrayed, including her best friend, Nel Wright, who people once called her other half.

Nel and Sula grew up close; However, Nel marries and bears children, becoming the traditional wife and mother, whereas Sula prioritizes personal freedom over all else. When Nel asks her if she is lonely without a family,

Sula responds: “Yes. But my lonely is mine. Now your lonely is somebody else’s” (143). Sula refuses to maintain a spouse and instead frequently seduces different men, angering the other lovers as well as their unfortunate wives.

The abnormal behavior Sula demonstrates seems to have no root or cause to the rest of the Bottom. Unlike Shadrack, a WWI veteran with residing trauma and mental illnesses and who the community has more or less accepted, Sula has no viable explanation for her “bizarre” behavior.

Sula is celebrated and her bravery is coveted; Nevertheless, she is also a town pariah and viewed as shameless. The town’s mixed feelings towards Sula can be explained by the fear of changing what seems stable, but also the desire for more. When Sula returns to the Bottom, the townspeople initially are angry, but they are also in awe of her achievements and the importance they think she has. When the town gets gentrified by wealthy white families decades after Sula’s reappearance, even Sula herself reminisces about the community she felt while in the

Bottom, although she was not welcome within its walls.

The isolation the Bottom faces from the rest of the country allows their lives to interconnect with one another, and the writing techniques Toni Morrison utilizes symbolizes the togetherness the community has. The novel seamlessly flits between person to person and goes in-depth on various members of the Bottom. The stories told within Sula mesh together, recreating the Bottom for the reader. The appeal of the Bottom is not the area itself, but the memories, its residents, and the safety net it is contained within.