The Hardships Of Life In Toni Morrison's Sula
In the first five chapters of Sula, Toni Morrison conveys the hardships of living in the Bottom through her characters’ struggle to survive and the tough decisions they have to make for the better of themselves. Within the time period the novel takes place, survival isn’t a foreign concept, especially to the Blacks who live at the “Bottom” of society and are harshly judged by racism and sexism. Oppressive and prevalent racial discrimination not only limits the characters’ opportunities outside the world of Bottom, but also keeps them off balance with all their relationships. Under this depressing setting of racial and social inferiority, conflicts constantly haunt the Black characters. As a result, they usually have to resort to survival instincts,
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The sudden and unexpected death shows them how easy it is to die, especially in the Bottom. They realize they are not shielded by their childish perception in their childish world any more and death can imminently follow the “frightened joy” and “bubbly laughter”. (Pg. 61) Ever since the accident, Nel and Sula have been showing how different their personalities are by their roots. Nel, raised to obey conventions and not to question the power, feels guilty due to her lack of reaction and condolences to a death for which she is responsible. Her true attitude on this accident never fulfills what society expects of her, and the lack of approval annoys her, instead of her responsibility of the death. On the other hand, Sula truly feels the fear of killing Chicken Little “crawling into her stomach” (Pg. 61) but somehow feels “relieved and encouraged” after her interaction with Shadrack. Her sporadic upbringing gives her special adaptability to surroundings and she utilizes that well to subsidize the guilt on her conscience. The fundamental difference in their personalities contributes much to the “separateness” (Pg. 65) in the funeral. Their clenched hands “slowly relax” at the final scene in 1922 suggests the necessary changes and adaptations, which they make according to their fundamental personalities to get through the guilt on their conscience, lead them into diverging
The sudden and unexpected death shows them how easy it is to die, especially in the Bottom. They realize they are not shielded by their childish perception in their childish world any more and death can imminently follow the “frightened joy” and “bubbly laughter”. (Pg. 61) Ever since the accident, Nel and Sula have been showing how different their personalities are by their roots. Nel, raised to obey conventions and not to question the power, feels guilty due to her lack of reaction and condolences to a death for which she is responsible. Her true attitude on this accident never fulfills what society expects of her, and the lack of approval annoys her, instead of her responsibility of the death. On the other hand, Sula truly feels the fear of killing Chicken Little “crawling into her stomach” (Pg. 61) but somehow feels “relieved and encouraged” after her interaction with Shadrack. Her sporadic upbringing gives her special adaptability to surroundings and she utilizes that well to subsidize the guilt on her conscience. The fundamental difference in their personalities contributes much to the “separateness” (Pg. 65) in the funeral. Their clenched hands “slowly relax” at the final scene in 1922 suggests the necessary changes and adaptations, which they make according to their fundamental personalities to get through the guilt on their conscience, lead them into diverging