Morrison, Toni: 1931 - 2019

Sula, 1980 - Before Reading (AI Created)

Before reading the book it helps to know that the novel is less about plot twists and more about friendship, memory, morality, and the way communities shape people. It’s a short novel, but it carries a lot of emotional and symbolic weight.
- 1. The novel centers on an intense female friendship
  At the core is the relationship between two Black girls, Nel Wright and Sula Peace, growing up together in a Black community called “the Bottom” in Ohio.
  They are opposites in many ways:
  - Nel is orderly, socially acceptable, and wants stability.
  - Sula is rebellious, independent, and resists social expectations.
  Their friendship becomes almost like two halves of one personality.
  Example
  As children, they feel freer together than apart. Morrison describes how they create a private world where they can escape adults, racism, and gender expectations.
  When they grow older, Nel chooses marriage and convention, while Sula leaves town and returns years later completely unconcerned with what people think of her.
  A useful reading question:
  - Is Sula actually “evil,” or is she simply unwilling to obey society’s rules?
- 2. “The Bottom” is symbolic
  The Black neighborhood where the story takes place is called “the Bottom,” though it sits in the hills above town.
  This ironic naming matters. According to local legend, a white farmer tricked a formerly enslaved Black man into accepting difficult hill land by calling it “the bottom of heaven.”
  The setting reflects:
  - racism,
  - economic inequality,
  - distorted promises of freedom.
  Example
  The community develops strong internal traditions and judgments because its residents are excluded from white power structures.
  You’ll notice Morrison focuses heavily on:
  - gossip,
  - rumors,
  - shared memory,
  - communal reactions.
  The town itself almost acts like a character.
- 3. Morrison does not write in a fully linear or conventional style
  The novel jumps through years and moments rather than moving straightforwardly scene by scene.
  Chapters are often titled by year: 1919, 1920 etc.
  This structure emphasizes memory and emotional impact more than strict chronology.
  Example
  A traumatic childhood event involving a boy named Chicken Little echoes through the rest of the novel even when characters stop discussing it openly.
  Pay attention to:
  - repeated images,
  - emotional parallels,
  - symbolic moments,
  - rather than expecting every event to be explained directly.
- 4. Morality in the novel is deliberately complicated
  Morrison avoids simple “good person/bad person” categories.
  Sula especially challenges social norms involving:
  - sexuality,
  - marriage,
  - motherhood,
  - loyalty,
  - respectability.
  Example
  When Sula sleeps with her best friend Nel’s husband, the act is devastating — but Morrison also explores how differently men and women are judged by the community.
  The novel asks:
  - Who gets forgiven?
  - Who gets condemned?
  - Why do communities sometimes need a “villain”?
  One striking idea:
  The town becomes more united when Sula returns because everyone collectively disapproves of her.
- 5. Family structures are unconventional
  Traditional nuclear families are rare in the novel.
  The Peace family household is chaotic, multigenerational, emotionally intense, and unconventional.
  Example
  Eva Peace, Sula’s grandmother, is one of Morrison’s most unforgettable characters:
  - fiercely protective,
  - manipulative,
  - loving,
  - terrifying.
  She makes shocking choices that blur the line between sacrifice and violence.
  You are often meant to feel uncertain about characters morally.
- 6. The novel explores Black womanhood beyond stereotypes
  Morrison wrote complex Black female characters at a time when literature often flattened them into stereotypes.
  The novel explores:
  - friendship between women,
  - female desire,
  - independence,
  - motherhood,
  - emotional loneliness,
  - social expectations placed on Black women.
  Example
  Nel appears “respectable,” but by the end she realizes conformity did not necessarily bring fulfillment.
  Meanwhile, Sula’s freedom comes with deep isolation.
  Neither path is presented as completely right.
- 7. Death and grief are everywhere
  The novel contains frequent death, both literal and symbolic.
  Deaths may appear sudden, shocking, or strangely narrated.
  Example
  Morrison sometimes describes tragic events in calm or poetic language rather than dramatic emotional language. That contrast can feel unsettling on purpose.
  The novel treats death as part of community memory and history rather than isolated tragedy.
- 8. Symbolism matters a lot
  Certain images repeat throughout the novel:
  - fire,
  - water,
  - birds,
  - scars,
  - eyes,
  - seasons.
  Example
  Sula’s birthmark is interpreted differently by different people:
  - a snake,
  - a rose,
  - ashes,
  - evil.
  This shows how perception says as much about the observer as the observed.
- 9. The book was controversial partly because of Sula herself
  Sula was unusual as a protagonist because she:
  - rejects marriage,
  - moves freely sexually,
  - refuses shame,
  - does not seek approval.
  Some readers see her as destructive.
  Others see her as radically free.
  Morrison intentionally leaves room for both interpretations.
- 10. It helps to read the novel emotionally, not just analytically
  A first reading can feel ambiguous or even disorienting. That’s normal.
  Rather than trying to “solve” every symbol immediately, focus on:
  - emotional shifts,
  - tensions between characters,
  - what the community values,
  - moments of silence or avoidance.
  Many of the deepest meanings emerge afterward when reflecting on:
  - friendship,
  - betrayal,
  - loneliness,
  - identity,
  - the cost of freedom.