I have mixed
thoughts on the novel and I'm just generally overwhelmed by all of the
overlapping themes and motifs. A clear overarching theme in the novel is the
exploration of social norms in an African-American community and the
ever-presence of suffering in their day to day lives. I feel like the whole
novel emphasized the adversities of living in the "Bottom" and how
evil plagued their lives in every way possible. However, evil in the novel is
referred to as something that needs to be overcome and not something that you
aim to destroy. Evil seems more common than good, in fact all of the
"good" mentioned in the novel is constantly overshadowed by
suffering. I've also noticed that there are always natural disasters
occurring in the Bottom and it emphasizes how natural disasters are simply an
extension to all the suffering they are already experiencing. Just their
mere existence is already a sign of suffering due to their dehumanization and
lack of freedom. Colored women especially lack freedom inevitably find
themselves dependent on men. I think this is why Sula is significant in this
novel and is named after her; Sula embodies the pariah, the outlaw woman who
chooses not to follow societal expectations of her as a colored woman. She
ignores the society's criticism of her promiscuous ways which do not follow the
Medallion moral code but instead is appalled at how women gave in so easily to
the controlling strings of society. Sula separates herself away from the
society and in a sense does hold pride over her rebellious ways. However Sula
doesn't go around preaching feminism to the community, her actions, her
clothing, and her gestures are enough to unify the Medallion community against
her, viewing her as the ultimate evil of society. I find it interesting how
people view her as a curse and how her birthmark is always referred to as a
symbol of evil. However, people's interpretations of Sula's birthmark reflect
THEM more than they reflect Sula's identity. I wish the novel contained a
passage on how Sula viewed her own birthmark, but I don't think she would
really think much about it because Sula didn't have a sense of her own
individuality, she had no core and no set of rules.
I agree with you that it would be interesting to see how Sula views herself. Most of Sula's personality is told through the eyes of Nel and the other townspeople, and the reader rarely gets a glimpse into what Sula thinks of herself. However, as you said, it probably wouldn't be possible because Sula doesn't really have a center to her identity.
ReplyDeleteSula is a really interesting character because she represents everything the other women of Bottom isn't. She refuses to let social norms regarding women to add to the burden she already suffers from living in the Bottom. I think Sula has the right to feel pride in her actions because being an outcast your entire life probably isn't very easy.
I was really interesting that you pointed out how all the natural disasters in Medallion acted almost as a physical manifestation of the townspeople's suffering. I hadn't thought of that! Your mention of how Sula's birthmark is seen by other people is a really important point in both describing the characters of those people and of Sula. For example, Jude sees it as a serpent, which makes sense when he yields to temptation and sleeps with her. Again, when Shadrack sees it, it becomes a tadpole in his eyes--a symbol, to him, of innocence. Like you said, Sula doesn't ever tell us what she sees it as, again implying the idea that Sula has no central identity.
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