What Are The Themes In Sula? - Fixanswer

Sula Toni Morrison’s Sula is a novel that has a

theme about the nature of evil

. The story follows the lives of two black female friends who present differing views on evil. On one hand, we have society’s conventional view of evil represented by the character of Nel and also seen in the Bottom’s disapproval of Sula.

What are the themes of Sula?

Race and Racism. …
Love and Sexuality. …
Suffering and Community Identity. …
Women, Motherhood, and Gender Roles. …
Signs, Names, and Interpretation.

What does Sula symbolize?

The plague of robins that appears in the Bottom at the same time Sula returns is a

symbol of evil

. … Eva is sure the plague is an omen; Sula will soon inflict her evil on the community. The narrator describes evil as a necessary part of life, synonymous with all the difficult aspects of life the community endures.

What is the meaning of Sula book?

Sula is

a novel about ambiguity

. It questions and examines the terms “good” and “evil,” often demonstrating that the two often resemble one another.

Is Sula good or bad?

Sula is city girl that is completely independent and blunt. Though she

does seemingly evil things

, she is still honest and prideful which makes her heart good. The book Sula goes from the time periods of 1919-1940.

What happened to Eva’s leg in Sula?

Her

leg was amputated due to frostbite

. She has lost feeling in it.

What does the bottom symbolize in Sula?

Expert Answers

In Toni Morrison’s Sula , the neighborhood, “The Bottom,” represents

racialized hierarchy in a racist, capitalist system

. The black residents of the town live in the least desired area of the town.

What did Sula birthmark symbolize?

It seems that Sula’s ever-darkening birthmark is a symbol of

her age, maturity, and growing sadness

—the very things she’s trying so hard to fight against. At the same time, Morrison claims that the birthmark resembles a “stemmed rose”—an image that is both feminine (the flower) and masculine (the long phallic stem).

Who dies by fire in Sula?

Sula watches Hannah die in flames (78). Both

Plum and Hannah

—brother and sister— die by fire (Plum is burned to death by Eva, Hannah dies from her injuries after catching fire by accident).

Why do Nel and Sula become friends?

Sula and Nel become friends very suddenly when they are twelve, for reasons neither of them can describe. They become friends

when a group of Irish immigrants come to Medallion to bully the black schoolchildren

.

Why did Sula fall in love with Ajax?

Sula’s frequent affairs are all fleeting. Although she doesn’t know it, she has sex because it opens her to loneliness and sadness. Ajax takes an interest in her because she

is so unpredictable

. … For the first time in her life, Sula experiences the desire for possession of her lover.

Why did Sula leave the bottom?

One possible reason that Sula leaves the Bottom immediately following the wedding is that

she and Nel can no longer be the inseparable friends they once were

. … Symbolically, Nel’s wedding veil is too heavy for her to feel Jude’s kiss, suggesting a smothered imagination and eclipsed dreams.

Is Sula a hero or villain?

Sula is

a misunderstood hero

whose upbringing haunts her for life. She is continually trying to develop her identity in a community that is not supportive or accepting of her as a person. The members of the Bottom see Sula as an outcast and are not sad when she disappears, leaving the town for many years.

Is Nel evil in Sula?

Despite being presented as opposites of good and evil,

Nel and Sula are actually quite similar

, as both Nel and Sula posses the traits that defined the other, effectively blurring the lines between good and evil.

What does the gray ball in Sula represent?

In Morrison’s Sula, the gray ball symbolizes

Nel’s loss of her husband and of her best friend, Sula Peace

.