sula thesis.edited
docx
keyboard_arrow_up
School
Nairobi Institute of Technology - Westlands *
*We aren’t endorsed by this school
Course
RE
Subject
English
Date
Nov 24, 2024
Type
docx
Pages
2
Uploaded by dannetke
Statement of the Thesis for the Sula Literary Analysis Essay. Along with the essential ideas presented
throughout, Toni clarifies numerous issues explored at Sula. Nevertheless, This true story brings into focus the
widespread prejudices people have held regarding women. Thus, the sexual orientation of women serves as the
narrative's explicit thesis. One of the key concepts in this book that affects how all the characters act and live
their lives is sexual. Sex involving women is widely frowned upon in most African nations and worldwide, to
say nothing of American society and conventions. A black woman who practices lesbianism might be perceived
as confused, a sinner, and a tragedy to her community. Through elevating the class of a woman and man in
matrimony, Sula, designed by Morrison, examined self-identification as a lady and acceptance of sexuality while
having an African lesbian in male-controlled America (Lewis, 2008).
Most of Morrison's literary works, including Sula, are written in the Sappho style of poetry. However, this
fashion is founded on love as it is practised in the Sula, particularly the love of women. In The Wonderful Way
She Walks, Sappho tells the story of falling in love with a woman. She continues, "I would rather watch the
lovely way she moves and the bright look on her forehead than the Lydian war carriages or their infantry troops
in shoulders." The lady's graceful gait suggests a better quality of life, and her love and commitment to her give
her peace (Bremmer, 2014). Then there is Morrison's Sula, which discusses Sula and Nel's pre-meeting fantasy.
They are men who, as little boys, lived alone and experienced tremendous loneliness that caused them to sway
inside vibrantly coloured goals. The two girls also appeared to have seen one another before actually meeting.
Each seeks an emotional bond to feel comforted by the other's situation. In both situations, an initial spark of
interest developed into an enduring romantic relationship or friendship. Whether it was the bringing together of
ladies or the fixation of women, a lady was the universal foundation.
Even though Sula begins as a work that is heterosexual and ends with a wedding, there is still an ongoing covert
lesbian relationship and a yearning for a matrilineal-led life. Sula is the story's non-conforming lady, and her
role denotes opposition. Barbara Smith writes in a piece for a Black Women's movement (Rosenfelt & Newton,
2013) that "despite the apparent heterosexuality of the female characters, I discovered in rereading Sula that it
works as a lesbian novel not only because of Sula and Nel's passionate friendship but also because Morrison's
consistently critical stance toward the heterosexual institutions of male-female relationships, marriage, and the
fam." Whether knowingly or unwittingly, Toni's art emphasizes feminism and lesbian worries about Black
women's independence and influence over everyone else's lifestyle.
In Morrison's Sula, Nel and Sula's friendship examines the idea of maturing and learning to have feelings for
people of the same sex. "So, when they first met...they felt the ease and comfort of old friends," Toni remarked
of their first meeting at the beginning of their relationship. Since they had recognized they were not pale or
masculine years before, they had decided to create something unusual. Morrison hinted to the sharp minds that
Sula and Nel had to articulate the true feelings of lesbianism when he remarked that they discovered the
intimacy they had yearned for in their eyes. However, if they were to take the time to reflect on themselves and
their sexual orientation honestly, this might succeed.
The chapter beautifully depicts their love since it is rife with extravagant romanticism from the beginning. There
are opposing viewpoints on a comparable lavish story that they are almost captivated by. Morrison, however,
breaks the method of other love at the first vision of the story involving a girl and a boy inside a corridor by
using Nel and Sula's connection as a chance to remove the stigma of deciding one's preference based on sexual
orientation. The motif of conflict toward male-controlled compressions starts with this.
The relationship between Nel and Sula is the main subject of Sula. Their initial interaction aims to "allow them
to develop on each other." All girls struggle to find their identities while still being limited by their families. Nel
and Sula spent the entire day by themselves, exploring the river, attracting the attention and admiration of boys
and young men, defending themselves from white invaders, and dealing with disasters. Nel comforts Sula when
she accidentally drowns Chicken by tossing him into the water, saying it was not her fault. However, the
incident is brought up among them during the funeral, with Nel acting even though she did not do anything
wrong and Sula sobbing. Despite this, their bond is still strong, and they walk out of the funeral together.
There were more examples of this subject in the book besides the relationship between Nel and Sula. This is
also mirrored by Hannah's inability to make female friends since she sleeps with their husbands but from the
perspective of someone unable to do so. Despite loving her child and being her mother, Hannah finds it
impossible to tolerate her. Sula inherits this lack of connection and is unaware of how her behaviour affects her
friendship with Nel or anybody else.
References
J. N. Bremmer (2014). Moments in the History of Sexuality: From Sappho to De Sade (Routledge Revivals) (1st
ed.). Routledge. D. Lewis (2008). Rethinking Nationalism in Relation to Adrienne Rich's "Compulsory
Heterosexuality and Lesbian Existence" and Foucault's History of Sexuality. 104–109 in Sexualities, 11(1-2).
https://doi.org/10.1177/13634607080110010306 D. Rosenfelt, J. Newton, and others (2013). Sex, class, and race
in literature and culture (Routledge Library Editions: Feminist Theory): Feminist Criticism and Social Change.
Routledge.
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help