Verified Document

Character Development In Toni Morrison's Essay

The moment when Sula accidentally kills Chicken Little plays an important role in her relationship with Nel. While both girls are inclined to feel guilt as a result of their involvement in the child's death, Sula believes that her action was caused by her destructive nature and that it is perfectly natural for her to put across immoral behavior. In contrast, Nel gradually detaches herself from the event and comes to believe that she had nothing to do with Chicken Little's death. Her upbringing influenced her in believing that she could not possibly make a mistake as long as she acts in accordance with her mother's instructions. The relationship between Sula and Nel is very different from the one between two typical children, as they feel that they are connected as a result of their similar goals. Even with the fact that they have different personalities they feel that they complete each-other. It is very probable that Nel considers Chicken Little's death an opportunity for her to get out of this relationship, taking into account that she feels pressured by the fact that Sula's behavior and personality is very different from her mother's behavior and personality.

It is difficult to determine if Nel feels sorrow for not acting when Chicken Little lost his life or whether she believes that she was simply wrong because she did not perform a socially accepted act.

The Deweys are meant to provide readers with an alternative to children...

The fact that they all bear the same name makes it possible for readers to understand that the community in Bottom was a location where individuals lost their personal identity. Nel and Sula are more similar to Shadrock than they are to the Deweys and to normal individuals in their community. This makes it possible for them to learn more regarding their personal identities and to be able to get actively involved in changing their lifestyles at the moment when they want to.
The novel is called "Sula" because this character is the only one who experiences a complex upbringing and who eventually comes to live her life in accordance with her own interests. In contrast, Nel is unable to follow her dreams and ends up being very similar to her mother. She initially has a tendency to detach herself from society's laws but does not manage to do so and is forced to remain a 'standard' African-American woman in the early twentieth century. Chicken Little's death has a severe effect on both girls and it practically forces them to abandon their understanding of childhood in favor of accepting the fact that they are adults. Both girls come to acknowledge that they are no longer innocent and immortal consequent to this event.

Works cited:

Dubey, Madhu, "Black women novelists and the nationalist aesthetic," (Indiana University Press, 1994)

Mitchell, Angelyn, "Within the circle: an anthology of African-American literary criticism from the Harlem Renaissance to the present," (Duke University Press, 1994)

Morrison, Toni, "Sula," (Vintage International, 2004).

Sources used in this document:
Works cited:

Dubey, Madhu, "Black women novelists and the nationalist aesthetic," (Indiana University Press, 1994)

Mitchell, Angelyn, "Within the circle: an anthology of African-American literary criticism from the Harlem Renaissance to the present," (Duke University Press, 1994)

Morrison, Toni, "Sula," (Vintage International, 2004).
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon
Words: 1044 Length: 3 Document Type: Essay

He has not previously shown any great desire or motivation to seek out on his own the reasons for who he is, why he is here, and what came before him. In the process of his discoveries, Milkman also learns that his grandfather, Macon Dead, after he was killed, had his shallow grave dug up and had his body dumped into Hunters Cove. That kind of information can be very

Toni Morrison, Andre Dubus, Anton
Words: 1180 Length: 4 Document Type: Term Paper

He is identified as follows in the story: "...he had not so much moved through his life as wandered through it, his spirit like a dazed body bumping into furniture and corners. He had always been a fearful father..." This depiction of Matt shows how his love for his family has become a weakness for him, for there is always a fear in him that he will fail as

How the Character Development Relates to Larger Theme in the Work
Words: 895 Length: 3 Document Type: Term Paper

Character Development in Sula "the friendship was as intense as it was sudden. They found relief in each other's personality." ~from Sula, "1922" Toni Morrison is an African-American, female author with a well-respected and known reputation among literary and academic circles. The main characters of her novels often are African-American women caught in normative, yet arduous life circumstances. Her novel, Sula, will be the focus of this paper written by this prolific

Beloved by Toni Morrison Is a Haunting,
Words: 580 Length: 2 Document Type: Essay

Beloved by Toni Morrison is a haunting, darkly beautiful and intensely moving novel that depicts the profound traumatic reality of slavery and its repercussions on one woman's life, her mental stability and psychological well-being, her ideas of and abilities in motherhood, her entire sense of self, even her basic humanity. Beloved tells the story of an escaped slave woman who, when faced with capture, slipped into a state of psychosis

Bluest Eye Toni Morrison's Book
Words: 2254 Length: 6 Document Type: Term Paper

It is possibly or probably Morrison speaking from her own personal heart, maybe remembering her own childhood as a black girl in a time when black children were not very often used as characters in books; meanwhile, author Morrison has Claudia saying (62) "What was the secret?" Of Maureen's magical whiteness and social power. "What did we lack? Why was it important? And so what?" Morrison also offers readers a little

Inversion Explored in Morrison's Sula
Words: 1456 Length: 5 Document Type: Essay

As a result, Hannah has "no experiential knowledge or maternal role model for this aspect of the mother-daughter bond" (233). Hannah is more concerned with being who she wants to be than being a loving, nurturing mother. Eva is the grandmother from which these characteristics flow. She is the woman that is tough because she must be. She makes sacrifices for her children but she does not necessarily bend to

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now