In Search of Self: Frustration and Denial in Toni Morrison's Sula
Author(s): Marie Nigro
Source: Journal of Black Studies, Vol. 28, No. 6 (Jul., 1998), pp. 724-737
Published by: Sage Publications, Inc.
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IN SEARCH OF SELF
Frustrationand Denial
in ToniMorrison'sSula
MARIENIGRO
LincolnUniversity
AlthoughToni Morrison (1973) may not have intentionally
createda novelto celebratetheworkingclass or to explorethe
consequencesofworkamongAfrican
Americans,
shehas,inSula,
celebratedthelivesof ordinary
peoplewhodailymustworkand
provide.Sula celebrates
manylives:Itis thestoryofthefriendship
oftwoAfrican
American
women;itis thestory
ofgrowing
upBlack
andfemale;butmostofall,itis thestoryofa community.
Events
thatbefallthedenizensoftheBottom,a segregated
of
community
mythical
Medallion,Ohio,can be seenas thosethatmightbefall
residents
ofanyBlackcommunity
in anytownduringtheyearsof
thisnarrative,
1919to 1965.
Historically,
greatliterature
has concerneditselfwithnature,
have been literary
death,and love. Writers
professionals
whose
primary
occupationwas writing
and whoseexperiences
werefar
removedfromthosewhomustworkfora living.Criticssuchas
NicholasColes (1986), TerryEagleton(1986), Louis Kampfand
Paul Lauter(1972), andJohnWayman(1983) haveobjectedto a
historical
canonthatis irrelevant
to "everyman."
Eagleton(1986)
observesthatliterature
has beencreatedfortheculturalelite,and
therestofus havecometoconsiderliterature
as a reflection
ofan
elitistlifestyle
to whichtheordinary
personcannothopetorelate.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I wishtoacknowledge
theinvaluablehelpofmycolleague
as wellas the
Ropo Sekoniwiththeeditingofthefinalversionofthismanuscript
assistanceofmyfriendSara Ramponwhohelpedwiththeearlyorganization.
JOURNALOF BLACK STUDIES, Vol.28 No. 6, July1998 724-737
Inc.
C 1998Sage Publications,
724
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Nigro/IN SEARCH OF SELF
725
He suggeststhattheliterary
establishment
embraceworksthat
celebratethelivesofordinary
peopleandacknowledge
thestrugglesofrealpeople,forexample,working-class
writing.
as thatwritten
Coles (1986) definesworking-class
literature
by
writers
fromworking-class
working-class
personsorprofessional
He stressestheimportance
of creatingand reading
backgrounds.
textsformostpeople,including
minorities,
women,andworkingclass students.
KampfandLauter(1972) alsoseeliterature
andliterary
criticism
fromlife-as a self-serving
as separated
ideologythatis relatedto
butoffers
establishment
thelivesoftheliterary
toreaders
nothing
familiesorworking-class
whomaybe fromordinary
backgrounds.
ofcontemporary
Wayman(1983) decriestheirrelevancy
imaginawhichhas nothingto offerworking-class
menand
tivewriting,
does notdeal
women.He findsit wrongthata nationalliterature
andsuccessesofthemajority
with"problems,
aspirations,
failures,
thecountry"
ofmenandwomenwhoinhabit
(p. 43). He notesthat
ourculture,by ignoring
realpeopleand realproblems,
is saying
that"weandourproblems
arenotsignificant"
(p. 55). He seeswork
inourlives"(p. 55), an experience
as a "majorshapingexperience
in
thatdeservestobe celebrated literature.
If,as Waymansuggests,
workis themajorshapingfactorin ourlives,whataretheconsea demeaning
quencesof havingno work,of enduring
job, or of
havingno outletforone'screativeenergies?
In an interview
withClaudiaTate(1983), ToniMorrisonnotes
that
It wouldbe interesting
to do a pieceofworkon thekindsofwork
womendo innovelswritten
bywomen.Whatkindsofjobs theydo,
notjust thepayingjobs, buthow theyperceivework.... It's not
kinds
justa questionofbeinginthelaborforceanddoingdomenstic
ofthings;it'sabouthowoneperceiveswork,howitfitsintoone's
life.(p. 123)
is notas newtoBlackwomenas itis towhite
She adds,"Agression
women.Black womenseem able to combinethe nestand the
adventure.... We don'tfindtheseplaces,theseroles,mutually
exclusive"(p. 122).
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726
JOURNALOF BLACK STUDIES /JULY 1998
oftheBottom,survivalis serious
knitcommunity
In thetightly
a meansofexistingina
business,andeachpersonmustdetermine
manageas bestthey
worldthatis alien-Whiteandmale.Residents
and helpingeach otherbut
can,workingmenialjobs, scrimping,
by
prescribed
boundaries
withintheunderstood
alwaysremaining
thehostileWhiteworld.
AlthoughMorrison'snovelis "imbeddedin thecontextof the
Black experiencein America"(Holloway& Demetrakopoulos,
tothereader
1987,p. 149),theauthorofSula succeedsinbringing
and thepainof Eva, Hannah,
of anyrace thejoys,thesuffering,
Sula, Jude,andShadrack.
delineatesSula's familytree,allowMorrison(1973) carefully
youngwoman
theremarkable
ingthereaderto betterunderstand
thatis Sula Peace. Beforewe evermeetMiss Peace, we meether
toBoy-Boy,finds
Eva, whoafter5 yearsofmarriage
grandmother,
herselfabandonedwiththreechildrenand no idea of whatto do
next.Neighborsbringwhatfoodtheycan spare,butEva realizes
to
thatshewillsoonwearoutherwelcome,so sheasksa neighbor
tobe backina fewdays.Eighteen
andpromises
watchherchildren
witha shinynewpurseand
on crutches
monthslater,shereturns
andEva startsbuilding
monthly,
one leg. A checkbeginsarriving
Road.
a houseon Carpenter
Hannah,is widowedwhenheronlychildSula
Eva's daughter,
movein withEva whereHannah
is age 3. Motherand daughter
andhermother.
forherdaughter
a
life
of
caring
settlesintoassume
household.With
Eva andHannahcreatetheirownunconventional
mother
anddaughter
love
ofEva's husbandBoy-Boy,
theexception
playing
all men.Eva expressesherloveformalenessbylaughing,
her
mencallers,anddisplaying
talkingwithherfaithful
checkers,
and shodat all times"
one leg, whichis "stockinged
remaining
1973,p. 31).
(Morrison,
For Hannah,love ofmenandmalenessis physicalbutwithout
guile.She enjoysthecompanyof menand leads themenof the
Bottomto herbed. Her lovingis describedas "sweet,low and
guileless... nobody,butnobodycouldsay 'Hey sugar'likeHannah"(Morrison,
1973,pp.42-43).
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Nigro/IN SEARCH OF SELF
727
The businessof survivalis an everydayconcernforEva and
Hannah,butbecausetheyareBlackwomeninthe1920s,theonly
paid workavailablein Medallionis as domesticsforungrateful
Whitefamiliesor as prostitutes.
And even theprostitutes
have
fallenon hardtimes.So motherand daughter
devisetheirown
meansofcoping.Duringthesummer,
theyjoin theirneighbors
in
canningtheharvestoffruits
andvegetablesin preparation
forthe
hardwinterahead. The mysterious
loss of Eva's leg providesa
much-awaited
monthly
check.In addition,
Eva takesinan arrayof
boardersandstraypeople,someofwhompayandsomeofwhom
do not.It is in thisunconventional
and oftenchaotichousehold,
filledwithboarders,
andgentlemen
adoptedchildren,
callers,that
Sula Mae Peace growsup.
In anotherpartof theBottom,in a houseof suffocating
order
andreallace curtains,
Nel Wright
is growing
up underthecareful
eye of HeleneWright.
Sula and Nel meetin schooland become
friends
whofindineachotherwhateachlacksinherself.
Coming
froman oppressively
Nel relishesthecasual disneathousehold,
orderofSula's household,
wherepeopledropinunannounced,
chat,
and laughand wheredirtydishesor stackednewspapers
pile up.
On theotherhand,Sula enjoysgoingtoNel's housewhereshecan
siton theredvelvetsofain thequietofan afternoon
for10 to 20
minutes-"stillas dawn"(Morrison,
1973,p. 29). The girlsgrow
intowomanhoodclingingto each other,each providing
whatthe
otherlacksinherself.
Morrison
explainstothereaderthatthetwo
"felttheease andcomfort
girlsmetandimmediately
ofoldfriends.
Becauseeachhaddiscovered
thattheywereneither
whitenormale,
andthatall freedom
andtriumph
was forbidden
tothem,theyhave
set aboutcreatingsomething
else to be" (p. 52). Togetherthey
createa singlecompleteindividual:
Sula theimpulsive,
emotional
the
one; Nel
practicalone.
Aftergraduating
fromgeneralschool,Sula goestocollege,and
Nel marriesJudeGreene.Underhermother'swatchful
eye,Nel
andJudehavea "real"weddingina church
followedbya reception
has spentdayspreparing.
thatHeleneWright
Judeis a handsome
in thechurch.He is 20 yearsold
youngmanwhosingsregularly
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728
JOURNALOF BLACK STUDIES /JULY 1998
andworksas a waiterintheHotelMedallion.Judeknowshisjob
could neversupporta wife,but he has plans to move on to
He hashiseyeon theNew RiverRoad.
morelucrative.
something
Medallionhas neededa bridgethatwouldspantheriverand
acrossto thenext
usedto takeresidents
replacetheraftpresently
ofa
theplansarelaterchangedtotheconstruction
town.Although
tunnel,theprojectis stillcalled theNew RiverRoad. Workhas
begunwhenJude,alongwitha fewotheryoungBlack men,go
wantsto be partof
down to thehiringshack.Judedesperately
he couldpointto
thatwouldlast,something
buildingsomething
traysand other
withpride.He longedforrealwork,notcarrying
he wantedthecamarapeople'sdirtydishes."Morethananything
derie of road men .
.
. thatin the end produced somethingreal,
thathe couldpointto.... 'I builtthatroad,'he could
something
1973,pp. 81-82).
say"(Morrison,
Judestandsin linefor6 daysandsees thegangbossespickout
Whiteboys,Greeks,andItaliansbutnevertheyoungmen
southern
hisjob at thehotel
is offended;
fromtheBottom.His masculinity
tocarrytraysandpickup
butitis demeaning
notonlypayspoorly,
theself-affirming
afterotherpeoplewhenhe wantsso desperately
had
existed
before.Itwas
where
nothing
job ofbuildingsomething
thatshewill
toNel. He determines
thenthathe considersmarriage
hisfortune.
She
whatever
She wouldalwaysbe there,
be hisanchor.
wouldbe someonetowhomhecouldalwayscomehome;hecould
Judeand
careforher.WithNel,he couldbe complete.Together,
Jude
toonce
Nel couldmakea completeperson.So Neljoinswith
again mergeherselfwithanother.She recognizesher role and
herhusband,
raises
She supports
theexpectedfunctions:
performs
andjoinsthechurch.
theirchildren,
Duringan era in whichtheroleoftheBlack womanis clearly
tobe herself.
Sula,unlikeNel,is determined
defined,
andstiflingly
ofherraceand
boundaries
She refusesto accepttheconventional
themoresoftheoutsideworldas wellas
andbyrejecting
gender,
Sula standsalone.Whenshereturns
her
own
community,
thoseof
toMedallionafter10 years,lookingfineandwearingcityclothes,
When
thanherMedallioncounterparts.
sheappearsmuchyounger
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NigroI IN SEARCH OF SELF
729
Eva scowlsather,suggesting
that
hergrandmother,
sheconfronts
andhavesomebabies.
sheneedstogetmarried
Sula replies,"I don'twantto makesomebodyelse. I wantto
thata woman
makemyself'(Morrison,1973,p. 92). Eva retorts
a man.Shortly
(p. 92) aroundwithout
has no business"floating"
a homeforthe
SulaplacesEva inSunnydale,
after
thatconversation,
act.
notesthisas Sula's first
aberrant
Thecommunity
quietly
elderly.
to
to theBottomwithabsolutelynothing do; the
Sula returns
move.All thetownknows
townwatcheshereveryunconventional
thatshe has beento collegeand livedin thebig cities.It is even
andsleptwithWhite
thatshehaddonetheunforgivable
whispered
men.Morrison(1973) explainsSula's dilemma:
toengagehertremenHad shepaints,orclay... hadsheanything
whichmighthave exdous curiosityand hergiftformetaphor,
withwhimforan activandpreoccupation
changedtherestlessness
itythatprovidedherwithall she yearnedfor.And likeanyartist
shebecamedangerous.
(p. 121)
withno artform,
Dangerousindeed.Yet she neverrealizeshow dangerousshe
Duringanafternoon
reallyis becausehersinsareneverintentional.
diapers,sheasksSula aboutlifeinthe
visit,whileNel is sprinkling
bigcity.Sula repliesthattherestoftheworldisjusta biggerversion
ofMedallion.Later,whenNel walksin on Sula andJude,theyare
naked.Jude,stillwaitingtablesatthehotel,and
downon all fours,
else todo,eachneedingtofillup spaceintheir
Sula,withnothing
and in thatone
lives,have foundeach otherforthatmoment,
ordered
domesticlifeceasestoexist.Jude
moment,
Nel's carefully
andNel is leftwithonly
packsup andleaveson a busforDetroit,
hisyellownecktieanda grayfuzzyballthatfollowsherwherever
shegoes.
Nel wonders,
moment
ofdiscovery,
How
Relivingthatdreadful
leave?
The
two
most
couldSula havedonethat?How couldJude
her.Nothingis leftbut
important
peoplein herlifehavebetrayed
aboutherheadandthepressing
need
thatgrayfuzzyballhovering
to carryon forherselfand her children.She takesa job as a
attheHotelMedallion.AndSula, surprised
atNel's
chambermaid
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730
JOURNALOF BLACK STUDIES /JULY 1998
discoversthatNel is one of"them."Now Nel belongsto
reaction,
and actsas she
herthatNel is so offended
thetown.It surprises
is one ofthereasonsSula has returned
toMedaldoes.Herfriend
has
orreform
lion,andnowNel is lost.Sula's refusaltoconform
sheevercraved.Sula cannotundercosthertheonlyrelationship
standthatshehascausedNel intensepain,andthatbya singleact,
is notcontrite
as she
Sula, however,
Nel's lifeis changedforever.
ofthecommunity.
standsalone,outsidetheboundaries
in herlife,Sula uses menmuchas her
To fillup theemptiness
spirit.
mother(now deceased) had done but witha different
WhereasHannahhad been sweetand withoutguileand had reSula goes tobed withmenas
spectedthewaysofthecommunity,
oftenas she can but thencarelesslytossesthemaside. Unlike
Sula regardslovewas comforting,
Hannah,forwhomlovemaking
the
The
Bottom
now
hasevenmore
as wicked. community
of
making
intheir
herpresence
midst.
reasontodespiseSula,yettheytolerate
a devil?Here
ShouldthereaderconsiderSula amoral,a monster,
is a womanwho has ruinedthelifeof heronlyfriendand then
Nel's pain.Hereis a womanwhobedsthemen
cannotunderstand
whoappearstohaveno purposeinher
ofthetownwithbitterness,
lifebutthatofself-gratification.
of Sula,
RenitaWeems(1983) observesthatin thecharacters
Eva, andHannah,
in
tothosewomenwhoaredoingeverything
Morrison
paystribute
lifebutwhattheyaresupposedtobe doing:creativewomen-like
so manyof us andourmamas-withoutoutletsforourcreativity.
withno artform"is howSula Peace is described.
(p. 97)
An "artist
no outletforherenergiesandhercreativity,
Andwithno artform,
self-destructs.
Sula, inherquestto "makeherself,"
intheBottom,
Sula hasbecomea pariah.
To thelittlecommunity
haveeverknown,
fromanyonethetownspeople
Sula is different
and becauseshe is notseekingmoneyor materialgain,shefeels
toexplainheractions.
shehasno obligation
charBarbaraSmith(1983) observesthatSula is a frightening
acterbecausesherefusesto settleforthe"coloredwoman's"lot.
Smithrecallsherownexperience:
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Nigro/IN SEARCH OF SELF
731
Havinggrownup in a familyof talentedwomenwho workedas
in
schoolsoftheSouthandas domestics
inthesegregated
teachers
of theNorth,I saw firsthandthedemoralizing
thewhitekitchens
andcreativity.
(p. 23)
ofstymied
intelligence
effects
Smithadds thatfolksin theBottomhateSula because she is a
(p. 24).
livesofresignation"
oftheirdreadful
"livingcriticism
to
her
understand
her
she
tries
sickbed,
WhenNel visitsSula on
on livingherlifeas shechooses:
insistence
friend's
You can'thaveitall,Sula.
Why?I can do itall,whycan'tI haveitall?
Youcan 'tdo itall.Youa womananda coloredwomanatthat.Youcan't
actlikea man.You can'tbe walkingaroundall independent-like,
youlike,takingwhatyouwant,leavingwhatyou
doingwhatever
1973,p. 142)
don't.(Morrison,
as the
Nel remindsSula of herisolationfromthecommunity
is her
loneliness
that
her
Sula replies
priceof herindependence.
own, of her own making.Nel's, she pointsout is "somebody
1973,p. 143).
lonely"(Morrison,
else's.... A secondhand
Sula Mae Peace diesbeforeher31styear.Whensherealizesthat
pain,shesmiles," 'Well,I'll be damned,'she
thedyingis without
1973,
'it didn'tevenhurt.Wait'llI tellNel' " (Morrison,
thought,
p. 149). Sula diesin 1941.
3, Shadrack,
LifeintheBottomgoeson.Each year,on January
wholivesoutsideoftown,marchesthrough
a crazedarmyveteran
NationalSuicideDay.
hisownholiday,
celebrating
thecommunity
Shadrackbeganthismorbidcustommanyyearsearlieras a means
ofcopingwithhisownfearofdeath.A victimofWorldWarI shell
thesmell
totheBottom,
buthecouldneverforget
shock,hereturned
himoutofhis
of deaththathad beenall aroundhim,frightening
onhisreturn,
soughtnorreceivedcompanionship
mind.He neither
a mysterious
bondwitha veryyoungSula.
hehadformed
although
Whenthepeopleof theBottomrealizethathe is harnless,they
andhiscelebration
hisranting,
drinking,
leavehimalone,tolerating
theholidayis that
behind
idea
Shadrack's
Day.
ofNationalSuicide
andifhecouldsetasideonedaya yearfordeath,
deathis frightful,
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732
JOURNALOF BLACK STUDIES /JULY 1998
peoplecould "getit outoftheway"(Morrison,1973,p. 14) and
nothavetothinkaboutitfortherestoftheyear.Andso,he began
town
hisowncelebration
ofNationalSuicideDay,walkingthrough
carrying
a hangman's
ropeandringing
a bell.A fewotheroutcasts
followhim,butusuallyShadrackmarchesaloneas peoplehustle
andwatchfrombehindtheirwindows.
offthestreet
theirchildren
The marchof 1942 (theyearfollowingthedeathof Sula) is
foryearsto come. This year,
and will be remembered
different
toNationalSuicideDay comesduringan espeShadrack'stribute
in theirpoorly
ciallycrueland bitterwinter;folksare shivering
aresick;andadultsareweary.Shadrackis
heatedhomes;children
theloss ofhis onlyvisitor,
Sula, andhas losthiszeal for
grieving
aboutcallingoffthemarch,butthebrilliant
theholiday.He thinks
ona winter's
himtogo on.To hissurprise,
sunlight
dayencourages
hefindsheis beingfollowedbylaughing
children.
No onehasever
laughedduringhismarches.Soon adultsjoin themarch,laughing
and the
and dancing.Beckonedby the sunshine,the laughter,
dancing,the crowdgrowslargerand largeras they"strutted,
and shuffled
downtheroad"(Morrison,1973,
skipped,marched,
theWhitepartoftownandheadfor
p. 160).Theycontinue
through
site,thebricks,
theNewRiverRoad.As theygaze attheexcavation
and
andtheirongirders,
thetimber,
theysee thebrokenpromises,
thewords"noworktoday."As theygaze onthesite
theyremember
in thebrightwintersun,thedancingturnsto rage;thelaughter
themarchers,
whatishappening,
menand
ceases.Without
realizing
women,jumpoverthegateand pickup thesteelrails,smashing
to
thebricksandtimber,
killingthetunneltheywerenotpermitted
build.
Whathappensnextis talkedaboutforyearstocome.The earth
are lostin a wall ofwater.
shifts,
shoringsslip,and themarchers
Manydie on thatNationalSuicideDay as Shadrackstandsthere
hisbell.
watching,
ringing
shifts
fromthatawfuldayin 1942toa day
narrative
Morrison's
thatthingsare betternow,or at
A
Nel
observes
mature
in 1965.
intheshopsin
Coloredpeopleareworking
least,theyseembetter.
keys.
town,someevenhandling
moneyandwearingcashregister
KarlaF. C. Holloway(Holloway& Demetrakopoulos,
1987) be-
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Nigro/IN SEARCH OF SELF
733
lievesthatthenovelfinally
belongstoNel,thesurvivor,
whois still
pickingup thepiecesofherlife,stillworking,
and stilldoingthe
"right
thing"(p. 167).As partofhercharitable
work,shevisitsthe
aged Eva in Sunnydale.
As Nel introduces
herselftoEva, theold
woman,barelyrational,
rantsabouta longburiedchildhoodincidentinvolving
Nel andSula. She mumblesa question,askingNel
howshekilledthelittleboyso manyyearsago.Nel is quicktosay
thatitwas Sula whothrewtheboyintotheriver.
"You.Sula. What'sthedifference?"
(Morrison,
1973,p. 168).
Nel leaveshurriedly.
Thisis notthevisitsheintended.
Holding
hercoat tightagainstthewinterwind,she beginsherlongwalk
home.Suddenlyshestops.The softgrayballthathasbeenfollowingherforso longbeginsto breakand scatter.
It is notuntilnow
thatthegrayfuzzyball,whichhascoveredNel's heartsinceJude's
departure,
beginstobreakup. It is onlythenthatNel realizesthat
itis notJudesheis missingbutSula.
'All thattimeI thought
I was missingJude.... 0 Lord,Sula,' she
cried'girl,girl,girlgirlgirlgirl.'
It was a finecry-loud andlongbutit had no bottomand it had no top,just circlesand circlesof
sorrow.(Morrison,
1973,p. 174)
So perhaps,
as Holloway(Holloway& Demetrakopoulos,
1987)
has suggested,in the end thenovel is Nel's-Nel Wright,
the
Nel
righteous
theconforming
one,
one.She is,as Hollowaypoints
out,"everywoman":
"She carriestheadditional
burdenofshadow
thatwhiteculture
projectsontoblackpeople.Butsheis stilltypical
of mostwomenin Western
culture"(p. 80). Hollowaycontinues
how sympathetic
thatno matter
one maybe aboutJude'splight,
"thebottomlineis thathe abandonshisfamily.
It is Nel whoends
up as sole parent;shecleanshousesto support
thethreechildren
whoformanyyearsbecameherlife"(p. 71).
Because Sula is the storyof a community,
the lives of its
inhabitants
areinextricably
interwoven.
AfterthedeathofSulathepariah,thedevil,theoutcast-thecommunity's
roleofdefining
itselfthrough
acceptanceand disapprovalof one of itsmembers
shifts.No longeris the she-devilthe focus of theircollective
thatfollowsSula's death
energies.The miseryoftheawfulwinter
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734
JOURNALOF BLACK STUDIES /JULY 1998
andstirsup theragethathas laindormant
deepenstheirdiscontent
and withouta focus.Shadrack'sparadecomes on sucha bright
aredrawnin a spiritofbadly
thatthetownspeople
sunnymorning
needed camaraderieand fun.Somehowthe dancing,laughing
TheyearsoffrustraparadefindsitswaytotheNew Rivertunnel.
wave ofrageas
tion,ofpent-upanger,becomean uncontrollable
to
the
Whiteworld's
at
monument
hack
and
hurl
the
themarchers
at thetunnelare
refusalto letthemin. The violenceand tragedy
a finalactofdefiance
andironicbecausetheragerepresents
fitting
onNationalSuicideDay,a holiday
committed
forpromises
unkept,
to allayfearsof deathso thatpeoplecouldgeton with
intended
theirlives.
that
Earlyin thisarticle,I notedWayman's(1983) observation
workshapesourlives,andI askedwhathappenswhena personhas
no workor whena personis forcedto engagein workthatis
I also notedMorrison'scomment
orunsuitable.
(Tate,
demeaning
is
as
to
black
women
as
it
to
white
is
not
new
1983)that"Agression
thedeadlyconsequences
offers
women"(p. 122).InSula,Morrison
when the naturalfeelingsof aggressionlack a suitableoutlet
Workneed
ourworkthatwe defineourselves.
becauseitis through
to theconceptof earninga living:Workcan also
notbe confined
as thatoutletthatallows ourcreativeenergiesto
be understood
to acceptdemeaning
surface.For Sula, herdefiancein refusing
orto accepta lifeprescribed
byothersmaynothave
employment
had shehadaccessto an artformwithwhich
beensucha tragedy
todefineherself
Sula was stubbornly
unwilling
toexpressherself.
toitsstandards,
andtoconform
as partoftheMedallioncommunity
outsideoftheacceptedboundaplacingherself
andbydeliberately
ries,she stoodalone. In herquestto "makeherself,"Sula was
a paththathadneverbeentrodbefore,a pathforwhich
following
Sula mayhave succeededin
she had no toolsand no directions.
butthemakingprocessinvolvedpainnotonlyfor
makingherself,
herself
butforall thosewhoselivesshetouched.
We granthim
forJude,thebetrayer.
It is hardto feelsympathy
butin
he musthaveenduredin hisjob as a waiter,
thefrustration
he ruinsthelifeofNel,the
seekinga respitefromhisfrustration,
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Nigro/IN SEARCH OF SELF
735
wifewhowas willingto mergeherownselfintohisto allowhim
to feellikea man.
we mustconsiderthecollectiverageunleashedat
Andfinally,
3 onNationalSuicideDay.Morrison
January
thatfateful
thetunnel
Jude'shumiliation
atbeing
notestheangerwhenshedescribes
first
It was his
turnedawayfromthehiringshackfor6 daysrunning.
totakeona man's
needtoassuagetherage;itwashisdetermination
downwithNel.
rolethatpressedhimintosettling
andwillingyoungBlackmenwho
Andwhatoftheotherstrong
thatwouldnotallowthemtodefine
bya system
werealsofrustrated
atthetunnelwas ledby
work?Theoutburst
theirmanhoodthrough
acts emboldenedthe
whose
audacious
men
youngand enraged
smashingthe
othersas theywerejoinedby womenand children,
tunneltheycouldneverbuild.
Morrisonpointsoutthatthereare "severallevelsofthepariah
figure"in herwriting(Tate, 1983,p. 129). She sees theBlack
"Blackpeopleare pariitselfas a pariahcommunity.
community
The civilization
ofBlackpeoplethat
ahs" (p. 129),shecontinues.
is a pariah
toothercivilizations
livesapartfrombutinjuxtaposition
theBlackcommunity
Morrison
explainsthatalthough
relationship.
evilhada
Sula as a pariah,they"thought
ofMedallionrecognized
it.They
theydidnotwishtoeradicate
placeintheuniverse;
natural
themselves
fromit"(Tate,1983,p. 129).The
justwishedtoprotect
ofMedallionallowedSula toexistas partofthe
Blackcommunity
nordiscouraged
encouraged
naturalorderofthings.Theyneither
watched
waited.
her
and
heras shelived life;theysimply
hascreatedanunforgettable
storyofthe
In Sula,ToniMorrison
of two AfricanAmericanwomenand has graciously
friendship
of theBottomin Medallion,
allowedus to enterthecommunity
Morrison
hascreatedindividual
characters
Ohio.Morespecifically,
of characters
whoseconceptof selfhas been
and a community
forrespectable,
gainful
thwarted
by theabsenceof opportunities
Sula's lack of an occupationor theabsenceof clay
employment.
whichshemightexpresshercreativeenergiesdeniesher
through
as Sula desiresto
herself.As desperately
themeansof defining
a racistsocietywillnotallowherthatopportunity.
makeherself,
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All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
736
JOURNALOF BLACK STUDIES /JULY 1998
thedestruction
ofthetunnel
Similarly,
illustrates
bythecommunity
the frustration
inherent
in the consistent
refusalof meaningful
employment
tothosewhoarecapableandwillingworkers
butare
deniedbecauseoftheircolor.Jude'sfeelingthathe is undervalued
leads himto a superficial
sexualepisodewithSula, whoseown
idlenessleadshertoengageinmeaningless
sexualencounters
as a
meansoffillingup spaceinheremptylife.Nel's senseofworthis
madepossiblebyheracceptanceofmenialworkandherchoiceto
rather
thanoutsideitsboundaries
livewithin
thecommunity
as Sula
has chosentodo.
us tothesoulswholivedanddiedintheBottom,
By introducing
of social,psychological,
Morrisonhas givenus an understanding
havebeenevident
andsociologicalissuesthatmight
onlytoAfrican
a mythical
Americans.She has lovinglyportrayed
of
community
nowgoneforever
unforgettable
characters
butnotforgotten.
REFERENCES
literature:
Issues in teachingworking-class
Coles, N. (1986). Democratizing
literature.
CollegeEnglish,48, 664-680.
In R. C. Davis (Ed.), Contemporary
Eagleton,T. (1986). Conclusion:Politicalcriticism.
literary
criticism
(pp. 131-145).New York:Longman.
Holloway,K. F.,& Demetrakopoulos,
S. (1987). Newdimensions
ofspirituality:
A biracial
New York:Greenwood.
and bicultural
readingofthenovelsofToniMorrison.
Kampf,L., & Lauter,P. (Eds.) (1972). Thepoliticsofliterature:
Dissentingessayson the
teachingofEnglish..New York:Pantheon.
Morrison,
T. (1973). Sula. New York:Plume.
New York:KitchenTable:
Smith,B. (Ed.). (1983). Homegirls:A Blackfeminist
anthology.
WomenofColor.
at work.NewYork:Continuum.
Tate,C. (Ed.) (1983). Blackwomenwriters
T. (1983). Insidejob. MadeiraPark,Canada:Harbout.
Wayman,
A lookatonewoman'sworldofunrevered
artform.
without
Black
Weems,R. (1983) Artists
women.In B. Smith(Ed.), Homegirls:A Blackfeminist
anthology
(pp. 94-105).New
York:KitchenTable:WomenofColor.
and modernfictionat
Marie Nigroteachescoursesin composition,
linguistics,
in Pennsylvania.
She coauthored
and has directedtheWriting
LincolnUniversity
In additiontonumerous
AcrosstheCurriculum
programtheresinceitsinception.
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All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
Nigro/IN SEARCH OF SELF
737
articlesandpresentations
onwriting,
andresponses
linguistics,
toreadingliterature,
Dr Nigrohas recently
completedtwoinstructional
videosfor thePBS series,A
Writer's
Exchange.
This content downloaded from 160.94.45.157 on Thu, 18 Apr 2013 13:16:13 PM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions