“It’s just as well that I left. Soon I would have torn the flesh from his face just to see if I was right about the gold and nobody would have understood that kind of curiosity. They would have believed that I wanted to hurt him just like the little boy who fell down the steps and broke his leg and the people think I pushed him just because I looked at it” (136-137).
This passage confirmed what I thought about Sula all along. In class, it was brought up in part one of Sula, that there were several instances where she was fascinated by out of the ordinary situations. For example, when the little boy drowned and her mother was burned alive. The book makes sure to mention how she was memorized and in a daze when her mother was burning alive. Also, as much as I lost respect for Sula in the second half of the book, I loved how the passage above was so honest. I had always thought she was kind of “off” and naïve, but she recognizes that people would blame her wrongly for certain things.
It kind of relates to every major event that has happened in Sula. The line “nobody would have understood that kind of curiosity” sums it up pretty well. In every strange occurrence that’s happened in the book, Sula’s presence has been there. She observes, but never takes any action to help or hurt the situation.
I think one of the questions of the book is, “Who is Sula as a person?” She is such a complex character and the book gives you glimpses of the different sides of her personality. The reader is constantly learning new things about her as a character.
“It had been the longest time since she had had a rib-scraping laugh. She had forgotten how deep and down it could be. So different from the miscellaneous giggles and smiles she had learned to be content with these past few years” (98).
My first reaction about this passage was how perfectly it describes a belly laugh. Reading it almost makes you laugh and think about the last time it happened to you. I like how Morrison sees the simplistic beauty and power in a good laugh. It also made me think of my best friends from home. There are only a few friends that can make your genuine “gut” laugh come out. Those are my “gut” laugh friends. We have a bond that knows what will make us laugh, when we will laugh, and what we will laugh at.
This passage relates to Sula and Nel’s bond as friends. Morrison states that, “it had been the longest time since she had a rib-scraping laugh.” It highlights how Sula and Nel have a past, know what make each other tick, and really love each other’s company.
This plays in the theme of friendship. And not just friendship. Deep, soul mate friendship. The kind that overcomes obstacles, forgets jealousies, and loves unconditionally.
1 comment:
I liked the passage you decided to talk about in your second paragraph. I didn't need to use much of my imagination when reading this because I too knew how it felt to have a good belly laugh. I agree with you about this showing just how close the two girls are. I have my friends that I can laugh like that with and we share a great bond. I also like how the text says she hasn't had that kind of laugh in years because this shows just how much the girls missed each other and complete each other.
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