One of the quotes that I found the most interesting throughout this part of the novel is on page 144. "it matters, Nel, but only to you. Not to anyone else. Being good to somebody is just like being mean to somebody. Risky. you dont get nothing for it." I found that I had a strong reaction to this quote and I think the reason is because it is very true. Although, it is not the most positive way to go through life, it is the truth. You dont always benefit from being nice to people. For example, Nel was nice to her husband and he left her anyway. I just feel like Sula has a really good point here and I feel like she makes strong arguments throughout the entirety of the book. She may not handle all situations in the best way and she may not always act the way that she should. However, she does, in a wierd sense, have a grasp on the world. She realizes that not everyone is perfect and you dont always get the things that you deserve in life. What matters to her is her friendship with Nel, and nothing else. I just found this to be a very sad, yet true way to think about life.
The second image that caused a strong reaction for me was the last image of Nel realizing that it was Sula she had been missing all this time. Not only is it a very powerful statement but it just ends the novel so well. The entire time I knew that she would miss Sula and when it looked as if she may not I was really upset. I believe that this book is a tale mostly about friendship and the bonds between two women. Sometimes, these bonds are so strong that they really can endure anything and I think that is the most important thing to take from this text. When Nel realizes that it has not been her husband that she has been missing, but her best friend, that is incredibly powerful.
4 comments:
I really liked reading your blog entry for the second part of Sula. I think that the first passage you wrote about when Sula says you do not always get what you want by being nice to people is a really good point. I liked the example you used with Nel and her husband. Do you think Sula got to thinking that way from all that she has been through in life? Just a thought! I also did the same passage as you for the second one. I think that is a really good way to end the book and I think it shows just how strong their friendship was.
I totally agree with you about their friendship being more important than any other relationship they were in. I felt bad for Nel when she finally realized that she had been missing Sula more than Jude. I thought that was so heartbreaking when it dawned on her that Jude left her with their children and an empty bed, but Sula left her without the most important relationship she ever had.
Yeah, I thought it was crazy how Nel finally realized it was Sula she had been missing. Even after everything Sula had done, she still knew that she was the only person who could fill that void in herself.
I liked reading about the second passage you picked and also I have to agree with some of the above comments. The other thing or thought I wanted to add was that I thought it was odd that when Sula did sleep with Jude that Nel really wasn't affected at the time. She was worried about Jude's fly and didn't really reflect the anger or sadness one would assume she would in this situation. Another thing about this is, she must have never been able to have a better relationship than the one she had with Sula. Deep down, her heart knew that even though this had happened with Jude, that she could get through it. She had something stronger with Sula. When the book does end, it hits the reader hard because you know it is going to be way more difficult for Nel to live without Sula than anyone else in her life, and that hurt (unlike the hurt with Jude) is one that she may never get over.
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