Sula Part One

I absolutely loved the first part of Sula. I could not put it down! The first passage that really struck me was when the boy, Chicken Little died and Sula and Nel were at the funeral for him. It was the part after the coffin had been laid to rest and the author says, "They held hands and knew that only the coffin would lie in the earth; the bubbly laughter and press of fingers in the palm would stay aboveground forever." The two girls stood there together holding hands and continued to do so while they walked away. This passaged really struck me because the two girls were there for each other in a hard time. They both understood why the other was so saddened by this death. This also shows the relationship and the bond that these two girls had. They held hands to help each other through the hard time. This passage complements a time in my life when I was going through losing someone. When my grandpa died and I was at the funeral I watched his coffin get lowered into the ground. To get me through this I kept thinking of all the memories I had with him and I reminded myself that even though he is not here anymore, all the memories will forever be with me. Also, it reminds me of my friends being there for me when my Grandpa died. This complements the passage in Sula when Nel and Sula are watching the coffin be lowered because they are making themselves feel better by recognizing that the laughter and the fingerprints they shared with the boy will forever be with them.

The second passage that struck me was when Hannah had asked Eva if she had really loved her children. When Hannah asked her this, Hannah asked her why she never played with her children. Eva responded with "I'm talkin' bout 18 and 95 when I set in that house five days with you and Pearl and Plum and three beets, you snake-eyed ungrateful hussy. What would I look like leapin' round that little old room playin' with youngins with three beets to my name?" This part struck me because I felt she was being really cold with her daughter. Instead of calmly explaining the circumstances back then she was very rude to her daughter in her response. Also, I think this passage shows how times were much harder back then and how getting food on the table for the children was much more a challenge than it is today. I know there are still people who suffer and cannot provide enough food but back then it was a much more common thing. Also, I think this passage can reflect womens roles in the home, to make food and put the food on the table. This relates a lot to other texts we have read that talk about womens roles that have to do with making food and putting it on the table.