Sula, Part Two

Wow, I really enjoyed this book. I can't believe I finished it in two days... it makes me wonder many books I could've read in my life if I had always read at this pace. But anyway, it's hard to choose just a few passages that I had a strong reaction to, because there were so many. Here's the first one, describing the people of Medallion's behavior after Sula died:

"The tension was gone and so was the reason for the effort they had made. Without her mockery, affection for others sank into flaccid disrepair. Daughters who had complained bitterly about the responsibilities of taking care of their aged mothers-in-law had altered when Sula locked Eva away, and they began cleaning those old women's spittons without a murmur. Now that Sula was dead and done with, they returned to a steeping resentment of the burdens of old people. Wives uncoddled their husbands; there seemed no further need to reinforce their vanity."

I think this passage illustrates the phony attitudes the people of Medallion took on after Sula returned to their town. When she was still alive, they acted out all sorts of good-samaritan behavior just to prove how "good" they were, as opposed to Sula's "evil". It's as if they needed a clear symbol of what "evil" was; and as long as Sula was alive, it was easy for them to know the right thing to do... it was simply defined as everything Sula didn't do. I'll admit, When she stole Jude away from Nel, I was ready to hate her instantly, just like everyone else in the book. But when people only do good things in spite of one person and stop when that person is gone, then what does that say about their actions? It makes good deeds seem selfish, which is exactly a point that Sula goes on to make later in the story. For lack of a better phrase, it's as if the people of Medallion were "showing off" in front of Sula. Like they're saying; "Look how bad you are, and look how good we are. Look what great morals we have compared to yours." It reminded me of the relationship between my older brother and I (and most other siblings, I'm sure) when we were younger. Every time he made a mistake, I was ready to jump in and play the role of "good child", because my parents at that moment were hypersensitive to our behavior, and if I prove myself right at this minute, it'll make more of an impact than simply being good all the time. In short, I think the people of Medallion used Sula to inflate their own egos about their mothering skills, loyalty to each other, and religious beliefs, among other things. Nothing brings people together like an enemy, right?

The next passage is the part where Nel comes to visit Sula when she hears of her illness, and they finally have a chance to discuss the affair. Sula says:

"It matters, Nel, but only to you. Not to anybody else. Being good to somebody is just like being mean to somebody. Risky. You don't get nothing for it."

and she goes on to say,

"What you mean take him away? I didn't kill him, I just fucked him. If we were such good friends, how come you couldn't get over it?"

They talk about it in more detail, but the point is that Sula offers no apology at any point in the story. She maintains that what she did was neither good nor bad, just there... and Nel was just supposed to accept it. I had a hard time liking Sula after reading this. I know there will be lots of people who stand up for her until the end, but I just can't jump on that train without giving some thought to what was said here. First of all, I think she's incredibly stubborn not to offer up an apology to Nel after all this time. I got the feeling that Nel wanted to forgive her, all she needed was a little push in the right direction, some sign of regret from Sula. I think it's hypocritical of Sula to say, "if we were such good friends, how come you couldn't get over it?", when she isn't willing to get over herself, and give Nel an apology. I realize there are deep complexities to Sula's personality, and she lives in a world where "right" and "wrong" have less bearing that her individual wants and needs. She's more interested in finding a deeper level of existence that doesn't involve putting stake in other peoples' lives. I think Sula has the kind of mind that you love to read about, but would hate to live with. Or I would, anyway. Maybe I just don't have things figured out like she does, though.

Also, by this point, Sula had been in a sort of 'relationship' with Ajax. She had felt what all those women she never identified with in the past had felt: possession of another person. I thought that after this revelation, Sula might understand why Nel rejected her after the affair with Jude. I thought the story was heading in the direction where Sula might realize how Nel felt, and therefore apologize to her, now that she was able to have walked in her shoes. Obviously, that last part didn't exactly happen, so that surprised me.

I could go on and on about this book. I can't declare whether I'm a Sula-supporter or a Sula-hater at this point, but I don't think I'm supposed to be either. I think Toni Morrison did an incredible job of creating inner and outer dialogue between these two women that was completely un-biased about who was ultimately right or wrong. She never really leads you into siding with Sula or Nel; but rather to just appreciate the story for what it is.

However, there is one thing that Nel said to Sula that I thought was really funny, and insightful at the same time:

"Well I guess that's it. You own the world and the rest of us is renting. You ride the pony and we shovel the shit."

I think that pretty much sums it up.