Sula by Toni Morrison

   This week, i continued to read "Sula" by Nobel prize winner, Toni Morrison. Sula is similar to "The Bluest Eye", the other novel i've read by her recently. It focuses on the struggles of black people in America duting the 20th century. It follows Sula and her friend Nel Wright living in a town known to most people as "The Bottom", an area right past the rich white part of town. Sula is much more about the characters themselves then the message, contradictive to the bluest eye. Sula is sort of an odd little girl growing up with her grandma, Eva, a strong, sort of manipulative black woman with one leg, and her mother, hannah. Hannah and Eva are sort of opposites however they love eachother. Hannah is similar to her mother in the way that she can get most men to do what she wants, however i wouldnt say as brutal as eva. Even though Hannah has admitted to not liking her kids, Eva on the other hand set hers on fire. Fire actually plays a big role in the book.
    Not one, but two of Evas children are burned to death. One day, Eva witnesses a series of "strange things". It starts out with Hannah asking her mother, "Mamma, did you ever love us?" Eva answers a truthful no, but angrily explains how she clothed her and fed her and kept her alive. Next, Hannah asks about Plum, evas sons death. Eva's explanation is sort of odd however. She explains how difficult Plums birth was, and when he came back, Eva felt as if she wanted to crawl back up her womb. She couldnt allow that, so she set him on fire. The nect event is a dream Hannah had about a red wedding dress, which we later realize means death and fire. However the dream is forgotten because of Sula acting up. Next, the day Hannah dies, Eva cant find her comb. Which is unusual because "Nobody moved stuff in Eva's room except to clean and then they put everything right back". Shortly after, she sees Hannah running around on fire from her window. In an effort to out the fire out, she tries to fall 12 feet onto Hannah. This attempt at saving her doesnt work. Finally by the time the fire is out, its too late and she dies on the way to the hospital, however Eva survives. The last "strange thing" eva remembers is sula. She recalls when Hannah was running around trying to put her fire out, and she was lying there, bleeding she saw sula. Staring there watching her mother burn and her grandmother suffer.
   After that, we fast forward to Sula and Nel grown up. Sula suddenly disappears for to where we find out was college, to just return 10 years later and sleep with Nels husband. So far, I'm stilling trying to figure out what Sula's oddness really means and what the whole book symbolizes.

Literary Essay: The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

             The bluest eye is an experimental novel by Toni Morrison, a noble prizewinner and a very respected American author. It tells the tale of Pecola Breedlove and her family. The story’s narrators jump around from chapter to chapter, from Claudia, a friend of Pecola’s, to the third person. Its centered on the struggles of a being black woman in America at that time, Pecola’s desire to be beautiful, and racism, specifically within their own race faced by African Americans in Ohio. 

          A very present theme in “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison is the desire to be considered beautiful, specifically Pecola’s. Pecola Breedlove comes from a poor family that nobody really likes, and is infamously ugly. The author also made it very clear that everyone, including the Breedloves knew it. “No one could have convinced them that they were not relentlessly and aggressively ugly.” Morrison says as she introduces the family. She almost describes their hideousness like an object, explaining how each member of the family handles their faces. “Mrs. Breedlove handled her as an actor would a prop.” “Sammy used his a weapon to caused others pain.” “And Pecola. She hid behind hers.” She made their ugliness so obvious to show how important it is for the time period. Specifically the word ugly, it was always being said in the story. Being so terrible looking is a big disadvantage in Pecola’s life. She was practically immobilized by her crooked nose, high cheekbones, forward turned ears, and shapely lips that drew attention to her whole disaster of a face. “As long as she looked the way she did, as long as she was ugly, she would have to stay with these people.” The narrator explains. Her teachers would refuse to call on her, or even look her way; her ugliness was too much of a discomfort. Not only does Pecola want to be pretty, but also she specifically has a need for blue eyes. In fact, her goal throughout the whole book is to have bright blue eyes like Mary Jane, the girl on the wrapper of her favorite candy. She has this illusion that if she had eyes like her, all her problems will disappear. Her parents would say, “Why look at pretty eyed Pecola. We mustn’t do bad things in front of those pretty eyes.” However the reality of it is quite the contrary. At the end of the story, after having endured a pregnancy from her father and going crazy, she believes she has blue eyes. Her self torment has gotten to the point where she cant take it anymore, she makes talks herself into believing she has reached her goal. She has a whole dialogue with herself asking if she has the bluest, prettiest eyes in Medallion. “Bluer then Joanna’s?” she asks “Much bluer than Joanna’s”, the voice inside her head answers. However at the end of the day, She still has brown eyes, and is still considered ugly, therefore practically useless.

           Another theme very obviously present in the book is racism. Not only white people discriminating black people and vice versa, but also racism within a race. Light skinned black people were even considered better then someone with a darker completion. Someone who symbolized this is Maureen Peal. Or “Maginot Pie” the nickname our narrator Claudia and her sister Frieda call her to make fun of her light skin. Not because they thought it was bad, but because they secretly envied her. Everyone did, she was the “high yellow dream child with long brown hair,” who “enchanted the entire school.” One day, a bunch of boys were making fun Pecola’s brown skin (even though they were also black) when Maureen steps up. The boys immediately disperse. “Maureen appeared at my elbow, and they boys seemed reluctant to continue under her springtime eyes…” Claudia says. Not only do the boys treat Maureen better, but also so does everyone, which was made very clear by the author. It was very obvious that her family was richer and more respected then Claudia or Pecola’s. She knew all the latest movies, something you can infer Pecola and Claudia don't get to see much. Overall “Maginot Pie” just knew more things in general then Pecola and Claudia. Pecola also faces discrimination from a white candy storeowner. However, she as well as every black person in Medallion faces discrimination from more then Maureen Peals and candy stores owners, but everybody. Being judged by the color of her skin was just the way of life that she dealt with without even thinking twice. Every time Pecola wants to go get candy, she has to deal with by Mr. Yacobowski. Mr. Yacobowski sees Pecola as this piece of disgusting garbage, or doesn't really see her at all. “How can a 52 year old white immigrant store keeper with the taste of potatoes and beer in his mouth his mind on the doe-eyed Virgin Mary, his sensibilities blunted by permanent awareness of cost, see a little black girl?” The author says. In fact, when Pecola reached to give him the money, he hesitated, not wanting to touch her hand, almost as if he’d get sick if he touched a black girls dirty hand. However things like this occur throughout the whole novel, because it was that normal for the citizens of Medallion.

         Another big part of “The Bluest Eye” is how women are treated. Specifically black women. Throughout the whole story, Morrison mentions how husband all beat their wives, as if it can be assumed. A marriage she specifically zooms in on is Pauline and Cholly Breedloves. Cholly has this hatred for his wife and women and the author tells the story of how it began. Even though Cholly is definitely not the first of men to hate women, and his views are not unique, his story is. The day of his caretaker’s funeral, Cholly meets Darlene, and they go for a walk in the woods. Eventually Cholly and Darlene end up having sex behind one of the trees when they get interrupted. Two white men appeared, snickering, and yes “there was no mistake about them being white, he could smell it.” They embarrassed Cholly to the point where he felt extremely deep hatred, except not towards the white men. "For now he hated the one who created the situation, the one who bore witness to his failure, his impotence. The one whom he had not been able to protect, to spare, to cover from the round moon glow of the flashlight." He hated Darlene, but not just Darlene, but all women. This story perfectly represents the way a lot a men probably felt at the time about women and why.

       The bluest eye has tons of great examples on how messed up America once was and sometimes still is. Its represents sexism, racism and the desire to beautiful, that was faced by Pecola and thousands of other women in Medallion, and still is being faced by everybody today. Overall, I think Toni Morrison delivered a good story but also a powerful novel that poses questions about society.  

blog post that inspired this essay: http://margojohnston805.blogspot.com/2014/01/the-bluest-eye-by-toni-morrison.html