“Sula” is a novel written by Toni Morrison that talks about an exceptional and love-struck woman. Just as expressed in various books, most of the characters that play second fiddle in such tales seem to bring out the personality of the main character. Sula’s mother is filled with pride and is also self-centered. Though she may appear jovial, she has an awful behavior and seems childish. Unlike her mother, Sula is hot-tempered, harsh and at times, loving. Although the two characters have different personalities, they live together peacefully.
Hannah’s way of life, at some point, affects her daughter. This is clearly brought out in Sula`s behavior and actions as she slowly begins to emulate her mother`s behavior. Sula embraces her mother`s wickedness and even becomes worse than her. Both the mother and daughter have very immoral behavior hence the reason why they do not have close family and friends.
Eva, one of Sula’s friends, becomes easily irritated by her behavior and stops being friends with her. Hannah’s behavior towards men is also very strange. She alleges that she has personal reasons for detesting men. This is eventually reflected in her own daughter’s behavior when she turns out to be a lesbian. She picks Nel, her best friend, as a partner.
Later on, Sula betrays Nel and their love relationship comes to an end. Not only do the residents of Bottom, their home area, view Hannah as a dirty woman, but also perceive her daughter as a devil. The people who live in Sula’s neighborhood are so afraid her that no one dares to talk to her. This is primarily due to her vengeful, reckless and hot-tempered character. Generally, the narration is about vagueness. It scrutinizes and questions the terms “evil” and “good”.
It intimately scrutinizes the connection between Nel and Sula. Furthermore, it highlights on the relationship between a daughter and mother, that is, Sula and Hannah. In the long run, the narration has demonstrated that excellence and evil bear some resemblance.
