Sula

Sula Most works of contemporary American fiction involve one individual's search for self- identification in a stifling and unsympathetic world. In "Sula," Toni Morrison gives us two such individuals, Nel and Sula. Morrison says she created Sula as "a woman who could be used as a classic type of evil force" and that she "wanted Nel to be a warm, conventional woman”. ( Toni Morrison. Contemporary Literary Criticism. Online. The Gale Group: 13 Oct. 1999) Each lacked something the other had. I will compare the differences and self-discovery of both women; however, self-discovery permits the achievement of an almost impossible quest - the conjunction of two selves. Morrison says, "... if they had been one woman... they would have been a rather marvelous person”. (Toni Morrison) Thus, Morrison, creates two completely different women yet allows them to merge into one. The greatest influence on a growing is her mother. In order to grasp the connection between Nel and Sula, one must examine who and what their mother’s where and what traits and beliefs they handed down to their daughters. Nel is as conventional and conforming as a young lady can be: “Under Helene's hand the girl became obedient and polite. Her nel, sula, one, morrison, girl, two, mother, girls, each, been, life, felt, both, woman, person, hannah, something, sex, over, nel's, individual, herself, different, chicken, becomes, women, toni, time, sula's, relationship, merge, little, just, jude, hand, good