Friendship in Sula Essay - 865 Words

Im sure you have not only heard, but also used the famous phrase opposites attract. The statement stands true not only in physics and chemistry, but also in relationships and friendships. We tend to be attracted to people with personalities that differ from ours, so life would be more interesting, and desire the opposite of what we have. A perfect example of this, is Sula and Nel, best friends from Toni Morrisons novel, Sula, where the conventional ideas of good and evil are turned upside down. The two girls are like opposite sides of a magnet, strongly attracted toward one another and useless when split apart. Life puts their friendship to the test by toying with love and sex, life and death, and good and evil, eventually†¦show more content†¦Being oppressed by her mother, Nel has an attraction to Sulas carefree environment which, unlike her own, lacks any oppression. Likewise, Sula has an attraction to Nels peaceful and orderly environment. They both desire something that the other does not have, and thats where such a strong attraction comes from. Together, they are perfect- Nel finds in Sula the youthfulness and the fun shes missing, and Sula finds order and stability in Nel. Their attraction toward each other grows stronger every year, eventually becoming so strong that they become one. Their friendship was so close; they themselves had difficulty distinguishing ones thoughts from the others (83). The positive and the negative melts together, making a perfect neutral that becomes impossible to separate or determine whats positive and whats negative. Throughout the book we see Sula and Nel as one, as do the people who know them. Even Eva at some point says to Nel, You. Sula. Whats the difference? (168). Eva makes a reference to the perfect example of Sula and Nel being one, the time when Chicken Little drowns in the river. At that point, it seems that Sula and Nel swap personalities. Very unlike her, Sula panics and breaks down crying when she accidentally lets go of Chicken Littles hand, while Nel suddenly becomes the more collected one, calming down her other half. Although Nel thinks of herself as the good one and considers Sula the bad one, at that point youShow MoreRelatedFriendship in Sula Essay1163 Words   |  5 PagesFriendship in Sula In Sula, Toni Morrison questions what true friendship is by putting Nel Wright and Sula Peace’s friendship to the test. Morrison tests the phrase â€Å"opposites attract† in this novel. Nel and Sula have two different personalities yet they are able to compliment each other. They are opposites in the way that they relate to other people, and to the world around them. Nel is rational and balanced; she gets married and gives in to conformity and the town’s expectations. SulaRead MoreTesting Friendships in Sula by Toni Morrison1148 Words   |  5 Pagesthat they have with others. Whether there are complications in the friendship or not, the person’s life is changed in some way. In Sula by Toni Morrison, friendships are put to the test. Single mother-child relationships and other friendships have hardships that they must overcome. Friendships between women when unmediated by men in a mother and child relationship create difficult decision-makings and wa ys of life, yet friendships between friends are less complicated and stronger without them. TheRead MoreEssay Sula1467 Words   |  6 Pagesaround the year 1919. Sula Peace, the daughter of Rekus who died when she was 3years old and Hannah, was a young and lonely girl of wild dreams. Sula was born in the same year as Nel, 1910. Sula was a heavy brown color and had large eyes with a birthmark that resembled a stemmed rose to some and many varied things to others. Nel Wright, the daughter of Helene and Wiley, was and unimaginative girl living in a very strict and manipulated life. 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Even Nel describesRead More Frustration and Denial in Morrisons Sula Essay771 Words   |  4 Pagesnbsp; Frustration and Denial in Morrisons Sulanbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; nbsp; A book which is most celebrated for its tale about friendship is found to have a more important theme and role in literature. In Search of Self: Frustration and Denial in Toni Morrisons Sula, the author Maria Nigro believes Sula has much more important themes in modern literature. Sula celebrates many lives: It is the story of the friendship of two African American women; but most of all