Racism and Sexism in Sula - Research Paper Example

Racism and Sexism in Sula ‘Sula’ is a story of a rebellious black woman who leaves her hometown in order to search for her identity. She breaks the Black customs and lives her life independently. She digresses from the mainstream life of the Black community, where she was brought up by her grandmother and mother- both of whom were considered eccentric and loose. Thus, Sula inherited arrogance and self indulgence and decided to break the norms and customs of her own community. Toni Morrison has focussed on two fundamental issues in this novel: sexism and racism. The reason why he addresses these sensitive issues was that she belonged to the same African-American background, and had experienced these issues first hand. ‘Toni Morrison was born in Lorain, Ohio, in the 1930s. Southern roots extend up and out from both branches of her family background. Her mothers parents travelled North from Greenville and Birmingham, Alabama, by way of Kentucky, in a flight from poverty and racism.’ (McKay, 413) Her second novel ‘Sula (1973), told a story of female friendship, partly inspired by her own life as a single mother and a more complex, ambivalent view of "sisterhood" than many in the feminist movement would then allow...’ (Rustin) The roots of Bottom, the small hilly place where the Black community lived, were based on a trick played by a White master. He gave away a poor stretch of land on a hill to his slave, making him believe that this place was closer to heaven. The slave not only believed it, rather the place started to thrive with the settling in of a number of Black families. While giving the background of Bottom, Morison explicitly describes racism. The trick played by the former English master, and the gullibility of the Black slave show how the minds of the Black slaves were tuned to believe in whatever their White masters said. It reveals the deeply rooted racism in America, and how it affected generations after generations. Later on, once Bottom has been inhabited by many black families, the wealthy Whites wished to convert it into a golf course. To them, the existence or non-existence of the black community of Bottom is of no importance. Their innate racism compels them to drive the poor community out of their dwellings to nowhere, in order to fulfil their wishes. Racism produces two extreme kinds of individuals: those who accept their circumstances and try to live with whatever they have; and the others who rebel against this system and try to change things by rejecting their identities and trying to merge with the racist community. Sula Peace belongs to the other type who shuns her own people and leaves her home town in the quest for a new life. Her friend, Nel, is the opposite- she decides to take upon the role of a conventional mother and wife, and live with her own values and morals. The contrast between Nel and Sula is based on sexism and racism. In spite of being best friends, both are the antithesis of each other. Both the heroines are victims of racism and each responds differently to it. Nel believes in the communal strength of her people; while Sula is alienated from her own community. Racism influences the mentality and decision making ability of each individual in a unique manner. Nel marries Jude, a Black man and stays close to her community. She believes that she would find strength by living close to her own people; as she understands that they can deal with all sorts of circumstances by being together. Sula is a sexist by nature; while Nel is just the opposite. The reasons behind sexism of Sula are various- the foremost being her brought up and the life she led with her mother and grandmother. The refusal to believe her own identity made her sexist, and therefore she decided to live her life on her own terms. She adopted sexual liberty in an attempt to do away with the concept of gender boundary. Racism either strengthens or weakens the determination of persons. It either makes a person believe in his/her identity; or confuses him/her. The phenomenon of racism affected both friends in different ways and separated their paths. Sula left Bottom in an attempt to find her own world by discarding her Black identity. She began her odyssey by going away to college and embracing a city lifestyle. Being a victim of racism, the confusion and complexities in her mind led her to indulge in all sorts of anti social behaviours. From this point onwards in the novel, Morrison intensifies the theme of sexism as evident from the behaviour of Sula and the reaction of her people, when she returns to Bottom after ten years. As Sula gets involved in multiple sexual relationships, some with White men, she transcends all limits and boundaries. It further complicates her identity and degrades her morally and socially. The fact that she slept with white men was perhaps the most outrageous act of hers, according to her community: ‘There was nothing lower she could do, nothing filthier.’ (Morrison, 113). This shows the heights of racism and sexism in the novel. Having relationships with black married men within her community was not as much a sin than sleeping with white men. This also shows the internalization of racism of the black community towards Sula who was discriminated on the basis of gender. The relationship between Nel and Sula is also viewed as queer; according to Barbara Smith there is a lesbian ‘disloyal’ sub text. The friendship between the two women, and the strong relationships of the female characters in Sula’s household suggest strong under tones of homosexuality/lesbianism. The affair between Sula and Jude, Nel’s husband, is also an unfortunate incidence in the lives of the two friends. The sexual perverseness of Sula actually gives her whore-like reputation in her home town. We can find the sexist element in the friendship of Sula and Nel. The two girls, being the exact opposites are prejudiced of each other’s opinions. Sula despises Nel for living a traditional and conventional life; and cheats on her friend by having an affair with her husband. ‘..in a racist society, there is no total freedom for black women, and that building comradeship with black men is the only way for black women to triumph over the duel oppressions and get over solitude.’(Liang, 3) ‘Sula is a character that strongly confronts sexist gender norms. Via Sula, Morrison disputes society´s norms of what a woman should be. Sula was groundbreaking because it challenged patriarchy by portraying the relationship between two women, told from a female perspective, and contesting traditional gender norms (Page 54). Through Sula, Morrison shows African American women´s need to “create their own notion of selfhood” and challenge men´s control and dominance (54). It is evident that double standards prevail in a sexist society; Sula is “labelled a bitch” because of her promiscuity and also because she is said to have sex with white men (53). Black men resent that Sula has sex with white men, even though it is accepted for a black man to have sex with a white woman (53). Sula´s refusal to conform to the norms of society creates a fear amongst the men. This fear is shown as predjudice and double standards...’ (Nillson, 10) Morrison’s female characters in Sula, embody tradition and rebellion. Her maternal characters stand for what she doesn’t wish to become. They are symbolic of a female past which the daughters resist. Sula and Nel try to redefine womanhood; somehow Nel succumbs to circumstantial influences, while Sula absolutely rejects the black community’s phenomenon of a woman. She never wanted to become a mother or be a slave to the family. Sula’s decision to live her life according to her own ways did not earn respect or even acknowledgment. The white men who slept with her only treated her as an object of lust. They were highly racist to develop a permanent relationship with her. On the other hand, her Black lovers were way too sexist to fall in love with her. She was a black prostitute to both types of men. ‘In her writing she strives to capture the richness of black culture through its specificity... In Sula, her second novel (1974), the main theme is friendship between women, the meaning of which becomes illuminated when the friendship falls apart. The indomitable Peace women, especially Eva and Sula Peace, grandmother and granddaughter, are two of the most powerful black women characters in literature.’ (McKay, 3) ‘Sula and Shadrack represent black sons and daughters of America who would be more at home in Africa. In traditional African cultures, they would be neither pariahs or mysteries, since both represent tradition and a profound rootedness in African cosmology. To the people of the Bottoms, Sula is an enigma and Shadrack is a downright shame.’ (Lewis, 92) Sula tries to run away from the sexist mentality of the people of Bottom. Her mother is respected for the fact because she sleeps with the men of the black community submissively. Sula is however, looked down upon for sleeping with men to satisfy her own sexual fantasies. The strong bond of friendship between also indicates towards the highly sexist environment of Bottom, where friendships were formed within gender boundaries. A man and a woman could either be lovers or spouses- but they could never be friends. Sula was a confused woman, belonging to an era where racism and sexism reigned. Perhaps she was a little advanced for her thinking; and trying to face both these issues on her own was indeed difficult. She was a daring woman who stood up to the challenges posed by racism and sexism, and tried in her own way to change things in her life. The novel ends with her death, and her best friend forgives her and tries to reconcile with Sula’s soul. Thus, Morrison describes in a wonderful manner the brave struggle of Sula in quest of a world free of racism and sexism. Work Cited LIANG Han-Ping. “Analysis of the Lesbian Phenomenon in Sula”. Journal of Xinzhou Teachers University.(2007).3 Lewis, V. Crutcher. “African Tradition in Toni Morrisons Sula”. Phylon. 48. 1. (1960) (1st Qtr., 1987), 91-97. Print. http://www.jstor.org/stable/275004 McKay, Nellie. “An Interview with Toni Morrison”. Contemporary Literature. 24. 4 (Winter, 1983), 413-429. Print. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1208128. Morrison, Toni. Sula. USA: Deckle Edge, 1973. Nilsson, Petra. “The Black Female Experience -A Feminist and Post-Colonial Approach to Toni Morrison´Novels The Bluest Eye, Sula, Beloved, and Love”. (2006). Mid Sweden University. Rustin, Susanna. Personal Interview. The Guardian, Saturday 1 November 2008. Smith, Barbara. “Toward a Black Feminist Criticism”. Womens Studies International Quarterly 2, no. 2. (1979). 189. Read More