Toni Morrison’s Sula: A Rebellious Pariah

Abstract

The present analysis compares and contrasts the cultural phenomenon of blacks; gender and racial issues as illustrated by Toni Morrison in her literary works that presents the bitter painful experiences of oppression and exploitation of the black at the hands of the whites. The black women are the worst suffers as they have to bear the addition burnt of sexual gratification. Sula, the protagonist, suffers not only at the hands of the whites but also at the hand of the people of her own black community. That is why she rejects the traditional role ascribed to women in society. By comparing the two major characters of the novel, the conclusion aim is to establish the particular cultural and social relations between characters specificities and diversity and whether marriage functions similarly in these two different contexts. Considering the socio-economic triggers of black culture, the analysis investigates the characters’ racial and cultural inferiority, cultural evolution, struggle for survival and interpreting Sula’s decision to become a rebellious pariah.