Race And Identity In Sula By Toni Morrison

When reading Sula by Toni Morrison some people will see race as the defining feature of the characters. However, when taking a closer look at the text it can be seen that the characters identities are much more complicated than this. It is not simply being black that makes the characters identify as such, but the characters choice in how to view themselves that defines them. This can be seen in the contrasting ways Nel and Sula form identities for themselves. Nel constructs her identity based on culturally produced labels, such as race, causing others to view her in these terms as can be seen in her conversation with the dying Sula. While, on the other hand, Sula defines herself by her actions and thoughts which is likewise mirrored by others …show more content…
During this time Sula has just come back to the neighborhood to a less than enthusiastic greeting. It seems as though most of the town’s people have decided that Sula is some kind of demon. Looking back on her life in the mist of these accusations Sula reaffirms the fact that she can trust no one not even herself. As a closing thought, she reminisces about Nel and her affair with Jude. Now it seems to Sula that Nel had become one of the town’s people unable to be trusted and already willing to leave …show more content…
Soon, this behavior because an assumption that people accept. They just assume that she gives pain so loosely because she is Sula. This causes the town’s people to be unable to separate Sula and her actions as the town’s people cannot envision Sula acting in any other way. We can see this in the scenes where Sula does stray away from her beliefs and acts different than normal. A great example is when Teapot falls down Sula’s front steps. Teapot’s drunken mother happens to see Sula bending over to help Teapot up, and in a fit of “mother-hood” drags her son away (114). It is than this mother’s, who is throughout the town know only by her failure to care for her son, ranting that convinces the entire town that Sula attacked Teapot. This is how powerful Sula identity is. Without any form of evidence including some counter-evidence (like the doctors comments about malnutrition), the town’s people can condemn Sula for an action she did not take because they expected her to act this way. It was so ingrained in them Sula’s identity, of being uncaring and hurts others, that it takes the smallest push to convince them that is what she did. Even more shocking Sula’s identity completely changes how characters react to her as they feel it is the only way she can act. They began to see Sula’s self-constructed identity as the only identity that can be associated with her