Sula is Toni Morrison’s second novel written next to The Bluest Eye. The story begins towards the end of First World War, 1919, and winds up towards the end of the Second World War, 1945. The background of the story revolves around a hill top called Bottom in Medallion City. Bottom is inhabited by black slaves who were given freedom after performing some very difficult chores. The white farmers in order to give them a piece of land gave away a valley land called Bottom. The slaves were convinced by the definition for calling a hill top as Bottom: when God looks down from the sky, it is Bottom. Apart from this, the story begins with an action of introducing National Suicide Day by Shadrack who returns to Medallion after serving as a soldier in the First World War.
Eva as One of Morrison’s Magnificent Women
Eva is one of Morrison’s magnificent women who commit themselves to face any obstacles so as to protect their dependants. She dares even to cut herself into pieces to serve her children if they are in dire need of it. Morrison presents such magnificent woman characters in every novel so that the readers get impressed. To quote a few, Sethe in Beloved, Claudia in The Bluest Eye, Pilate in Song of Solomon and Violet in Jazz are the best examples. Each of them expresses their love and affection in a unique way. They possess some important qualities like love and compassion, tolerance, acceptance, sacrifice, commitment and understanding the need of their people that are essential for uniting people with the cord of relationship.
Eva’s Miserable Life and Sacrifice
Eva was leading a miserable life. Her husband, Boy Boy, was very much engaged in womanizing, drinking and abusing Eva. He deserts Eva and her three children after five years of his marriage. When he leaves, “Eva had only $1.65 and 5 eggs, three beets and no idea of what or how to feel. The children needed her; she needed money, and needed to get on with her life. But the demands of feeding her three children were so acute she had to postpone her anger…” (Sula 32). She remained bereft and directionless to go anywhere. At that inevitable situation, Eva controls her emotions, postpones her anger and molds her confidence.
Eva leaves her children with Mrs. Shuggs saying that she would come back next day. But she returns after 18 months with a new black book and one leg. After her return, she reclaims her children and starts to build a new house to settle them. Eva Peace’s adoption of four destitute boys called Deweys shows that she has a great concern for other human beings.
The Return of Plum and Eva’s Act of Mercy
Plum who was the hope of Eva’s family returns home after serving as a warrior in World War I. He is completely shackled, tattered, mentally disordered and is literally turned into a destitute with a sack on his shoulder. As Lucille P. Fultz points out, “When Plum returns from the war (which makes him a warrior, like Adonis) mired in heroine addiction, Eva is not able to accept his self-destructive behaviour, slovenliness, and diminishment to a mere shadow of himself” (41).
On seeing her son’s condition, Eva makes up her mind. She drops her hope that he would accompany her and take care of her till her last breath; instead she prepares her mind to take care of her disturbed son. She could not tolerate her son’s dilapidated condition. On seeing Plum’s struggle to give up his last breath, she decides to ease his pain by killing.
As Sethe did to Beloved in Morrison’s another novel Beloved, Eva practices a mercy killing to her own son. Nellie Y. McKay points out Eva’s perception on death as, “To Eva, death was the ultimate reality. Having given Plum life through tremendous struggles, she could not endure his meandering in the artificial pastiche of death; she took him out of his dope-ridden misery and gave him the real thing” (26).
Morrison’s mothers do not find choices to relieve their pain; rather they are left on a one way track. Similarly Eva was left with only the option to kill. Eva’s solo fight is intended to benefit her children but unfortunately it ends in tragedy due to the poor social order.
Works Cited
- Morrison, Toni. Sula. Plume, New York: Knopf, 1973.
- McKay, Nellie Y. Critical Essays on Toni Morrison. G. K. Hall & Co. Boston, Massachusetts, 1998.
- Fultz, Lucille P. Toni Morrison: Playing with Difference. University of Illinois Press, Urbana and Chicago, 2003.