Litcritsh*t From Sula By Toni Morrison.
Toni Morrison’s writing is multi-layered, thick and rich with complexity; a person could read her novels over and over and still find something new to ponder in them. She writes unforgettable prose. I wonder how she does what she does? It must be a god given gift.
This fact is totally off topic, but Toni Morrison also has one of the most beautiful heads of hair I ever seen.
I will be examining a passage from chapter "1921" in the hardcover Borzoi version of Sula that was published in 1973 by Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., New York.
Brief summary of chapter “1921”
Eva Peace, Sula’s Grandmother is married to BoyBoy and they have three children, Hannah, Pearl/Eva, and Plum/Ralph. They live in the hill community of Medallion, Ohio which is called The Bottom. BoyBoy deserts the family. After saving baby Plum’s life by curing his severe constipation, Eva leaves her children with a neighbor for eighteen months and then returns to build a large house three stories tall. Boyboy visits. Eva goes to live and run her household solely from the third floor of her house. Years go by. Plum returns from fighting in World War I a heroin addict. Eva comes downstairs and kills Plum. If you want to know more, and I know you do, read the book. http://www.scribd.com/doc/58602813/Toni-Morrison-Sula-Full-Text
At first, this Litcrishit essay was going to be about all of chapter "1921." Next, I decided to examine what the text of the chapter says about why Eva killed her son Plum. Both of those topics were much too large in scope for this writer. I had to downsize. Now, we are just going to take a close and intimate look at the following passage from chapter "1921."
"Eighteen months later she swept down from a wagon with two crutches, a new black pocketbook, and one leg. First she reclaimed her children, next she gave the surprised Mrs. Suggs a ten-dollar bill, later she started building a house on Carpenter's Road, sixty feet from BoyBoy's one-room cabin, which she rented out." (34-35)
In 1921 America Eva Peace was a single, self-supporting, self-employed negro woman. After being gone for a considerable amount of time she comes back to the Bottom with one leg, money, and no explanations about anything. She did create a plan for survival: she built and designed her own house and put the old BoyBoy cabin up for rent.
In 1921 America Eva Peace was a single, self-supporting, self-employed negro woman. After being gone for a considerable amount of time she comes back to the Bottom with one leg, money, and no explanations about anything. She did create a plan for survival: she built and designed her own house and put the old BoyBoy cabin up for rent.
The first thing I notice about this passage is how it describes Eva sweeping down from a wagon. How does a person sweep down upon the ground with crutches and one leg? I am guessing it took a lot of deliberate practice. Next, what caught my attention is how clear and understandable the prose in the passage is. It would likely be understood by any reasonably literate person.
It is a paragraph that consists of two sentences that build on one another. The second sentence is about fifty percent longer than the first, and both sentences use many verbs, a significant amount of commas and two dashes to indicate the chronological and continuous action of Eva's undertaking. The words first, next, and later, which is used twice, show the reader how Eva proceeds through an unbroken sequence of events in order to achieve autonomy.
This part of the book is positioned after Boyboy leaves the Bottom and before he comes back for a brief visit.
Reading this passage generates a curiosity about Eva's time outside the Bottom and what the ominsicent narrator leaves unsaid or does not know. The narrator is most likely a woman because the narrator is personally interested in sharing the enigmatic story of Eva Peace. The narrator is a member of the Bottom community because of how is known about Eva Peace, such as how Eva came down from the wagon, the color of Eva's pocketbook, the money Eva gave to Mrs. Suggs and Mrs. Suggs's surprise.
There must have been a lot of talk about the energetic way Eva got out of the wagon. Of course Eva would have expected to be seen. She knew the Bottom community was curious about her. Moving out of the wagon with style, Eva had two crutches and was able to hop out of the wagon under her own power.
It is clear that the Suggs family capably cared for Eva's three children. They did not turn the children over to a government agency even though they were poor themselves. (32) The text does not discuss Eva's relationship with Mrs. Suggs, but it must have been close because Eva felt comfortable leaving her children with her. Mrs. Suggs did not expect the payment of ten dollars Eva gave when she returned. Perhaps the community believed it was their duty to provide for the children of the Bottom.
Most most mothers love their children, but they are also infallible human beings. After reading some of what Eva says to her daughter Hannah (Sula's mother) in chapter "1923" about the grim times in which she left the Bottom, it is possible that at some point in her time away Eva decided not to come back.
The black pocketbook Eva carried is a symbol of untold stories of experience and trauma. Sula's sweet uncle Plum also had a black bag when he came back as a heroin addict after serving in World War I. (45) In 1937 when Sula arrived in the Bottom she carried a "black purse with a beaded clasp." (90) Also on the same page, Sula's hat and dress are described as black. On page 89 the sky is black with clouds and birds. None of them (Eva Plum Sula) told much of what had happened to them in the world outside the Bottom. There seems to be a pattern.:)
The people of the Bottom definitely made up their minds about not discussing the past. Maybe for them it was a form of survival.
The Peace's habit of keeping secrets remind me of my family and the families of most of my friends. As I get older I understand more of why people do not talk about the past. Sometimes it is to save the children from pain or shame. It perhaps it is too traumatizing. Some people think less good than bad can come out of telling their stories.
This book is fascinating because it is complex and simple at the same time. It seeks to describe the relationship between girls, women, family, and community in trying circumstances through clear simple language.
The paragraph that I chose to do a close reading of is somewhat representative of the whole book. Sula is about strong women that most people cannot figure out. The book is saturated with essay ideas. There are so many fascinating threads in Sula to unwind. Thank goodness for the discerning narrator!
Some websites I found helpful are :
http://sites.google.com/site/fungeng4u/strategies-for-close-readingIt is a paragraph that consists of two sentences that build on one another. The second sentence is about fifty percent longer than the first, and both sentences use many verbs, a significant amount of commas and two dashes to indicate the chronological and continuous action of Eva's undertaking. The words first, next, and later, which is used twice, show the reader how Eva proceeds through an unbroken sequence of events in order to achieve autonomy.
This part of the book is positioned after Boyboy leaves the Bottom and before he comes back for a brief visit.
Reading this passage generates a curiosity about Eva's time outside the Bottom and what the ominsicent narrator leaves unsaid or does not know. The narrator is most likely a woman because the narrator is personally interested in sharing the enigmatic story of Eva Peace. The narrator is a member of the Bottom community because of how is known about Eva Peace, such as how Eva came down from the wagon, the color of Eva's pocketbook, the money Eva gave to Mrs. Suggs and Mrs. Suggs's surprise.
There must have been a lot of talk about the energetic way Eva got out of the wagon. Of course Eva would have expected to be seen. She knew the Bottom community was curious about her. Moving out of the wagon with style, Eva had two crutches and was able to hop out of the wagon under her own power.
It is clear that the Suggs family capably cared for Eva's three children. They did not turn the children over to a government agency even though they were poor themselves. (32) The text does not discuss Eva's relationship with Mrs. Suggs, but it must have been close because Eva felt comfortable leaving her children with her. Mrs. Suggs did not expect the payment of ten dollars Eva gave when she returned. Perhaps the community believed it was their duty to provide for the children of the Bottom.
Most most mothers love their children, but they are also infallible human beings. After reading some of what Eva says to her daughter Hannah (Sula's mother) in chapter "1923" about the grim times in which she left the Bottom, it is possible that at some point in her time away Eva decided not to come back.
The black pocketbook Eva carried is a symbol of untold stories of experience and trauma. Sula's sweet uncle Plum also had a black bag when he came back as a heroin addict after serving in World War I. (45) In 1937 when Sula arrived in the Bottom she carried a "black purse with a beaded clasp." (90) Also on the same page, Sula's hat and dress are described as black. On page 89 the sky is black with clouds and birds. None of them (Eva Plum Sula) told much of what had happened to them in the world outside the Bottom. There seems to be a pattern.:)
The people of the Bottom definitely made up their minds about not discussing the past. Maybe for them it was a form of survival.
The Peace's habit of keeping secrets remind me of my family and the families of most of my friends. As I get older I understand more of why people do not talk about the past. Sometimes it is to save the children from pain or shame. It perhaps it is too traumatizing. Some people think less good than bad can come out of telling their stories.
This book is fascinating because it is complex and simple at the same time. It seeks to describe the relationship between girls, women, family, and community in trying circumstances through clear simple language.
The paragraph that I chose to do a close reading of is somewhat representative of the whole book. Sula is about strong women that most people cannot figure out. The book is saturated with essay ideas. There are so many fascinating threads in Sula to unwind. Thank goodness for the discerning narrator!
Some websites I found helpful are :
