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Essay / Transcendence and transgression in Sula by Toni Morrison
Black women writers like Alice Walker, Paule Marshall, Toni Cade Banbara and Toni Morrison have always propagated black feminist consciousness through their works. By giving voice to the voiceless, these writers renounce all negative stereotypical images of black women. Morrison is an important writer among the league who has always surprised his readers with his creative powers by giving his work such finesse that one feels immersed in his storyline. Awarded the Nobel Prize in 1993, her novels are full of African-American cultural aura: myths, symbols, holidays and the names she gives to her characters. Sula (1973) is Toni Morrison's second novel set in her Medallion, Ohio. The novel has received much critical attention regarding its depiction of Sula. Sula, the protagonist of this eponymous novel, is distinguished from other female protagonists by the way in which she accesses her personal identity is quite unusual. She is not a conventional woman who wholeheartedly accepts societal laws and norms, but her heroism lies in how she repeals these societal pressures. She challenges all patriarchal paradigms that aim to demean black women. The birth of the “Bottom” community takes us back to notions of racism prevalent in America. The name Bottom is ironic in that it is high up in the hills and is therefore considered a "nigger joke". The master outwits his slave by offering him land where living was tedious. Black women are seen as targets of ridicule for both white and black men. All confinements and rules are for her and she must obey them without batting an eyelid. She is more like a machine than a human being tasked with doing all the chores ... middle of paper ... rootedness in dissolution and the power of helplessness. As Morrison says, her life was experimental – she had no center, no point around which to grow. She was completely free of ambition, no affection for money, property or things, no greed, no desire for attention or compliments – no ego. For this reason, she felt no obligation to check herself – to be consistent with herself. (118-119)Primary source: Morrison, Toni. Sula (1973). United Kingdom: Vintage, 2005. Secondary sources: Peach, Linden. Tony Morrison. United States: St. Martins Press, 2000. Christian, Barbara. Black feminist criticism: perspectives on black women writers. New York: Teachers College Press. 1997. Arya, Kavita. Blackhole in the Dust: The Novels of Toni Morrison. New Delhi: Adhyayan Publishers. 2010.Dhanavel, SP. Critical Perspectives on American Literature. New Delhi: Sarup & Sons.2008.