Sula contains some adult language and themes.

What is the possible symbolic significance of Eva's missing leg? How does it tie into the theme of deceptive appearances in the novel?

Eva gave her children to a neighbor and returned 18 months later, minus one leg.

What are some possible reasons Eva's decision to go downstairs and light the fire, 'the smoke of which was in her hair for years'? How does this make you feel about her character? Was this an act of sacrifice or selfishness? Can Eva be described as 'good' or 'bad'?.

How does knowing that the Bottom will soon be gone influence the rest of the novel? How does this description imply that things are not what they appear to be on the surface?

The novel begins by telling the reader that the Bottom, the neighborhood above Medallion, will soon be gone, replaced by the Medallion City Golf Course.

They don't want glory like that in nobody's heart'? How does this set the stage for the novel?

What is the significance of the quote at the start of the book, 'Nobody knew my rose of the world but me.

Hailed by critics for its stunning language and its original, honest depiction of the black way of life after the Civil War, Sula is a lyrical blend of myth and magic, as real as a history lesson, and as enchanting as a fable.īegin your discussion with these questions-in your own book club, on the message boards or in the Book Club Chat Wednesday's at 1 p.m. Both women must suffer the consequences of their choices both must decide if they can afford to harbor the love they have for each other and both combine to create an unforgettable rendering of what it means and costs to exist and survive as a black woman in America.

When she returns to her roots, it is as a rebel, a mocker and a wanton sexual seductress. She escapes to college and submerges herself in city life. Sula Peace rejects all that Nel has accepted. Nel Wright chooses to remain in the place of her birth, to marry, to raise a family, and to become a pillar of the tightly-knit black community.

Nominated for the National Book Award, this rich and moving novel traces the lives of two black heroines-from their growing up together in a small Ohio town, through their sharply divergent paths of womanhood, to their ultimate confrontation and reconciliation.

Toni morrison novel sula