Sula's View of Gender

              Sula’s main point  regarding her gender was that she could act like a man if she wanted to.  On her death bed Nel tells her “You a woman and a colored woman at that.  You can’t act like a man.  You can’t be walking around independent-like, doing whatever you like, taking what you want, leaving what you don’t” (142).  Sula immediately dismisses this idea replying, “You say I’m a woman and I’m colored.  Ain’t that the same as being a man?  Because Sula sees herself as a man, she feels that she can behave anyway she wants.

            I have conflicting thoughts about Sula’s reasoning.  I absolutely agree her gender should not affect how she behaves, and she should be able to behave as any man, but I do not believe that the behavior Nel described is something anyone should aspire to no matter if they are a man or woman. Whether Sula sees herself as man or a woman should not be used as an excuse for her own selfishness. I can, however, see why she would think that: none of the male characters in Sula have any redeeming characteristics.  BoyBoy leaves Eva, Jude leaves Nel, and Ajax leaves Sula. These are the only men Sula has as examples of the life a man should lead. Nel also believes that these are the characteristics of men; to her being a woman is a good thing. I also disagree with this view. To Nel womanhood means taking what is given to her. I think that both Nel and Sula use gender to justify their own views of life.

Vocabulary

Solicitous (adj)-  Characterized by or showing interest or concern.
"The same hope that kept them kicking beans for other farmers; …kept them solitious of white people’s children; kept them convinced that some magic “government” was going to lift them up..."160
Her mother was very solicitous of her sick son.












Malevolence (n)- Having or showing a wish to do evil to others
"The teeth unrepaired, the coal credit cut off… the slurred remarks and the stunning malevolence of their employers."  161
The teacher gave the sleeping student a glare full of malevolence.














Fastidious (adj)- excessively particular, critical, or demanding; hard to please
“She had neither iron nor clothes but did not stop her fastidious lining up of pleats or pressing out of wrinkles even when she acknowledged Nel’s greeting.” (167)
She was very fastidious about her desk; everything had to go in a specific place.














Dirge (n)- A lament for the dead, esp. one forming part of a funeral rite.
On January third the sun came out—and so did Shadrack with his rope, his bell, and his childish dirge. 155
The funeral for the old man ended with a slow dirge.














Unassailable (adj) -Unable to be attacked, questioned, or defeated.
The sealed window soothed her with its sturdy termination, its unassailable finality (148)
The soldier was overconfident; he considered himself unassailable.












Timbre (n)- The character or quality of a musical sound or voice as distinct from its pitch and intensity.

“…it hid from her the true motives of her charity, and, finally, it gave her voice the timbre she wantedit to have.” (139)
The timbre of his voice was deep and musical.












Ornate (adj)-  Made in an intricate shape or decorated with complex patterns; very fancy.
“An absence so decorative, so ornate, it was difficult for her to understand how she had ever endured… his magnificent presence.”(134)
The ornate wall made her dizzy with all its patterns and swirls.














Mercurial (adj)- Subject to sudden or unpredictable changes of mood 
Most often jovial, she has developed an iron suppression of Willy’s behavior…as though his mercial nature, his temper, his massive dreams and little cruelties, served only as sharp reminders of the turbulent longings within him…” (12)
The students were uneasy of their teacher and his mercurial temper.










Trepidation(n)-  A feeling of fear or agitation about something that may happen.

It was with trepidation that she stepped out onto the high balcony.
“Linda, hearing Willy outside the bathroom, calls with some trepidation.” (12)










Imbue (v)- Inspire or permeate with a feeling or quality.
“That’s just the spirit I want to imbue them with.” (52)
The music imbued in them a sense of tranquility.

In the Parade

On the 3^rd of January the town went out

Laughing in the parade.

The bell rang weakly with the rope untied

As Dessie came first, then the deweys and

Shadrack the pied piper sang his song.

He led his mice full of cheer

Dancing in the parade.

Some looked on and did not understand

these happy fools who honored death.

Leaving their dignity, their anxiety and pain  

to march in the fading,

but still present sun

Hoping in the parade.

Some stopped at the unfinished cave,

but most went on over the fence.

Led by the young, they smashed and they tore

their lost hope, their forgotten promise

Killing in the parade.

But on they went, too deep too far.

The first crack sounded and a scramble went up.

Some escaped but most were trapped

to the water and to the beams pressing down,

Keeping them with the parade

And Shadrack watched, ringing Suicides bell,

the people who had just laughed and danced, hoped and killed in the sunshine,

trapped in the darkness,

Dying in the parade.

Vocabulary

Repugnance (n): the state of being distasteful, objectionable, or

“All their repugnance was contained in the neat balance of triangles—a balance that soothed him, transferred some of its equilibrium on him.” (8)

Ex: The smell of the rotten food was filled with repugnance.

Abate (v): to reduce in amount, degree, intensity, etc.; lessen; diminish

“ By the time the police had driven up, Shadrack was suffering from a blinding headache, which was not abated by the comfort he felt when the policemen pulled his hand away from what he thought a permenent entanglement of his shoelaces.”(13)

Ex: When they saw that the test was easy, their anxiety abated.

 Unequivocal (adj): clear; having only one possible meaning or interpretation

“A black so definite, so unequivocal, it astonished him.” (13)

Ex: There was no way to misunderstand the no parking sign; it was unequivocal

 

 Quell (v): to suppress; put an end to

“If this tall, proud woman…., who could quell a roustabout with one look, if she were really custard then there was a chance Nel was too.”(22)

Ex: She did her best to quell her sister’s fear on the rollercoaster.

Guile (noun but used as an adjective): insidious, cunning in attaining a goal; crafty or artful deception

“Her flirting was sweet, low, and guileless.” (42)

Ex: It required all of her guile to sneak out of the house that night.

Fastidious (adj): excessively particular, critical, or demanding; hard to please

“She liked the last place lease, not because Sula slept in the room with her but because of her love mate’s tendency to fall asleep afterwards, and Hannah was fastidious about whom she slept with.” (43)

Ex: She was very fastidious about her desk; everything had to go in a specific place.

Vitriol (n): speech, writing, etc, displaying rancour, vituperation, or bitterness

“She was an unquestionably kind and generous woman and that…made them defend her and protect her from any vitriol that newcomers or their wives might spill. (45)

Ex: When the rumor came out about her, her classmates treated her with vitriol.

Insouciant (adj): free from concern, worry, or anxiety; carefree

“…and Nel’s grimy intractable children looked like three wild things happily insouciant in the May shine.”(96)

Ex: The way the panda slept made him look insouciant and stress free

Contrive (verb, but used as an adjective in the story):

“Their evidence against Sula was contrived, but their accusations about her were not.” (118)

Ex: The lie he told his parents was obviously contrived.

Pariah (n): any person or animal that is generally despised or avoided

“She was pariah, then, and she knew it.  Knew that they despised her…” (122)

Ex: He was a pariah; no one would even look at her.

Boss Line

"With all you coughin' and me watchin' so TB wouldn't take you off and if you was sleeping quiet I thought, O Lord, they dead and put my hand over your mouth to feel if the breath was comin' what you talkin' 'bout  did I love you girl I stayed alive for you"

     This is the boss line because it shows despite everything she shows on the outside, and despite what she did to Plum, Eva did love her children.  I think she still loves them because she is still living and she still takes care of them.  Right after this Eva proves her love in a more dramatic way.  When she sees Hannah burning she jumps out of the window in an attempt to save her.  This shows that she loves her children even though she doesn't express it every day.

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Theme of Friendship

     One theme that is introduced in this reading is the theme of friendship and its importance in shaping character.  This theme is shown through the strong devotion Sula and Nel have to each other.  When describing their friendship the author says, " Their meeting was fortunate, for it let them use each other to grow on"(52).   In this reading the reader sees how Nel and Sula do things together until their individual characters are very much alike.  Their similarity is shown in the way they slowly create a hole together, step by step, without saying a word.  The strong friendship that Nel in Sula share help to shape their personalities and beliefs as they grow and mature into adults.