Two families, two viewpoints, two destinies. Seemingly, the Wrights and the Peaces are discrepant, conflicting, contrasting, antithetical families. In ‘Sula’, a 1973 novel by African-American Nobel Prize winner Toni Morrison, two opposing universes the conventional Wright’s home and the Peaces’s liberal household work unintentionally together to build up strength and entitle women to explore sexual, economic, and mental freedom.
On the one hand, Helene Wright is the archetypal woman who wants to be accepted and respected by the community, perhaps as a reaction to Rochelle, her prostitute mother. The overbearing Helene brings up her daughter Nel in an atmosphere of obsessive, suffocating cleanliness and order: “Under Helene’s hand the girl became obedient and polite” (Morrison 18). Therefore, Nel Wright is taught to sacrifice her feelings to conform to societal norms. The author describes Nel’s personality by noting, “…she had no aggression. Her parents had succeeded in rubbing down to a dull glow any sparkle or splutter she had” (Morrison 83). Nel is full of common sense, has the qualities of a good administrator, and is ready to act in stressful situations _the virtuous girl who grows up to be the flawless, nourishing spouse and mother. Nel turns out to be the model of gender expectations.
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Conversely, Hannah Peace is a permissive mother who enjoys her body and never bothers to scold Sula, her daughter. Hannah nearly floats around 7 Carpenter’s Road, the vibrant, lively Peace household, run by Eva, the all-powerful matron, “The creator and sovereign of this enormous house…was Eva Peace, who sat in a wagon on the third floor directing the life of her children, friends, strays, and a constant stream of boarders” (Morrison 30). In this unrestrained environment, Sula grows, believing that there are no limits to her desires, irrespective of other people’s feelings. Sula becomes sexually free, impetuous, sassy, passionate, and disruptive. As the author puts it, “Eva’s arrogance and Hannah’s self-indulgence merged in her and, with a twist that was all her own imagination, she lived out her days exploring her own thoughts and emotions” (Morrison 118). Sula is the modern girl who leaves her hometown to attend college, who does not feel the need to marry or to be a mother, defying the women’s prescribed role. Sula invents herself and, by doing so, paves the way for the new world black women to come. Finally, Sula is the heroine who dies alone at a young age, from a disease that Morrison does not clarify. Is she punished for her excesses? No doubt, Sula pays a dire price for daring to be herself.
Due to their convergences and divergences, Sula and Nel feel that they are the perfect match, sheer soul mates, counterparts that balance each other. Both girls were born in Medallion in 1910, both attend Garfield Primary, and both are the only child of “…distant mothers and incomprehensible fathers”, the author writes (Morrison 52). As Al-Saidi and Alqarni observe, “Sula and Nel complement each other; Sula animates Nel’s will to power, while she finds in Nel the opposite of her own nature. One is meek while the other is fierce” (1223). Moreover, according to Rosetta and Nye, “…Nel acts passively, and Sula acts spontaneously and aggressively, always doing the unexpected. Whereas Nel’s behavior is solid and consistent, Sula’s is unpredictable and disturbing” (64). Throughout the novel, both characters are attracted and repelled. Nel belongs to a traditional, conservative family, as Sula inhabits the most unforeseeable world: the Peace planet. Neither Sula nor Nel are supposed to have opportunities because they were born black and women, in the early XX century. Whereas Nel tries to accommodate to her destiny, Sula fights against it.
In conclusion, although looking antagonistic, the Wright and Peace women are two sides of the same coin. The Wright women represent the pillars of family and, hence, society. The Peace women, with their liberty, spontaneity, and courage, act as a beacon for the rest of women, a locomotive of emancipation. While there are many families like the Wrights, the Peace women stand out because of their uniqueness, opening a path for the next generations of women to liberate themselves and take control over their destinies. Both styles of women cooperate to uplift the role of women. Overall, in ‘Sula’, Morrison shows that communities are supported thanks to families like the Wrights and make a leap on account of women like the Peaces.
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