Topic: People of color experience racism and race on a daily basis. It makes life difficult for the African American community since they receive unjust and subpar treatment.
Thesis: Toni Morrison’s novel ‘Sula’ masterfully portrays the exploitation of racism by Americans to exert control over the African American community, highlighting the mistreatment and deception faced by individuals solely based on their skin color. Morrison vividly captures this complex dynamic through the characters of Nel, Sula, and Eva.
Intended Audience: The target audience is anyone who is open to learning about and developing empathy for the daily struggles that people of color endure in order to survive.
Point one (Nel): Through Nel’s character, the reader is able to see black people are under pressure to integrate and conform to white ideals in order to remain alive and successful in a racist society.
Novel reference one: Nel is shown as a character that is brought up in a community that values following social standards and expectations throughout the entire book. She is taught to conform to conventional roles as well as behaviors that support white conformity and respectability norms.
Novel reference two: Nel eventually chooses to reject her friendship with Sula in order to continue adhering to social norms and expectations. She gets married, starts a family, and leads a traditional life, putting social approval and security before self-expression and disobedience
Point two (Sula): Through Sula’s character, the reader is able to see how black people who oppose or challenge societal standards are frequently stigmatized and rejected demonstrating how racism is utilized to control and suppress nonconforming behavior within the black community.
Novel reference one: Sula is presented as a daring and unusual character who challenges gender stereotypes and expectations. Her failure to comply with traditional norms regarding femininity and respectability distinguishes her from other women in the town, resulting in her being excluded and seen as a threat or outsider.
Novel reference two: Due to Sula’s presence, the community’s norms and ideals are questioned and the existing order is disrupted. Her decisions and behaviors create anxiety and discomfort in people around her, illustrating the ways in which racism uses force in the black community to oppress and limit nonconforming behavior.
Point three (Eva): Through Eva’s character, the reader is able to see through her experiences, she reflects on the structural inequalities and discrimination that black people endure in American society, showing racism’s historical impact on black families and communities.
Novel reference one: In the novel, Eva gives up her limb to keep her kids safe from a fire. This unselfish deed can be interpreted as a metaphor for the ways that Black people have faced systemic oppression and had to undergo physical and psychological suffering in order to defend and support their family.
Novel reference two: Throughout the novel, Eva’s interactions with various characters including her granddaughter Sula and daughter Hannah, display the ways in which racism has impacted relationships among black communities and their families. Her challenges and achievements are linked to the larger historical and social factors that influence the lives of people of color.
