The first passage that caught my attention was, “The purpose of evil was to survive it and they determined (without ever knowing they had made up their minds to do it) to survive floods, white people, turberculosis, famine and ignorance. They knew anger well, but not despair, and they didn’t stone sinners for the same reason they didn’t commit suicide – it was beneath them.” I was usually left with a negative feeling for most of this book, but I thought this line really said something good. I think it is very empowering to hear this part, because it shows that they can overcome anything, and they will not stop until they do. I think it is always better to take the high road instead of fighting back or stooping low to someone’s level, and this quote really says that. All of these bad things are “beneath” them, and I really think that says something about a person if they can act in the manor this quote portrays. This shows that they still have power and they will not be defeated.
The second part that I want to talk about is when Sula comes back to her mother’s house. They start getting confrontational and Sula says, “I don’t want to make somebody else. I want to make myself.” When Eva had told her that she need to have children. Eva responds to Sula by saying, “Selfsh. Aint no woman got no business floatin’ around without a man.” I know in class we talked a lot about how it is commonly thought that some women need a man in their life to be happy, and I really liked what Sula said about wanting to “make herself” instead of a baby, I think this really shows her independence and the devotion she has to herself. I didn’t really like what Eva said back to her because I feel like it perpetuates the whole cycle over again. How are women ever suppose to be comfortable with themselves and be independent if someone is always telling them they are not good enough unless they are married and are having children? I really think this still happens a lot today; you aren’t viewed as a strong woman unless you have a family, and I don’t think this will ever change until we change the negative gut reaction about a woman who is single. I think there is a lot to be said for a career-oriented woman trying to make it on her own, and I certainly do not think having, or not having a family defines you as a person.
I also blogged about the first quote you chose. I though it was very moving and powerful in a book full of such despair and painful situations. I feel that this quote sort of gives a moral (if there is one) to Morrison's book. This book is filled with characters who commit evil actions that cause pain to people the seemingly love, but perhaps that is the point, to realize that sometimes the people you love and who love you back will cause evil but that the point is just to know that it is possible to survive. I think there is something really empowering in that, it is sort of an acceptance of the wrongs of the world, perhaps a justification for the evil things that happen to us.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of your second passage, I feel that Eva is wanting Sula to live her life by the script we talked about in class. I know that it is hard to live out your dreams while still living life by the script. I can relate to this because I am going to medical school which will be up to 8 more years of school and my mom tries to talk me into going to PA school because it will be easier to have a family that way. It is possible for women to step outside the script that society holds for us. I plan on having a large family and being a doctor someday and similarly, Sula will accomplish what she is aiming for in life.
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