Kristin Goehri 06/15/10

The first passage that really caught my attention was the section when Sula and Nel are walking by the men to go to the ice cream shop. Morrison writes, “So, when he said ‘pig meat’ as Nel and Sula passed, they guarded their eyes lest someone see their delight” (50). This section really caught my eye because of the food references. The two girls are being devoured by these men’s eyes and directly compared to meat in a highly sexual and demeaning manner. However, I immediately identified with the delight that these two girls felt. Even today, if my friends and I are out at a bar, I will act outraged if a guy saws a lewd comment to me, but on the inside I am smiling because I that guy’s comment reminds me that I am desirable to someone. I will sit there with my friends and bash him, but I almost take a sense of pride in having to ward of those types of comments. I can see this cycle of desiring male attention in order to feel confident in myself play out within my own life. It is sad and horrible, but I think that I have been conditioned by society to feel that way. So, when I read about the smile that is probably darting in Sula’s and Nel’s eyes, I know how they feel. In contrast, I was angry at the way that Hannah acted. Even when she took control of her sexuality with unmarried men, I still felt offended by her promiscuity. I can recognize that I am okay with men publically being sexually aggressive, but not okay with women being publically sexually aggressive. This story has pointed out this double standard that I hold for men and women when it comes to intimate behavior in public settings.

The next passage that really struck me was on page 57 when Hannah says, “Sure you do. You love her, like I love Sula. I just don’t like her. That’s the difference.” This was such a significant part of the text since Sula overhears her mother say these words about her. I cannot imagine hearing your own mother say that she doesn’t like you. Especially during adolescent years, it is so important to feel liked and accepted as an individual, and Hannah’s statement did neither of these things. In my own life, I remember a time that was similar to this that happened with my grandmother over Thanksgiving. My whole family was in the living room, and I was being my normal sarcastic self. My grandmother was laughing at what I was saying, but she said, “Kristin, you’re such a bitch.” Regardless of the laughter in her voice, that statement hit me hard. It literally felt like a slap in the face. Years later, I still talk about that day and how shocked I was that my own grandmother could say those things about me. My own experience with being shut down by someone that you loved helped me to really relate to the pain and shock that Sula must have been feeling at that point. I could understand what Hannah was trying to say, but I really felt for Sula, and that connection helped me to understand how Sula’s pain probably kept her from saving her mother’s life.