Sula Human Development

In the chapter Psychoanalytic Analysis, Arthur Asa Berger explains that “all individuals pass through four stages in their development: the oral, the anal, the phallic, and the genital” (79). Further, the defense mechanism regression is defined as “the individual’s return to an earlier stage in life development when confronted with a stressful...situation” (90). In the novel Sula by Toni Morrison, ss By having an affair with Jude, Sula causes Nel to regress in sexual development. Before the incident, Nel displays the genital stage, suggesting sexual maturity. For example, on the night she is wed to Jude, Morrison says, “They had taken a housekeeping room...and were getting restless to go there” (85). This shows an interest in sexual acts. Ten years later, when she sees Sula
Berger describes the this stage as one in which “the girl [is interested] in her clitoris.” Since this is a defining organ of females, the phallic phase in Nel’s case is in part a concern for femininity. This concern is shown when Morrison says, “The lilac bushes preened at the railing, but there were no lilacs yet. Wasn't it time? Surely it was time.” (109). The lilac bushes are a yonic symbol. Hence, by taking interest in the plants, Nel is taking interest in femininity. This proves that she is in the phallic stage. While she is more mature than she was when she displayed anal and oral development, she is still in a state of regression compared to her place before the affair.
The chapter Psychoanalytic Criticism by Arthur Asa Berger states that people can return to previous stages of sexual development while under stress. This is evident in the novel Sula by Toni Morrison, in which the character Nel regresses after her friend and husband have an affair. While Nel is in the genital stage before the incident, she displays the oral, anal, and phallic stages of development. Overall, the relationship causes Nel to utilize the defense mechanism of