What Is Sula Evil

Although Sula is represented as an evil source in the black community, her perspective of life was not bad enough to earn that role. Her actions and attitudes towards the community is reckless and hurtful, but they must been a reason for her ways. Everyone has their own perspective on life, so maybe thats what Sula had in mind when she grew up. Her life is much different than Nels so, it would turn out more complicated or easier than hers. But in the end with Sula’s habits and problems, Nel understands her and believes in her as the best friend or same soul as they was when little girls. The way Sula experience her first time with death and fear when she’s still very young, but almost grown enough to understand is strange in
ways readers wouldn’t believe. Her very first experience with death is a small boy called Chicken Little, who Nel was picking on and Sula had defended him. “The water darkened and closed quickly over the place where Chicken Little sank. The pressure of his hard and tight little fingers was still in Sula’s palms as she stood looking at the closed place in the water’’ (Sula 61). Now, knowing kids and their rough playing. It’s obvious that it was an accident. Anyone would be afraid of being in trouble when hearing their best friend saying someone saw the event. She didn’t understand she was playing and developed fear in her heart and mind by proclaiming, ‘’That there is no one you could count on and no self to count on.’’
(Stein, Karen F.) It would explain and infer that ‘’Chicken Little’s death foreshadow the destruction of Sula’s and Nel’s romantic relationship with men in the future.’’ (Fulton, Lorie Watkins).
So, this had to give the effect of allowing her mother to burn alive while staring. The townspeople believe she was confused and paralyzed, although Eva knew ‘’Sula had watched Hannah burn not because she was paralyzed, but because she was interested’’ (Sula 78). Very creepy and evil in the readers eyes. Still have my thoughts and reason why she did it. It could’ve of been a way to release that fear by seeing someone die without her doing or cause of it. Such as when she ran to Shadrack place to not get in trouble, He, ‘’Shadrack said ‘’always’’ to reassure that Sula have an existence in the afterlife’’ (Fulton, Lorie Watkins) which also gave her the idea of allowing letting herself break free and not depend on anyone or care for
anyone.
We all can assume that Nel and Sula are different but everybody see them as one person. Even so, they still have they own thoughts how they treat life and their decisions. ‘’Nel’s a traditional women and Sula independent and free as a spirit. ‘’ (Stein, Karen F.) Nel sees herself as her mother and the other woman in the black community doing things to keep the household in order and pleasing their husbands. While Sula doesn't care for that kind of stuff she has been a free spirit to do nothing but think of selfhood. She thinks people ‘’with husbands had folded themselves into starched coffins, their sides bursting with other people’s skinned dreams and bony regrets’’ (122). The thought of having someone tie her down is unbearable for her and feels though as ‘’ she doesn't believe a lover as a comrade and would never be for a woman.’’ (Fulton, Lorie Watkins) Which has me guessing she has her own perspective of love or relationships in her life than other women in the town. I guess you can say she disagrees with males and their way to manipulate and hurt women, so thats why ‘’Sula refuses to be like her mother or grandmother with maintaining a family and has developed a more sexual interaction of make actions instead of settling down.’’ (Galehouse, Maggie) This allows her to keep her freedom she has yearned for and developed all her life.
Ten years away from home for so long, and now finally returned. Nel is very delighted to have her best friend back, but everyone is disturbed by Sula’s aura. The community says it’s an ‘’evil source’’ when Sula walks into town greeted by black crows. Not only is the arrival a scare to them, but her weird and hurtful habits she does around the town. Everyone sees her already evil when sending Eva to a crazy home. However she’s been called the ‘’Devil’’ for taken her own friends husband away and it doesn't stops there. Everyone, especially women ‘’Knew that they despised her and believed that they framed their hatred as disgust for the easy way she lay with men’’ (122). So mainly women, but not much men hated Sula for her action. It’s just they way hannah slept with their men, but she would compliment the women for them and they really wouldn’t hate her. Just that Sula slept with almost all of the men in the town and then tossed them away like that. ‘’She selfish with no sense of sensitivity, and who only cares about her which is egoistic.’’ (Galehouse, Maggie) But, it’s more to the story then just spreading bad rumors and hurtful words. Still Sula just ignored them just like ‘’Hester, Sula is similar like her with the community shunning her cause of the actions by being attracted and repulsion.’’ (Bryant, Cedric Gael) Nel betrayed and hurt by both her husband and friend and can’t find the courage to conceal or let go of the sharp pain when she sees ‘’ A ball that represents the loss of jude.’’ (Pruitt, Claude) She still believes in Sula and hopefully, she explains why she took Jude from her.
Now on the verge of death with no one to come visit or comfort, Sula is all alone.
Except it wouldn’t be since Nel is still so close and believes in Sula till the end. She still clings on to the little hope she has with Sula, and ask why she took Jude away. As calm and cool ‘’Sula feels the fault is all on Nel for leaving her out and why she’s been outcasted in the community.’’ (Stein, Karen F.) Which she claims that because of Nel marrying Jude, it separated their friendship leaving Sula no choice but to leave. Sula never cared for being in love like Nel which made Nel mad, , forcing her to say ‘’You can’t act like a man, You can’t be walking around all independent-like, doing whatever you like, taking what you want, leaving what you don’t’’ (Sula 142). Sula isn’t moved or phased by her attack, but responds too….who was really the good one out of them. Nel leaves with no right answer and as soon as this happens Sula passes away quoting ’She was dead. Sula felt her face smiling. Well, I’ll be damned, she thought, it didn’t even hurt. Wait’ll I tell Nel’’ (149). Even still ‘’Sula has always thought about Nel even after death.’’ (Fulton, Lorie Watkins). That really means she only thought of Nel this whole time “Sula looks to only Nel as a place called home in the center of her cause of their relationship.” (Stein, Karen F.) So, she really felt pain and hurt by missing Nel. Nel soon understand this too when she, visits Sula grandmother who also states ‘’who was really the
good one’’. Nel then cries ‘’‘’All that time, all that time, I thought I was missing jude” (174). When she was really missing Sula. Although Sula is represented as an evil source in the black community, her perspective of life was not bad enough to earn that role. Yeah, she acted out of wrong reasonings and horrible actions towards the people in town. But She developed a concept on life of defending for oneself, yet she still felt the courage of needing Nel the whole time she returned. Also the community even felt that after her death she benefitted them with coming together, so she couldn’t have just been and evil source.