The physical world as depicted in Sula, is not merely space that the characters inhabit. Settings such as Eva Peace's house, and the Wright home take on symbolic meaning in relation to the people who exist within the "recognized boundaries"(CT, 9) of either "zone." Both the Peace and Wright houses are emblematic of the ethos of the characters they shelter. The "principles of discrimination"(CT, 10) which "determine the designation of boundaries" in Sula, are both behavioral and "ideological." For instance, Sula's philosophy and life choices are comparable to the structure of the house and the immediate surrounding area in which she grew up. With an uncommon abundance of doors, rooms and stairways, Eva's house defies convention much like Hannah and her daughter. The same principle can be applied to the house that Nel grew up in. The maintenance and design of Nel's childhood home was fashioned by her mother. Helene is characterized as a domineering woman with a repressive hand, and this is reflected in the well-regulated style of her house. Just as the design of the Wright home acquiesces with convention, so do its inhabitants. Nel and Helene's mentalities match the atmosphere of the zone in which they live. Thus, it can be said that there is a seminal, affinitive relationship between "the physical and social world"(CT, 9), and characters like Hannah, Sula, Helene and Nel.
             Before passing the threshold of Eva Peace's labyrinthine house, one might take notice of "the four sickle-pear trees in the front yard"(Morrison, 31). It is interesting that Morrison plants this particular tree just outside of this particular house. In analytic psychology, the pear is seen as a sexual symbol, and in Greek mythology, as the aphrodisiacal fruit of goddesses. We know little of Pearl, but Eva, Hannah and Sula are all described as tremen...