Sula

Inherent to human nature and their morals, are dualities, such as good and bad, in a character which produces all the emotions, experiences, and forces that motivates an individual to overcome the struggles of life. One, without the other, will not suffice in its existence. Consequently, only the combination of both characteristics will succeed in constructing a solid identity. Such is the case in the novel “Sula”, by Toni Morrison. Throughout the progression of the plot, Nel and Sula complements each other in such a way that allows them to form a single functional unit. Therefore, only with Sula’s aide, is Nel able to surpass the restrictions that her mother places on her. Contrary to the statement that “Sula was the worst thing that ever happened to Nel,” Sula does not corrupt Nel, but rather, assists her in gaining the freedom that she craves. As Nel is desperately trying to fulfill the desire of being her true self, Sula is searching for “something else to be” (52). In the process of their coinciding pursuits, Nel and Sula discovers that they provide for each other, the missing fractions of their identity. Sula and Nel, by themselves, appear to be polar opposites of one another. Whereas Nel is preserved and con

While Sula is searching for the sense and morality that being "wedgeed into a household of throbbing disorder and constant awry" (52) did not provide for her, Nel is desperately trying to escape the confines of "the high silence of her mother"tms incredibly orderly house" (51). As a result, the bond they share becomes so intoxicating that it still draws them together after years of separation and distraction. Based on the fact that "Sula, like always, was incapable of making any but the most trivial decisions" (101), Nel seems to be frequently consoling her and giving her the best advise she can offer. Neither Nel nor Sula is complete without the other; they need each other for relief from their restrained conformities, in order to have a fulfilling existence. In it, she learns "that sex was pleasant and frequent, but otherwise unremarkable" (44). Her grief is symbolized by "a ball of muddy strings, but without weight, fluffy but terrible in its malevolence" (109). "All that time, all that time, and I thought I was missing Jude"tm . Each of the girls has a vision of what she wants to be, after they discover what they want is more than what is being offered to them. Sula, incidentally, is also after the same dream, to be her own person. "A soft ball of fur broke and scattered like dandelion spores in the breeze. Only with Sula did that quality have free reign" (83). That "something else to be", which motivates their passion, resolves to be the identity they had constructed simultaneously. When apart, Nel and Sula blends into extremes that deter them from the path, which can strengthen them through life.