Cultural Norm In Toni Morrison's Sula

"Sula," a book by Toni Morrison, explores the complexities of interpersonal interactions, cultural norms, and personal development. Nel's journey is brought to a close by the book's finale, which emphasizes the "circles of sorrow" that she goes through. This literary study will evaluate Nel's life's different manifestations of sadness and consider the ending's tone, determining whether it leans more toward optimism, enthusiasm, or something else entirely. Nel's character is formed by the social expectations and conventions placed on her during the course of the book. "Nel was among the first colored people in the Bottom to see a white man's farm close up. She stared at the rail fence, then at the cows behind it, then at the cabin beyond it, then at the white man himself sitting on the steps of the cabin, staring back at them as though they were the ones out of place" (Morrison). Nel has limited options as a result of her upbringing in the tight-knit but in-need society of the

“She spent the time trying to replicate in a heterosexual romantic relationship the closeness that she had felt with Nel: "She had been looking all along for a friend, and it took her a while to discover that a lover was not a comrade and could never be- for a woman” (Fulton). She feels burdened and her perception of self is stifled by the weight of cultural expectations, especially those pertaining to gender roles. Nel's sadness is also brought on by the breakup of her relationship with Sula, whom she attributes to her own fault. “It was while he was full of such dreams, his body already feeling the rough work clothes, his hands already curved to the pick handle, that he spoke to Nel about getting married” (Morrison). Nel's emptiness and regrets are brought to light by Sula's disappearance since her relationship with Sula served as a source of honesty and freedom for