In literature, social commentary is typically used to directly or indirectly point out the flaws with society, such as racial or class differences. Toni Morrison’s Sula is no exception, as the novel is rife with examples of how life was perceived by African Americans in the early 20th century. From the beginning of the novel, it becomes clear that there is a great disparity between races; the blacks were segregated into the infertile and run-down neighborhood of the Bottom and were severely disadvantaged both socially and economically. On the other hand, this segregation gave the African American community the impetus to join together and have an identity to call their own. From the relationship between the black and white communities to the relationship between Nel Wight and Sula Peace, Morrison demonstrates how racism could have both a dividing and unifying effect.
The development of the Bottom and the death of Chicken Little emphasize the perceived differences between races and serve to only separate the blacks from the whites. The Bottom starts off as “a joke;” a white farmer tricks his former slave into receiving infertile land
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Helene, “under the dolesome eyes of a multicolored Virgin Mary,” attempts to erase any of the wild influence her mother had on her by living in a very uptight manner (Morrison 17). This manner is tested on her train trip to see her dying grandmother: when the white train conductor speaks condescendingly towards her, she merely smiles, shocking both her daughter and the other black passengers on the train. Her smile simultaneously makes her look like she is a victim of white oppression and makes her appear to appease the white man for the sake of accepting subjugation. This smile has