The Bottom Toni Morrison Analysis

This novel was released in 1973 during a time which Civil Rights law was passed and Americans started getting exposed the life of African Americans. At the time where more and more people were becoming accepting to the African American community, Tony Morrison and other authors of her era shed more light into the injustice that occurs in our society through their novels. Readers also get to read about what has long been known but not talked about. In an article written in 1974 by Alfred Konph he mentions that Toni Morrison's writing by saying " Morrison yet wrote another excelling book that captures the story of the black community and essence using great literary techniques." She was accepted among those who shared a passion for literature

and its use to speak for the unheard. In 1993 the southern review Toni Morrison is labeled as one of four authors who take critical analysis of essays as more than just a job, " it is part of the battle over representation of race, gender and class in the United States that has a potential to shape social and political practices." (Mobley) Morrison has also been selected as a great author by well known critics and college professors such as Anne Warner, Wilentz Gay, and winters Kelly. All three critics analyze the base of Morrisons work and its theme in relation to society and problems of the time in which the bookers published. Throughout her career Morrison has won multiple awards; In 1977 she won the award for national books critics circle award for song of Solomon, the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1988 for her book beloved, the Nobel Prize in literature in 1993 for her novels , "which characterized by visionary force and poetic import, gives life to an essential aspect of American reality."(Nobel prize) these are only a couple of her accomplishments, in total she has won about eighteen awards. This shows the recognition she has gained over the years. She was also awarded presidential medal of freedom by the president of the United States, Obama. Toni Morrison is recognized as one of the most engaging and educational authors of our time with her novels being studied in universities and high schools across the nation. She is one of the main representers of the black community through her novels which sheds light on the issues faced by the a certain race or gender as well as social inequalities.
Sula is one of the Morrisons books in which she analyzes social issues within a community such as gender and racial inequalities. The book starts by a joke that a farmer plays on his slaves this instantly shows the white man's view of his slaves intelligence and when the slave accepts the offer quietly it shows the fact that he is afraid of his master. The town called the bottom is actually on top of a hill above a white peoples town where, "they can literally look down on the whites" (Morrison ) The novel revolves around the life of two lifelong friends who come from a completely different background. Sula was raised by her mother who didn’t relay responsibilities of a "woman" on her therefore she grew up with a lot of freedom. Nel, however, was raised by a mother who had insecurities about her race and tried to conform her daughter into a woman who has to confined into a perfect mother, daughter, and wife. in contrast to Sula's personality Nel like her mother allows for black men to control her life as well as white society. When sula cheats with Nels husband Nel loses a part of herself because she spent all her life trying to become the perfect wife and since her husband leaves her she feels as if though she has lost her place in the society that put her there. Growing up, Nel, whose imagination was systematically driven underground by her pretentious and staid mother, Helene Wright, seeks emotional solace from Sula, who defers to no one. Sula is care free and stands against every stereotypical women figure. She is compared to many women in the novel by the fact that most of the girls like attention from men and the wait to be picked by the guy that might notice them, Sula, however, goes own to make her own decisions of who is right for her. When Sula first meet Ajax he becomes attracted to her because of her free will and sula likes him for the reason that he is dangerous and she believes he goes and involves himself in dangerous situations in order to protect and help her. When Ajax leaves her she is devastated and falls sick. In a conversation Sula and nel were having they communicate saying,
"You think I don’t know what your life is like just because I ain’t living it? I know what every colored woman in this country is doing.’
‘What’s that?’
‘Dying., Just like me. But the difference is they dying like a stump. Me, I’m going down like one of those redwoods. I sure did live in this world.
This conversation between Sula and nel represents on of the important ideas of the novel because, even though sula is dying she dies a better death than all the women who live to please the society and their husbands because she dies with more free will and freedom than they will ever receive. Nel at the end of the novel, cries at sulas grave because not only does she realize the loss that was important to her, sulas death, but the truth about womanhood and what her life could have been like if only she had listened to her friend and realized it sooner.
The Bottom where the black people live is described as a sad place even during laughter their laugh is described as a painful and sorrowful laughter.

Morrison uses multiple literary techniques such as this in order to vividly describes the emotions of the characters in the book, to appeal to the readers and to expose them to the harsh truth of effects of social and political issues of the time.the description of the war which Shadrak spent and its effect on him shows in part the psychological ties political and social issues contain. Morrison also represents the struggle people face by putting characters in inevitable and difficult situation in order to test their tolerance. People of the bottom blame sula for the things that happen before she left the town but when she leaves they realize that their problems seems to only get worse and when she returns the problems lessen only to start up again after her death. The reason for this is because the society has for so long used the free spirited woman as an escape goat it prevented them from realizing their real problem which only returned when they had no one to blame for it. Morrison is also known to use Human nature as starting bases for her books. In sula she uses Love, friendship, trust and evil within her work. Although there wasn’t a set definition of love in sula, she uses love by describing multiple ways that different mothers love or care for her children and love between friends such as Sula and Nel. Sula and Nel have such a great bond and relationship that even after Sula cheats with Nel's husband, Nel still found it in her heart to forgive sula for what she has done. Nel realize what was the strongest bond that she had during her life was sula the one person whom she could find flaws in to make herself seem better. Cruelty and evil seen throughout this novel where trusts were broken people were mistreated. It is truly shown when a white man finds a dead black boys body in the river and treats it as if

though it was the body of a vicious animal. Though Morrison uses multiple characters who do evil deeds and she always has a justifiable reason behind their actions which leaves readers in a difficult situation to decide the true characteristics and drive behind each character.
According to Wilentz Gay a African American literature professor in a university it is very important to understand African American culture in order to get the true meaning of the novel itself although Morrisons writing takes a deeper and longer analysis of the novel it is based on true influences and problems faced in society at one time. Morrison is a great writer that captures a readers mind by creating an overall theme for the book but by also allowing them to decide the meaning of the work on their own. Morrisons great accomplishments are praised by most critics and readers of the nation because she is a significant figure that helped shape the outlook of people on the society through her engaging and educating stories. Her writing should be included in all curriculums that touch with social, political, gender and other issues because it many facts as a start of a story that tells the truth in a captivating way.