"Sula"

Paper Summary:

The paper analyzes how Angela Davis, in her essay "Rape, Racism and the Myth of the Black Rapist", expresses some of the themes involved in the second wave of feminism. The paper explores how this feminism no longer merely notes the equality of men and women, but focuses on the role of social institutions in keeping women subjugated, even as they act as if they are free and independent. The paper examines how the themes Davis presents can be traced through the fiction of Toni Morrison, notably in "Sula", a book of considerable depth. The paper further discusses how Morrison's use of language and images are similar in theme to those discussed by Davis.

From the Paper:

"Facing the characters in this novel at all times is the reality of racism, and this as well is a remnant of the past, the past of the slave era, that persists in creating damage in the present. Morrison notes this from the first as she describes why the Bottom came to be. A deeper racism is seen by Helene as completely is in her past and so outside Medallion, and this racism appears once more as soon as she starts to leave the community. This is in the North, of course, but the way the white conductor on the train treats her recalls the way she felt in the South when she was a child in New Orleans."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Davis, Angela Y. "Rape, Racism and the Myth of the Black Rapist." In Women, Race and Class, Angela Y. Davis, 172-201. New York: Vintage, 1983.
• Morrison, Toni. Sula. New York: Plume, 1973.

More papers on "Sula":

• Analytical Essay # 68460 : "Toni Morrison's "Sula"
• Book Review # 147903 : "Inversion in "Sula"
• Analytical Essay # 68100 : "Sula"
• Analytical Essay # 7134 : "An Analysis of "Sula" by Toni Morrison"

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