In Toni Morrison’s 1973 award winning novel, Sula, many aspects of what it is like to live in a Black African-American community in the first part of the twentieth century, are explored and exposed by Morrison’s two mirroring protagonists; Nel and Sula. The novel explores the friendship of the two girls from when they are young children to middle-aged adults and then to the passing away of Sula. An aspect which is seen throughout the novel is Scapegoating. The scapegoating of Sula by the community in which she was born and raised, called Bottom, and her best friend and worst enemy, Nel. This essay aims to critically analyse the significance of scapegoating in Sula by looking at what scapegoating is, how and when it occurs in Sula, as well as…show more content… Sula is from a female headed household where freedom is emphasized. Sula is brought up in a very noisy, un-organised, free family setting, where men never stay around long. Her mother, Hannah, is classed as a “loose” woman because of her relationship with men and her grandmother before her. It is shown that Sula adopts many of her mother’s ways, attitudes and beliefs and this is what gets her into trouble on numerous occasions. It could be said that the relationship between Sula and the community is doomed from the start; she is born to a marginalised family, where the parent figures are not the best role models and she becomes friends with a girl who is the complete opposite to her, in family, beliefs, look and personality. Nel’s mother “Helene” is a strict woman who is always trying to make Nel look “better”, by putting clothes pegs on her nose to make it thinner, who disagrees with Nel’s friendship with a girl like Sula. The community, on the other hand, is going through the period of white supremacy, racial discrimination, lack of jobs and segregation. Due to these issues the community finds the first vulnerable, outlying, black, female who has done something ever so slightly wrong, in their eyes, to blame for all their misdemeanours, struggles and sins. The worst, most unforgiving thing Sula does in the eyes of the community, is sleep with a white man,…show more content… Bottom is a community like any other African-American or South African one, they are riddled with problem on top of problem, ranging from personal, family, community, national to global. The communities are so full of these issues that it is sometimes too much to bare and it is unanimously decided to come together against one individual that bears the brunt of all the sins of the community and is therefore alienated and made a spectacle for everyone to see. Scapegoating in Morrison’s novel Sula is a very real-life situation which allows the reader to relate to the story and maybe question their own guilt and what they should feel sorry for. The significance of Morrison using scapegoating within her novel about black African-American communities shows the reader how it occurs, is registered and frowned upon but still happens regardless of the
