Between the Self and the Community: The Lost Identity in Morrisons Sul

Aristotle once said, I count him braver who overcomes his desires for the hardest victory is over self-importance. Unfortunately, most people dont generalize the sheer meaning of Aristotles quote because they live as servants of their community where ones identity losses its shape. Such end is the inevitable result of living under the constraints of binaries. Toni Morrisons genus genus Sula is packed with numerous binaries that define the nature and acts of the novels characters such as the Self/Community binary. The identities of Sula, Nel and Eva are sketched out by the diverse choices they make in carnal knowledge to this binary controlling the privileged side, being controlled by the unprivileged side or sticking in between. To begin with, Sula enjoys the superiority of her pivotal self. Galehouse in her article, upstart World Women states that despite all real or perceived limitations imposed by her family, her community, or the era in which she is depicte d, Sula does not put any limits upon herself(341). Her disinterest in what the Bottom community glorifies forms her narcissistic identity and creates her I want to make myself motto (Morrison 121). For Sula, all the worn-out traditions promoted by her community expense nothing more than her own dirt for at least the latter is her own production. Sulas identity as a new sphere woman is highlighted by her daring, disruptive, imaginative, out-of-the-house, uncontained and uncontainable personality, as Morrison puts it (qut in. Galehouse 339). Moreover, throughout the novel, Sulas self controls every aspect of her social and intellectual life resulting in full gustation of her angelic, as well as, demonic actions. On the one hand, when cutting her finger in an attempt to... ...ng? Finally, I idealize Eva, but does she idealize her own self? Questions remain unanswered just as the Self/Community binary remains unchanged even in our legendary 21st century. (1,187) Works CitedBergen holtz, Rita. Toni Morrisons Sula A satire on Binary Thinking. African American Review 30.1 (1996) 89-99. Academic wait Premier. Web. 22 March 2012.Galehouse, Maggie. New World Woman Toni Morrisons Sula. papers on Language and Literature 35.4 (1999) 339-355. Jstore. Web. 21 March 2012.Morrison, Toni. Sula. New York Penguin Books, 1993. Print.Pessoni, Michele. She was laughing at their God Discovering the goddess within Sula. African American Review 29.3 (1995) 439-442. Academic Search Premier. Web. 20 March 2012.