Contrasting Nel S And Sula S Relationship With Their Mothers

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English

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Miami Dade College

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ENC 1102

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Contrasting Nel's and Sula's Relationship with their Mothers

Relationships are essential to everyone's life. Children usually need their parents to guide

them while they are growing up. Failure to have a mother, for instance, has long-lasting impacts

on the children. In Tony Morrison's novel Sula, the characters' relationships with their parents

determine their future relationships. While some characters have stable and meaningful

relationships with their parents, others do not. In the novel, Nel Wright and Sula Peace have an

estranged relationship with their mothers leading to them living their lives on their own terms

without the mother's care which illustrates their formidable choice.

Nel's relationship with her mother is estranged firstly because of their differences in

ideologies. During her childhood, Nel experienced racism when she saw her mother getting

humiliated by a white conductor. Nel also sees first-hand when her mother squats in the field for

a short call while every passenger on the train is watching. Nel experiencing these events makes

her promise herself a way of life that does not involve shameful acts that her mother was

involved in. She seeks a better life with her individuality (Kitanovska-Ristoska). Because of her

relationship with her mother, she drifts apart from her, not respecting all she says. This is seen

through her relationship with Sula Peace. Nel seeks freedom and self-realization by forming a

friendship with Sula (Vickroy). However, her mother opposes that friendship because she

believes that Sula is not a good role model for her daughter.

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Secondly, Nel's relationship with her mother is at crossroads because of the environment

and society's ways of life. The community in Sula consists of blacks and whites residents. While

the whites are of a higher social and economic class, the blacks occupy the lower status. They are

discriminated against and are always treated as inferior. As a result, the black mothers in Sula's

society are seen as oppressive; Nels's mother is no exception (Vickroy). The poverty and the

oppression that Nel's mother faces ruin her relationship with her daughter. Nel sees her mother as

oppressive because she interferes with Nel's life. As a result, Nel lives her life by disregarding

her mother's opinions in her way of life. Moreover, Sula also has an estranged relationship with

her mother because of the environmental influence. While growing up, Sula grows in a society

where the women respect masculinity and love men without a substantive reason (Mankhi). She

is neglected because she grows up in a crowded home controlled by her grandmother (Al-Saidi

and Alqarni). Her mother also slept around with different men as Sula was growing up

(Morrison). As a result, Sula becomes a rebellious person. She chooses her ways and is not

controlled by her mother or grandmother.

Another issue that influences Sula's relationship with her mother is the oppression that is

present in society. While growing up, Sula realizes that society values men more than women.

She also realizes that racism is a huge factor in their environment. She therefore realizes that as a

black girl, she is disadvantaged. As a result, when she grows up, she opposes society's view of

the role of women and fights for equality (Al-Saidi and Alqarni). She does not incline to the

traditions that undermine women as her mother does. She therefore makes her own decisions

seeking excitement and happiness.

The relationships that Nel Wright and Sula Peace have with their mothers determine how

they become later on in life. Nel suffers as she is growing up and sees the oppression and racism

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Surname 1 Student's Name Instructors Name Course Date Contrasting Nel's and Sula's Relationship with their Mothers Relationships are essential to everyone's life. Children usually need their parents to guide them while they are growing up. Failure to have a mother, for instance, has long-lasting impacts on the children. In Tony Morrison's novel Sula, the characters' relationships with their parents determine their future relationships. While some characters have stable and meaningful relationships with their parents, others do not. In the novel, Nel Wright and Sula Peace have an estranged relationship with their mothers leading to them living their lives on their own terms without the mother's care which illustrates their formidable choice. Nel's relationship with her mother is estranged firstly because of their differences in ideologies. During her childhood, Nel experienced racism when she saw her mother getting humiliated by a white conductor. Nel also sees first-hand when her mother squats in the field for a short call while every passenger on the train is watching. Nel experiencing these events makes her promise herself a way of life that does not involve shameful acts that he ...
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Tags: lower status Contrasting Nels and Sulas Relationship Tony Morrisons novela Nel experienced racism mother opposes that friendship