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How have the way that characters interpret Sula’s birthmark affected them revealed their character throughout the book? What is Toni Morrison’s purpose or message about this theme?
In the novel “Sula” by Toni Morrison, Sula has a birthmark over her eye that each character interprets differently. The way that these various people interpret the birthmark reveals their relationships with her, as well as their own personality. Nel, Sula’s best friend, sees the birthmark as a stemmed rose that changes colors, from gold to black. She watches as Sula changes along with the color of the rose–from good to evil. Jude, Nel’s husband, sees the birthmark as a snake, representing his own sinful desires and foreshadowing how he cheats on Nel with Sula. Finally, the people of the Bottom see the birthmark as Hannah’s ashes, and use their misinterpretation to condemn Sula. How characters interpret Sula’s birthmark ultimately ends up changing the trajectory of their own and others’ lives.
Throughout the book, Sula’s birthmark is interpreted in different ways by different characters, which reveals their inner thoughts and ultimately changes their lives. Near the beginning of the novel, Sula’s birthmark is described as being “shaped something like a stemmed rose…it was the same shade as her gold-flecked eyes” (52). This is the first time the interpretation of the rose is brought up, and it is implied that Nel sees it in the same way. Usually, a rose represents female beauty, sexuality, and love–Nel’s interpretation of the birthmark as a rose symbolizes how she is innocent due to the simple nature of her interpretation, how she thinks Sula is alluring, and how much Nel loves and values Sula. The passage also notes that the birthmark is gold–a color that represents success and stability. This reinforces the idea that Nel believed Sula would be a constant in her life–a friend she could rely on forever. However, this turned out not to be the case. A few years after Jude cheated on Nel with Sula, Nel decides to visit Sula. “For the first time in three years she would be looking at the stemmed rose that hung over the eye of her enemy…She would be facing the black rose that Jude had kissed…” (138). The rose has darkened over time–changing from a gold the same color as Sula’s eyes to a wholly black in Nel’s point of view. The fact that Nel is able to visit Sula now after three years implies that she has regained her power, almost becoming superior to her. The blackness of the rose symbolizes both the wickedness of Sula, but more importantly foreshadows her eventual death. A rose turns black and slowly withers away when it is about to die, just like how Sula is in her last moments before death. As Nel continues to question Sula about the past, “Sula turned her head away…her voice was quiet and the stemmed rose over her eye was very dark” (144). Morrison uses the words “away” and “quiet” to further emphasize how weak and passive Sula is now compared to Nel. The rose is described as “very dark”, implying it reached its maximum and extreme. When Nel confronts Sula for what she has done to her life, Sula’s birthmark in her eyes grows darker and darker as she believes more and more that Sula is the “evil” one while she embodies the “good” one. Nel’s relationship with Sula has become imbalanced as she sees the darkened rose indicating Sula’s weakness and evilness, in comparison to her goodness and power. Nel’s interpretation of Sula’s wickedness has resulted in her hating Sula and grieving Jude for the rest of her life. However, she realizes at the end of the novel that she was not actually grieving Jude, rather, she was grieving her and Sula’s friendship. Her strong belief that Sula was evil had prevented her from reaching out earlier and fulfilling her subconscious want to reconcile with Sula.
Once Sula returns, Nel notes that Sula’s birthmark has grown a lot darker, and when Jude and Nel talk with Sula, Jude interprets Sula’s birthmark as a snake. He thinks, “her wide smile took some of the sting from that rattlesnake over her eye. A funny woman, he thought, not that bad-looking. But he could see why she wasn't married; she stirred a man’s mind maybe, but not his body” (104). Jude’s interpretation of the birthmark reveals significant aspects of his character and foreshadows the consequences of his actions. Jude is a man who is driven by the desire to have his masculinity respected, as well as to control things that are out of his control. We see this in his desire to work the same jobs as white men, despite the fact that he never gets the jobs because he is black, something which he cannot control. Wanting to have control over some aspect of his life is one of the reasons Jude marries Nel: “so it was rage, rage and a determination to take on a man’s role anyhow that made him press Nel about settling down. He needed some of his appetites filled, some posture of adulthood recognized, but mostly he wanted someone to care about his hurt, to care very deeply” (82). It’s revealed here that the reason behind Jude’s marriage to Nel was his desire to be recognized as a man who deserves respect, and that the marriage was not out of his love for Nel. Jude is also characterized as wanting someone to care about him, emphasizing that he wants more of a mother figure, someone to pity him, rather than someone to be in a relationship with. Jude thinks that by marrying Nel he will have at least one part of his life that he can actually have control over, something dependable and predictable, which is the opposite of what Sula is. This gives us insight to his character, especially in the fact that he is marrying Nel in an attempt to assert his dominance in society and not out of love, making the possibility of him being dissatisfied much higher, and being far more likely to give in to the temptation and danger Sula represents. Jude, enticed by the danger and excitement Sula and her snake shaped birthmark represent, risks everything he has worked towards, trying to attain and control the ideal life that he thinks will bring him what he desires, in order to be with her. Jude reveals the darker side of himself by betraying Nel and sleeping with Sula, losing his family and everything in his life he worked towards trying to control in the process. As mentioned earlier, Jude’s interpretation also hints at his susceptibility and vulnerability to temptation. In the Garden of Eden, much like Jude, Eve is tempted into sin by the snake–just like Jude is tempted into sin by Sula. Both the snake and Sula do not actively force those that are tempted to take the apple, but both Eve and Jude made the decision to take it. The snake and Sula were more than willing to let them take it. While Sula’s birthmark does not directly cause his cheating on Nel, it foreshadows the event by reflecting Judes temperament and his sinful desire. Jude says, ironically, that Sula was undesirable–yet he cheats with her, proving that his interpretation of the birthmark was correct. His interpretation also highlights his lack of maturity. His fixation on the snake suggests how he is simplistic and primitive, only focusing on immediate results and satisfaction. We saw this manifest when he decides to cheat with Sula. Ultimately, Judes newly revealed desire results in many lives being ruined–Nel’s, Sula’s, and most probably Nel’s children even if it is never explicitly mentioned in the novel.
After Sula’s dramatic return to town–having an affair and sending Eva to the nursing home, the Bottom community begins to “notice” strange happenings relating to her. Sula brought about change when she came back, so therefore Sula must be evil, “so they watched far more closely than they watched any other roach or bitch in the town, and their alertness was gratified. Things began to happen…that incident, and Teapot’s mama, cleared up for everybody the meaning of the birthmark over her eye; it was not a stemmed rose or a snake, it was Hannah’s ashes marking her from the very beginning” (114). The term “marking” is typically never used in a positive sense–it is used when you accidentally stain an item, or when you identify something. In this case, since the townspeople have already established that Sula is “a roach or a bitch”, they use the term “marking” to reinforce their righteous belief of her wickedness. The reference to Hannah’s ashes represented–at least for the townspeople–the guilt of Sula and how she didn’t try to help her mother as she was burning. Hannah’s ashes are a stain in Sula’s life–just like how it is on her face, pointing to her guilt and the evil nature she displays throughout her whole life. This new interpretation of Sula’s birthmark reveals how the townspeople are pessimistic and desperate to blame their troubles on an external force, creating a scapegoat to blame. “Their conviction of Sula's evil changed them in accountable yet mysterious ways. Once the source of their personal misfortune was identified, they had leave to protect and love one another. They began to cherish their husbands and wives, protect their children, repair their homes and in general band together against the devil in their midst” (117). Morrison’s use of the word “began” implies that the people of the Bottom weren’t originally any more saints than Sula was. However, once they established a scapegoat or “the devil”, the citizens’ lives changed for the better and they really did become these saints. Sula becomes a vessel into which the townspeople pour all their hatred rather than taking it out on each other, which had fostered a negative environment before Sula returned. Even though Sula has been twisted into the devil by the townspeople, her effect on the Bottom is almost like that of a saint’s.
In “Sula”, the birthmark over Sula’s eye is much more than a physical trait–it reflects fears, desires, and judgement of the people around her. Each character's interpretation of the birthmark reveals their relationship with Sula and their own struggles. Nel saw a rose, which starts off a beautiful gold but darkens as her admiration for Sula turns into resentment. Eventually, Nel’s resentment results in a lifetime of grievances and sadness, due to the fact that she refused to reconcile with Sula. Jude saw a snake, a reflection of his weakness to temptation and sin. This led to the destruction of his marriage, resulting in many lives being ruined. The townspeople, desperate for a scapegoat, saw the mark as Hannah’s ashes, using it to justify their condemnation of Sula and their own moral rebirth. Morrison uses this small, ever-changing symbol to connect Sula’s identity to the lives and flaws of those around her. Sula becomes both a mirror for others and a catalyst for change, challenging those who judge her to confront their own vulnerabilities and desires.
In the novel “Sula” by Toni Morrison, Sula has a birthmark over her eye that each character interprets differently. The way that these various people interpret the birthmark reveals their relationships with her, as well as their own personality. Nel, Sula’s best friend, sees the birthmark as a stemmed rose that changes colors, from gold to black. She watches as Sula changes along with the color of the rose–from good to evil. Jude, Nel’s husband, sees the birthmark as a snake, representing his own sinful desires and foreshadowing how he cheats on Nel with Sula. Finally, the people of the Bottom see the birthmark as Hannah’s ashes, and use their misinterpretation to condemn Sula. How characters interpret Sula’s birthmark ultimately ends up changing the trajectory of their own and others’ lives.
Throughout the book, Sula’s birthmark is interpreted in different ways by different characters, which reveals their inner thoughts and ultimately changes their lives. Near the beginning of the novel, Sula’s birthmark is described as being “shaped something like a stemmed rose…it was the same shade as her gold-flecked eyes” (52). This is the first time the interpretation of the rose is brought up, and it is implied that Nel sees it in the same way. Usually, a rose represents female beauty, sexuality, and love–Nel’s interpretation of the birthmark as a rose symbolizes how she is innocent due to the simple nature of her interpretation, how she thinks Sula is alluring, and how much Nel loves and values Sula. The passage also notes that the birthmark is gold–a color that represents success and stability. This reinforces the idea that Nel believed Sula would be a constant in her life–a friend she could rely on forever. However, this turned out not to be the case. A few years after Jude cheated on Nel with Sula, Nel decides to visit Sula. “For the first time in three years she would be looking at the stemmed rose that hung over the eye of her enemy…She would be facing the black rose that Jude had kissed…” (138). The rose has darkened over time–changing from a gold the same color as Sula’s eyes to a wholly black in Nel’s point of view. The fact that Nel is able to visit Sula now after three years implies that she has regained her power, almost becoming superior to her. The blackness of the rose symbolizes both the wickedness of Sula, but more importantly foreshadows her eventual death. A rose turns black and slowly withers away when it is about to die, just like how Sula is in her last moments before death. As Nel continues to question Sula about the past, “Sula turned her head away…her voice was quiet and the stemmed rose over her eye was very dark” (144). Morrison uses the words “away” and “quiet” to further emphasize how weak and passive Sula is now compared to Nel. The rose is described as “very dark”, implying it reached its maximum and extreme. When Nel confronts Sula for what she has done to her life, Sula’s birthmark in her eyes grows darker and darker as she believes more and more that Sula is the “evil” one while she embodies the “good” one. Nel’s relationship with Sula has become imbalanced as she sees the darkened rose indicating Sula’s weakness and evilness, in comparison to her goodness and power. Nel’s interpretation of Sula’s wickedness has resulted in her hating Sula and grieving Jude for the rest of her life. However, she realizes at the end of the novel that she was not actually grieving Jude, rather, she was grieving her and Sula’s friendship. Her strong belief that Sula was evil had prevented her from reaching out earlier and fulfilling her subconscious want to reconcile with Sula.
Once Sula returns, Nel notes that Sula’s birthmark has grown a lot darker, and when Jude and Nel talk with Sula, Jude interprets Sula’s birthmark as a snake. He thinks, “her wide smile took some of the sting from that rattlesnake over her eye. A funny woman, he thought, not that bad-looking. But he could see why she wasn't married; she stirred a man’s mind maybe, but not his body” (104). Jude’s interpretation of the birthmark reveals significant aspects of his character and foreshadows the consequences of his actions. Jude is a man who is driven by the desire to have his masculinity respected, as well as to control things that are out of his control. We see this in his desire to work the same jobs as white men, despite the fact that he never gets the jobs because he is black, something which he cannot control. Wanting to have control over some aspect of his life is one of the reasons Jude marries Nel: “so it was rage, rage and a determination to take on a man’s role anyhow that made him press Nel about settling down. He needed some of his appetites filled, some posture of adulthood recognized, but mostly he wanted someone to care about his hurt, to care very deeply” (82). It’s revealed here that the reason behind Jude’s marriage to Nel was his desire to be recognized as a man who deserves respect, and that the marriage was not out of his love for Nel. Jude is also characterized as wanting someone to care about him, emphasizing that he wants more of a mother figure, someone to pity him, rather than someone to be in a relationship with. Jude thinks that by marrying Nel he will have at least one part of his life that he can actually have control over, something dependable and predictable, which is the opposite of what Sula is. This gives us insight to his character, especially in the fact that he is marrying Nel in an attempt to assert his dominance in society and not out of love, making the possibility of him being dissatisfied much higher, and being far more likely to give in to the temptation and danger Sula represents. Jude, enticed by the danger and excitement Sula and her snake shaped birthmark represent, risks everything he has worked towards, trying to attain and control the ideal life that he thinks will bring him what he desires, in order to be with her. Jude reveals the darker side of himself by betraying Nel and sleeping with Sula, losing his family and everything in his life he worked towards trying to control in the process. As mentioned earlier, Jude’s interpretation also hints at his susceptibility and vulnerability to temptation. In the Garden of Eden, much like Jude, Eve is tempted into sin by the snake–just like Jude is tempted into sin by Sula. Both the snake and Sula do not actively force those that are tempted to take the apple, but both Eve and Jude made the decision to take it. The snake and Sula were more than willing to let them take it. While Sula’s birthmark does not directly cause his cheating on Nel, it foreshadows the event by reflecting Judes temperament and his sinful desire. Jude says, ironically, that Sula was undesirable–yet he cheats with her, proving that his interpretation of the birthmark was correct. His interpretation also highlights his lack of maturity. His fixation on the snake suggests how he is simplistic and primitive, only focusing on immediate results and satisfaction. We saw this manifest when he decides to cheat with Sula. Ultimately, Judes newly revealed desire results in many lives being ruined–Nel’s, Sula’s, and most probably Nel’s children even if it is never explicitly mentioned in the novel.
After Sula’s dramatic return to town–having an affair and sending Eva to the nursing home, the Bottom community begins to “notice” strange happenings relating to her. Sula brought about change when she came back, so therefore Sula must be evil, “so they watched far more closely than they watched any other roach or bitch in the town, and their alertness was gratified. Things began to happen…that incident, and Teapot’s mama, cleared up for everybody the meaning of the birthmark over her eye; it was not a stemmed rose or a snake, it was Hannah’s ashes marking her from the very beginning” (114). The term “marking” is typically never used in a positive sense–it is used when you accidentally stain an item, or when you identify something. In this case, since the townspeople have already established that Sula is “a roach or a bitch”, they use the term “marking” to reinforce their righteous belief of her wickedness. The reference to Hannah’s ashes represented–at least for the townspeople–the guilt of Sula and how she didn’t try to help her mother as she was burning. Hannah’s ashes are a stain in Sula’s life–just like how it is on her face, pointing to her guilt and the evil nature she displays throughout her whole life. This new interpretation of Sula’s birthmark reveals how the townspeople are pessimistic and desperate to blame their troubles on an external force, creating a scapegoat to blame. “Their conviction of Sula's evil changed them in accountable yet mysterious ways. Once the source of their personal misfortune was identified, they had leave to protect and love one another. They began to cherish their husbands and wives, protect their children, repair their homes and in general band together against the devil in their midst” (117). Morrison’s use of the word “began” implies that the people of the Bottom weren’t originally any more saints than Sula was. However, once they established a scapegoat or “the devil”, the citizens’ lives changed for the better and they really did become these saints. Sula becomes a vessel into which the townspeople pour all their hatred rather than taking it out on each other, which had fostered a negative environment before Sula returned. Even though Sula has been twisted into the devil by the townspeople, her effect on the Bottom is almost like that of a saint’s.
In “Sula”, the birthmark over Sula’s eye is much more than a physical trait–it reflects fears, desires, and judgement of the people around her. Each character's interpretation of the birthmark reveals their relationship with Sula and their own struggles. Nel saw a rose, which starts off a beautiful gold but darkens as her admiration for Sula turns into resentment. Eventually, Nel’s resentment results in a lifetime of grievances and sadness, due to the fact that she refused to reconcile with Sula. Jude saw a snake, a reflection of his weakness to temptation and sin. This led to the destruction of his marriage, resulting in many lives being ruined. The townspeople, desperate for a scapegoat, saw the mark as Hannah’s ashes, using it to justify their condemnation of Sula and their own moral rebirth. Morrison uses this small, ever-changing symbol to connect Sula’s identity to the lives and flaws of those around her. Sula becomes both a mirror for others and a catalyst for change, challenging those who judge her to confront their own vulnerabilities and desires.
