Morrison, Toni: 1931 - 2019

Sula, 1980 - Chapter Summaries

The chapters are grouped into manageable sections.
1. Prologue — The Bottom
The novel opens with the destruction of the Bottom, a Black community in the hills above Medallion, Ohio, where white developers are replacing the neighborhood with a golf course. Morrison explains that the Bottom originated in a racist deception in which a white farmer convinced an enslaved Black man that hilly, difficult land was a reward rather than a punishment. The prologue introduces the novel’s central concern with the way racism shapes Black people’s lives and distorts the meaning of freedom, opportunity, and belonging.
2. 1919 — Shadrack
Shadrack returns to the Bottom after serving in World War I, psychologically traumatized by the violence and chaos of war. Unable to understand or control his fear of death, he becomes obsessed with the human body’s vulnerability and establishes National Suicide Day, an annual event on January 3 when people are encouraged to take their own lives. Although the townspeople initially consider him strange and frightening, his ritual gradually becomes familiar to them, demonstrating how a community can turn an individual’s suffering into a shared tradition.
3. 1920 — Helene and Nel
Helene Wright takes her young daughter, Nel, to New Orleans for her grandmother’s funeral, revealing the complicated history of Helene’s upbringing by a strict grandmother after her mother’s life as a sex worker. During the train journey, Nel witnesses Helene’s submissive smile toward a white conductor and the contemptuous reaction of Black male passengers, making her aware of the conflicting expectations imposed on Black women. Back in Medallion, Nel meets Sula Peace, whose unconventional family and free-spirited personality offer a striking contrast to her own orderly home. The two girls become close friends, discovering a sense of freedom and understanding in each other that they cannot find within their families.
4. 1921 — The Peace Family and Plum’s Death
Morrison explores Eva Peace’s difficult past, explaining how her husband, BoyBoy, abandons her and their three children, leaving her in extreme poverty. Eva eventually returns with a missing leg and enough money to establish a household where she raises her children, takes in boarders, and adopts three boys known as the Deweys. Her daughter Hannah grows into a woman who openly enjoys romantic relationships, while Sula observes her family’s unconventional approach to love and responsibility. Eva eventually sets fire to her son Plum, who has returned from war addicted to drugs and unable to function independently, believing that killing him is preferable to watching him deteriorate further.
5. 1922 — Nel and Sula’s Childhood
Nel and Sula’s friendship deepens as they spend time together and begin developing their own identities outside their mothers’ expectations. When a group of white boys harasses them, Sula cuts off part of her own finger with a knife to frighten the boys into leaving them alone, revealing her willingness to take extreme action in defense of herself and her friend. Later, while playing near a river, Sula accidentally releases the young Chicken Little from her grasp, causing him to fall into the water and drown. Although the girls are frightened and guilty, they do not tell anyone what happened, and a white man who witnesses the drowning disposes of Chicken Little’s body without confronting the girls. The incident creates a disturbing secret that becomes part of their shared history.
6. 1923 — Hannah’s Death and Eva’s Sacrifice
Sula overhears Hannah admitting that she loves her daughter but does not particularly like her, forcing Sula to recognize that maternal love can contain resentment and contradiction. Soon afterward, Hannah accidentally catches fire in the yard, and Eva jumps from an upstairs window in an attempt to save her, suffering serious injuries while Hannah dies. Sula witnesses the horrifying event but does not intervene, leaving Eva uncertain whether her daughter deliberately allowed Hannah to burn. The chapter also revisits Eva’s killing of Plum and exposes the painful contradictions between a mother’s desire to protect her children and the destructive decisions she makes in their name.
7. 1927 — Nel’s Marriage and Sula’s Departure
Nel marries Jude Greene, a man who feels frustrated by the limited employment opportunities available to Black men and hopes that marriage will give his life greater meaning. Nel’s wedding represents her acceptance of the conventional path expected of women in her community, and she anticipates building a stable family with Jude. Sula participates in the wedding celebrations but eventually leaves Medallion, beginning a ten-year period of travel and personal exploration. Their separation marks the end of their shared childhood and establishes the contrasting directions their adult lives will take.
8. 1937 — Sula Returns to Medallion
After ten years away, Sula returns to Medallion accompanied by a plague of robins, which the townspeople interpret as a sign of misfortune. Her confident appearance and unconventional lifestyle disturb a community that values marriage, motherhood, and conformity. Sula places Eva in a nursing home, partly because she wants to prevent her grandmother from interfering in her life, and then reconnects with Nel. However, Sula begins an affair with Jude, Nel’s husband, destroying the marriage and the friendship that once defined both women’s lives. Jude eventually abandons Nel, leaving her to raise their children without him.
9. 1939 — Sula’s Reputation and Relationship with Ajax
The people of Medallion increasingly blame Sula for their misfortunes, including accidents, illness, and domestic problems, because they regard her unconventional behavior as evidence of evil. Ironically, Sula’s presence encourages many community members to strengthen their own marriages and behave more responsibly, as they define themselves in opposition to her. The narrative also explores Sula’s life during her years away, showing that her independence has come at the cost of lasting emotional attachments. She begins a relationship with Ajax, a man who values freedom as much as she does, but when she starts imagining a more permanent relationship, he leaves her. Sula discovers that even someone who rejects conventional relationships can experience jealousy, attachment, and heartbreak.
10. 1940 — Sula’s Illness and Death
Sula becomes seriously ill, and Nel visits her despite their estrangement following the affair with Jude. Their conversation reveals that they understand love, loyalty, and friendship differently, as Sula refuses to apologize for her choices while Nel continues to feel the pain of betrayal. Sula dies believing that the world will eventually recognize the value of her unconventional existence, but the townspeople largely respond to her death with relief rather than grief. Her passing exposes the emotional isolation that accompanied her independence and leaves unresolved the question of whether her choices represented liberation, selfishness, or both.
11. 1941 — National Suicide Day and the Tunnel Disaster
After Sula’s death, the Bottom initially seems to benefit from her absence, and its residents congratulate themselves on the return of moral order. However, the community gradually experiences further hardship, demonstrating that Sula was not the source of its problems. On January 3, Shadrack leads his National Suicide Day procession toward the unfinished tunnel that is supposed to improve transportation and employment opportunities for Black workers. The townspeople join him in a collective act of protest, rushing into the tunnel and causing a disaster in which many people die. The tragedy reveals the community’s frustration with racial inequality and the broken promises of progress, while Shadrack is left to confront the unexpected consequences of his annual ritual.
12. 1965 — Nel’s Realization
Years after Sula’s death, Nel visits Eva at the nursing home, where Eva suggests that Nel and Sula shared responsibility for Chicken Little’s death. Nel initially resists this interpretation, having long separated herself from the guilt associated with the childhood accident. As she reflects on her life and the loss of her marriage, she finally recognizes that her deepest grief was not for Jude, who abandoned her, but for Sula, the friend whose presence had shaped her identity. Nel’s final realization reveals the emotional depth of their relationship and suggests that she has spent much of her life misunderstanding the source of her loneliness.