Choose ONE of the following options and write a 4-5 page (1000-1250 word) essay in response. Note that most of these topics require that YOU construct your own thesis. Thus, you will need to analyze various moments in the novel before you can come up with a thesis.
1. Eva gives three boys the same name: dewey (37). And, she refuses to distinguish between Nel and Sula (168). What do these moments suggest about Eva's understanding of naming? Her understanding of individuality? Do other characters in the novel share her view(s)? What conclusions can you draw about naming and/or individuality as represented in the novel?
2. Analyze the representation of motherhood. What may account for the "monstrous" behavior of mothers/mother figures?
3. Eva, lying in the hospital thinking about Hannah's death "remembered the wedding dream and recalled that weddings always meant death" (78). Does Nel's wedding confirm Eva's belief? Explain.
4. In their final meeting, Sula asks Nel, "‘About who was good. How you know it was you?'" (146). Was Nel the "good" one? Explain.
5. Analyze the imagery of the novel's final scene, the moment Nel feels Sula's presence. Trace the images back to previous moments in the novel. What conclusions can you draw from connecting the images?
6. The novel features three lost objects: Sula's belt, Jude's tie, and Ajax's driver's license. Choose ONE and analyze its meanings. First, explain the context in which it was lost: to whom did it belong, where was it left, and who found it. Second, analyze its meaning(s) within that particular context: what meanings are given for it by the narrator or character? What else might it symbolize? Finally, connect the object to larger themes at work in the novel as a whole. Hint: do not limit your analysis to only those characters clearly associated with the object at the time of its loss.
7. Funerals are moments when family and/or a community come together to mourn a loss. Analyze several of these moments from the novel. What types of loss are being mourned? What do these moments suggest about the idea of family and/or community as represented in the novel?
8. Shadrack institutes National Suicide Day as a way to order his fear about death. Ironically, Shadrack is feared by people because he does not act orderly. Explore the novel's representations of fear and order. What conclusions can you draw about the relationship between order and fear?
9. Sula's birthmark is subject to much speculation and interpretation. Examine how people see it and understand it. Does this distinguishing characteristic mark Sula herself? Or, does it say more about those who look at it? Explain.
10. Construct your own topic. But, you must use one of the above prompts as a model and present it to me for approval before you start writing.