Toni Morrison's Sula - Unhealthy Relationship of Sula and Nel

Commensalism is when one species can benefit from a relationship and not hurt the other. There are four different main types; chemical, inquilinism, metabiosis and phoresy. Chemical commensalism is most often observed between bacteria. It involves the species of one bacteria feeding on the chemicals produced or the waste products of the other bacteria. Inquilinism involves one species using the body of another organism as a platform or living space while the host does not benefit or is harmed. Metabiosis occurs when one species unintentionally creates a home for another species through one of its normal life activities. A phoresy takes place when one organism attaches to another organism specifically for the purpose of gaining transportation. An example of commensalism (inquilinism) is barnacles and whales. Barnacles are non-moving and they rely on currents to bring them food. Some barnacles attach themselves to whales in order to help them live. They can benefit as they are then transported over the ocean which exposes them to more feeding oppurtunities. The whale neither benefits or is harmed by the barnacles.

Ecology is how organisms interact with each other and the environment. The Lion King is linked to ecology by showing how organisms interact with each other and the environment. My three topics are how symbiotic relationships are important to a community, how limiting factors affect a community, how communities respond to abiotic or biotic factors, and how this is linked to the movie and Ecology. Symbiotic Relationships are interactions between two species and how they affect each other. There are three different types of symbiotic relationships Mutualism, Commensalism, and Parasitism.

In the novel Sula, by Toni Morrison we follow the life of Sula Peace through out her childhood in the twenties until her death in 1941. The novel surrounds the black community in Medallion, specifically "the bottom". By reading the story of Sula’s life, and the life of the community in the bottom, Morrison shows us the important ways in which families and communities can shape a child’s identity. Sula not only portrays the way children are shaped, but also the way that a community receives an adult who challenges the very environment that molded them. Sula’s actions and much of her personality is a direct result of her childhood in the bottom. Sula’s identity contains many elements of a strong, independent feminist

Two young girls, coalescing on a grass-laden field while lying on their stomachs, dig a hole in unspoken harmony. A picture of youth and innocence, this scene depicts an innocuous moment which the two girls share as a result of their juvenescence--or does it? In Toni Morrison 's Sula, this scene, among others, appears at first to be both irrelevant to the novel’s underlying theme and out of place with regard to the rest of the plot. Yet, when analyzed further, the literary devices that Morrison uses in these scenes bring readers to a vastly different conclusion. These scenes serve as windows into the mind of Morrison and even into the larger themes present in the text. So, perhaps two girls sharing a seemingly casual experience is not as

There are three forms of symbiotic relationships namely mutualism, commensalism and parasitism. The partners in a symbiotic relationship may either benefit from, be unaffected by, or be harmed by the kind of relationship that exists between them, (Berg 2007). Mutualism is a symbiotic relationship in which both the partners benefit from the relationship, (Berg 2007). Commensalism is a symbiotic relationship whereby one party benefits while the other party is neither harmed nor benefits, (Berg 2007). Parasitism is a symbiotic relationship in which one party benefits while the other is harmed, (Berg 2007).

In Toni Morrison’s Sula, gender heteronormative relationships are demonstrated in a very punishable manner. The two main characters Sula Peace, and Nel Right share a very strong, well connected friendship. The two of them are a mirror reflection of each other, with the same desires. Heteronormative institutions in the book do not seem to be stable for the most part. Hannah Peace, the single mother Sula, lives a disordered life in her household while Helene Wright belongs to a conservative and peaceful life, but her husband is never around. With the two daughters of both families being part of each other’s lives, they create a friendship that shows the privilege for female-female bonds over male-male bonds.

In all symbiotic relationships, one of the species involved in benefited. In Mutualism, both are benefited, in Parasitism one is harmed by the other’s gain, is commensalism one is not affected by the other’s gain. In a Cooperative relationship, both are working together to achieve a common goal. In Predation, one organism is preyed upon by another, who will most likely use the organism for food.

Often in nature organisms rely on one another to survive. Relationships in which each partner gives equally are called symbiotic. The two partners live harmoniously along side one another depending on each other but still have the ability to stand and act alone should they need to. However, these perfect relationships do not always exist. Sometimes, certain organisms take more than they give and as a result the other organism suffers. Those that do this are called parasites. In Toni Morrison's novel, Sula, Sula Peace and Nel Wright demonstrate a symbiotic relationship gone awry. The two start off learning from each other and giving to each other equally, but as they spend more time together Sula seems to thrive and Nel seems to

A symbiotic relationship is a mutually beneficial interaction between two or more people, in which both involved gain something from the relationship. The overall symbol of the wisteria vines in Barbara Kingsolver’s The Bean Trees is an example of a symbiotic relationship. By working together for a shared survival, both the rhizobia and the wisteria vines are able to better thrive in their environment and achieve a balance that is only possible by the two factors working together. Kingsolver’s symbiotic relationships throughout The Bean Trees show how people can develop stronger relationships by working together and by developing systems of support for each other, much like the rhizobia and the wisteria vines.

For example, a wolf and a tape worm relationship. The wolf is harmed and the tapeworm benefits. The tape worm habitat is in the wolf’s intestines eating all the nutrients that the wolf consumes.

The Chains of Motherhood In Toni Morrison’s Sula, Morrison paints a bleak picture of motherhood: a vicious recurring cycle of nature versus nurture that ensnares generation after generation through lack of education, poverty, hopelessness, sexism, and racism. The mothers of the Peace household are each confronted with taxing responsibilities, agonizing sacrifices, and burdensome choices that each woman must make in order to keep her family alive. Eva has to go to great lengths to make sure her children survive, as a single mother with three children and no source of income: “ When he left in November, Eva had $1.65, five eggs, three beets (Morrison 32).” Morrison harsh rendition of Eva’s circumstances, illustrates the taxing responsibilities

Symbiotic relationships are referred to a special type of partnership between a lot species. These relationships can sometimes be beneficial or sometimes even harmful. These kinds of cohesion are essential for many ecosystems and organism today. They provide a working balance that can only be achieved by working with each other. When two different species somehow finds a way to coexist and it’s beneficial for both sides, is often referred to a mutualistic relationship.

Authors developed the canon in order to set a standard of literature that most people needed to have read or to have been familiar with. The works included in the canon used words such as beautiful, lovely, fair, and innocent to describe women. The canonical works also used conventional symbols to compare the women to flowers such as the rose and the lily. Thomas Campion depicts the typical description of women in his poem, "There is a Garden in Her Face." He describes the women by stating, "There is a garden in her face/ Where roses and white lilies grow,/ A heavenly paradise is that place,/ Wherein all pleasant fruits do flow" (1044-5). The roses and lilies are used to portray beautiful, frail

Toni Morrison's Sula is a novel that has a theme about the nature of evil. The story follows the lives of two black female friends who present differing views on evil. On one hand, we have society's conventional view of evil represented by the character of Nel and also seen in the Bottom's disapproval of Sula. The other view of evil is seen through the character of Sula and through her actions, which conflict with traditional society. The friendship of Sula and Nel is how the author conveys her message about evil in the relationship. In the relationship the two different conceptions of evil mix and create an essentially neutral mixture. By looking at Nel's and Sula's friendship and the two different views of evil that they

Toni Morrison's Sula is a novel that tells the story of the complex situations of two very different, yet quite similar, women who represent the society of African-American females in the middle twentieth century.  It allows the reader to see how people in the situation of these characters react to obstacles and events, showing a vision of American womanhood that might not be evident to people of other ethnic backgrounds and experiences.  In my opinion, this novel also portrays the changing role of women in the twentieth century, and the struggle between the old ideals versus the newfound independence of women.