A Study Of Toni Morrison's Sula From The Perspective Of Ethical Literary Criticism

Productive and award-winning,Toni Morrison is known as a bright pearl in the contemporary literary world.Rooted in traditional black culture,Morison's works reveal the miserable sufferings of black people with distinctive visions.Sula is Morrison's second novel,and has become a great triumph as soon as it was published in 1973.Themed with the friendship and growth of two black women,Sula vividly portrays the hard living conditions of black people,especially those of black women in the early twentieth century.Through the deep exploration of the growth of two protagonists,Sula fully embodies Toni Morrison's care for the black women's life,and illustrates the spiritual pursuit of black women in their struggle for survival.The novel is abundant in ethical ideas,and reflects the ethical relationships of human society on different levels.Therefore,this thesis attempts to interpret the rich ethical elements involved in the novel from the perspective of ethical literary criticism,aiming to find out the ethical value and artistic charm of the novel.On the basis of ethical literary criticism,the thesis is designed to interpret the ethical relationships hidden in the novel from three levels from exterior to interior: human and society,human and human as well as human and self.To begin with,the thesis mainly discusses the ethical relationship between black people and the society in the first part.By describing experiences of several representative characters,the novel reveals the predicament of black individuals,faced with both the oppression from the white society and the conflict within the black community,which reflects unequal relationship between the black and the society.Meanwhile,their hard struggles precisely illustrate Morrison's ethical appeal for equal rights between the black and the white,and harmonious relationship between the black and the society.In the second part,the thesis studies the intricate relations between different groups of people.The relationship between mother and daughter is the most complex one,which shows great emotional detachment between two generations.There is no equality and love between men and women.By highlighting the friendship between Sula and Nel,Morrison shows special concern for the growth of black women.Through further analysis of the interpersonal relationships in the novel,the thesis points out Morrison's ethical appeal for a harmonious interpersonal relationship which is full of love,freedom and equality.In the third part,the thesis interprets the relationship between human and self by deeply dissecting the internal and external causes of the self-indulgence of Sula and the self-losing of Nel.Through vivid descriptions of Sula's self-pursuit and Nel's self-growth,Morrison demonstrates the great efforts that black women have made to realize themselves,and expresses her ethical pursuit of harmony between human and his/her inner self.Studying from the perspective of ethical literary criticism,the thesis unearths the profound ethical value of the novel.It finally concludes that the novel presents Morrison's ethical concern for the destiny of African Americans,which embodies its value in the construction of humanistic spirit.This is the real charm of the novel as well as its social significance.