An Analysis Of Female Images In Sula (1973) From The Perspective Of Virginia Woolf’s Idea Of Androgyny

In general,androgyny refers to the combination of male and female personality traits into one ambiguous form.Considered to be the first writer who formally and systematically brought the concept of androgyny into literature,the androgynous characterization is an outstanding feature of Virginia Woolf’s works.It also has a considerable impact on Toni Morrison,particularly in the early phase of her writing.In Sula,Morrison challenges the traditional assumption that gender identification is innate,positioned at birth,and unchangeable.This thesis attempts to conduct an androgynous interpretation of Sula.Two groups of female characters respectively displaying masculine and feminine personality traits are fully discussed.Through the discussion about five female characters from the angle of two distinctive personality temperaments,it is clearly put forward that only the harmonious androgynous personality is the ideal one pursued by Morrison in her fictional world.This kind of androgynous personality can also help black women to grow rapidly and gain freedom during the journey of realizing themselves.