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After high school, Nel chooses to marry and settles into the conventional role of wife and motlier. Snla follows a wildly divergent patii and lives a life of fierce independence and total disregard for social conventions. Sliordy after Nels wedding Snla leaves tlie Bonom for a period of 10 years. She has many affairs, some with wdiite men. However, she finds people following the same boring rontines elsewhere, so she retums to tlie B ottom and to Nel.

Upon her return, the town regards Snla as the very personification of evil for her blatant disregard of social conventions. Tlieir hatred in part rests upon Sula’s interracial relationsliips. but is crystallized when Sula has an affair with Nel s husband, Jude, who subsequently abandons Nel. Ironically, the community’s labeling of Sula as evil actually improves tlieir own lives. Her presence in the community gives tliem the impems to live harmoniously witli one another. Nel breaks off her friendship with Sula. Just before Sula dies in 1940. they achieve a half-hearted reconciliation. With Sula s death. the harmony that had reigned in the town quickly dissolves.

Song of Solomon is a 1977 novel by American audior Toni Moirison. It follows die life of Macon “Milkman” Dead III, an African-American małe living in Michigan, from birth to adulthood.

Tliis book won the National Books Critics Ąwąrd. was chosen for Oprali Winfrey s popular haok-dub. and was cited by the Swedish Academy in awarding Morrison the 1993 Nobel Prize in literaturę.¹¹¹ The maili theme in die novel is Milkman’s quest for identity as a black man in die 20^-century United States, as he slowly tries to piece together die history of his ancestors. He does this by taking a joumey into his father and aunt’s past, seairhing for origins.

Tlie novel is written in the third person, but the narnative weaves in and out of different character viewpoints, beliefs, and psychologies. The reader is given insight into Macon and Pilate's early lives together. as well as an understanding of tlieir personal history and the effects of slavery on the Dead family, including Milkman. The search for identity, the effects of geograpliical displacement on African Americans, and the effects of distoited love all play out as important themes in die noveL Another major theme is the idea that the individual must find freedom from not only saving himself.

■    The discovery of revolution of a distinctive black identity and community through the habit of Ig

■    Corning back to African American origins

Tar Baby is a novel by Toni Morrison. first published in 1981.

Plot introduction Tliis novel portrays a love affair between Jadine and Son. two Black Americans from very different worlds. Jadine is a beautiful Sorbonne graduate and fashion model who has been sponsored into wealdi and privilege by die Streets, a wealthy wliite family who employ Jadine's aunt and uncle as domestic servants Son is an impoverished, strong-minded man who waslies up at the Streets' estate on a Caribbean island. As Jadine and Son come together. tlieir affair ruptures die illusions and self-deceptions diat held together the world and relationsliips at the estate. They travel back to the U.S. to search for somewliere diey can botli be at borne, and find that tlieir homes hołd poison for each other. The stmggle of Jadine and Son reveals die pain, stniggle, and compromises confronting Black Americans seeking to live and love with integrity in die United States.

Explanation of the novel's title from the Author Tar Baby is also a na me [...] that wliite people cali black children, black girls, as I recall. At one time, a tar pit was a lioly place, at least an important place, because tar was used to build things. It held togedier diings like Moses' little boat and the pyramids. For me, the tar baby came to mean die black woman who can hołd diings togedier.

■ Contrast - a main character Jadine - successful woman, a model contracted widi William (son) Green - signifies Africa; 2 worlds can’t operate together