The Presentation of the Rebel Image:From the Satan Archetype to Sula in Sula

HUANG Meng-si

Sula is Toni Morrisons second novel. The fundamental difference between this novel and her other novels lies in which the heroine of this novel， Sula， is a typical rebellious woman. Morrison often borrows traditional mythology modes to tell the stories in her works， and Sula is no exception. To have a better understanding of this novel， this paper explores the heroine Sulas image by means of myth-archetypal criticism. Through elaborate interpretation and analysis， a conclusion can be drawn that Sulas rebel image is presented on the basis of the rebel archetype of Satan in Paradise Lost， which can show the charm of Toni Morrisons narrative style， and also reveals the hardships and courage of black women in the process of self-actualization.

Keywords： Sula， rebel image， Satan archetype， Paradise Lost

Introduction

Toni Morrison is always highly praised for her regarding as a writer “with a racial / cultural identity， a gender identity， and national / regional identity” （Kubitschek， 1998）. Her black female identity provides her special experiences and knowledge to write the black female characters well， and it makes her write for the black women who struggle against the persecution of racial discrimination， the oppression of patriarchy and the fetters of tradition.

Morrison writes about traditional female characters in many of her works. Their life is nothing more than about marriage， children， housework and self-seclusion. In her second novel Sula， Morrison deliberately creates a different kind of female image. The heroine Sula bravely challenges the traditional moral values. She is a typical rebel figure. Morrison is proficient in the art of myth narrative. In her literary creation， she often consciously or unconsciously uses a series of mythological archetypes with symbolic meanings. For the presentation of Sulas rebel image， Morrison uses a typical myth narrative perspective.

Therefore， it is significant to investigate the life course of the heroine of the novel from the perspective of myth-archetypical criticism and further explore the ideological connotation of the novel. Sulas rebel image corresponds to the Satan archetype in western traditional mythology， which actually indicates Morrisons mythological narrative art in the creation of this novel. Taking Satans rebel hero image as the archetype to build Sulas rebel image helps Morrison better convey her passionate feminist views in the novel.

I. The Rebel Image of Satan

Satan has been the image of devil in previous work， but in Paradise Lost， Milton breaks through the limitation of biblical literature. Under the dual thinking of morality and religion， Milton makes Satan a hero of the age who dares to resist， gives Satan unprecedented brilliant status， which makes Satan have a positive significance. This is closely related to Miltons social background and religious and political environment. In fact， Satan is the representative of Milton himself， and Satans heroic image is the embodiment of Miltons resistance to tyranny， authority and injustice. Miltons Satan is a very successful rebel hero.

After Satans defeat， he is sent to the hell， where he suffers enormous torment， but he can still hold his“unconquerable will”. He also makes several powerful speeches before his angle-followers to cheer up them to fight for him. In Satans mind， he is not defeated at all because defeat means one refuses to get up. He claims that he will never be defeated as long as he lives， and will not submit or yield. After he wakes in the hell fire， he makes his first powerful speech “…What though the field be loft？ All is not loft； th unconquerable will， And ftudy of revenge， immortal hate： And what is elfe not to be overcome” （Milton， 2005）， which not only comforts himself in desperation， but also convinces many readers and scholars to see him as a hero—a rebel hero. Besides， he declares his resolution that he would rather be a ruler in hell than be a servant of God in heaven in the line “Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven” （Milton， 2005）. Satans image is appreciated because of such bravery. Timid people can never speak such words and can never be so energetic as Satan is. No wonder that Satan is viewed as a hero by many readers and critics.

In a meeting convened by Satan， the angels in hell can freely discuss and express their views because their leader Satan gives them freedom to express individual opinion， which exactly reflects Satans pursuit and defence of free will. When there is a dangerous quest to find the new world， their leader， Satan， resolutely stands up and takes the risk of the journey alone. Satan has indomitable perseverance and the courage to take on great responsibilities and risks. He is worthy of the title of hero—a rebel hero.

II. The Satan Archetype of Sula

In Sula， Morrison creates a new image of rebellious females instead of the stereotypical image of black females. In the American society where black and white are not equal and men and women have unequal rights， Sula bravely shows her admirable spirit of independence， boldness and freedom， and is a thoroughly rebellious Satan image. There are many similarities between Sula and Satan.

2.1 Sulas Snake like Birthmark

As for Sulas birthmark， there are several explanations in the novel？it is like a rose， a snake， a water tadpole， or the ashes of her mother Hannah. Sula seems destined to be mysterious and frightening.

If her birthmark is like a snake， then it can be said that she has something to do with Satan. Satan is sent to hell after his defeat. However， instead of thinking of repentance， he turns into a snake， tempting the ancestors of mankind Adam and Eve to eat the fruit of wisdom. He is the culprit in the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the garden of Eden. In most literature， he is the enemy of God and man， but in Paradise Lost Milton portrays Satan as a rebel hero who has a rebellious spirit and free will to challenge the authority of God. There is no doubt that Morrison displaces the motif of Satans rebellion against God and creates the black woman Sula with the same rebellious spirit.

2.2 Sulas Rebellion

Sula is set in the 20th-century America， when black people gained freedom after the abolition of slavery. But in fact， black people were still oppressed， especially for black women， whose individual identities were severely deprived. In Sula， “God” is not the embodiment of mercy and justice， but an accomplice of racial discrimination and oppression. “God” is on the side of the white and the male （Zhang， 2012）. Sulas bold challenge to the interests of the white and the male represented by “God” corresponds to Satans rebellion against Gods authority. As a unique example of black women， Sula plays an awakening role at that time.

2.2.1. Challenge to the white cultural hegemony

In a white-dominated society， black people repress their inner bitterness， hatred and anger， and cannot find their own way out in such a depressed life. As the first black woman who dares to rebel against all traditions and institutions that repress humanity in the “Bottom” community， Sula cannot retreat to the life of persecution. Therefore， she rebels on her own.

Sulas bravery and defiance are evident in her girlhood. When she is 12 years old， faced with white boysbully， she cuts her finger with a knife to scare them away. She warns the white boys that if she can do that to herself， she can do something more terrible to them. Under the long oppression of white people， black people often show their weakness and compromise. Although slavery has been abolished and blacks have gained freedom， their own free will has not yet fully awakened. When facing white peoples bully， the black still escape and retreat. However， Sula stands out from the black community， instead of staying away from white people like a coward. The seeds of free will are taking root in Sulas heart.

2.2.2. Resistance to the patriarchy

With the abolition of slavery， humiliated black women begin to rebel， trying to rebuild their humanity that has been distorted by the long oppression. Instead of unconsciously acting as the servants of men， some black women as pioneers bravely stand up and fight for their own value and dignity. Unwilling to be at the mercy of fate， Sula lights the light of hope for black women to seek freedom and equality and to rebuild their self-worth.

Sulas resistance to the patriarchal society is mainly reflected in her sexual activities when she is an adult. She keeps sleeping with the men at the “Bottom”， and always sleeps with them once and no more. It is as if she uses them as experimental article， and after she tries them out， she will throw them away without any excuse. She also has sex with white men and her best friend Nels husband. Then all the men are at her mercy. One can only find ones self and identity in ones own body. It can be seen that the purpose of Sulas passion for sex is not to pursue men， nor for self-enjoyment， but to let her “feel her lasting power and infinite energy” during sex， and feel the existence and loneliness of her self-consciousness， so as to look at her true self （Wang， 2015）. Her sexuality is not used to satisfy a mans vanity， but to explore her ego and her existence as a woman. She refuses to put mens interests above everything， and takes the initiative in the relationship between men and women. She uses dissolute sexual behaviour as a weapon to fight back against the patriarchal society. Sulas deviant lifestyle overturns the male authority and violates the traditional values of the black community.

Sula is well aware of the miserable thoughts of most black women. These women regard being a wife as their lifetime mission and their value of life. They believe that it is men who make them achieve the value and meaning of their existence. Therefore， they spend their whole lives serving men， willingly become their housewives， and bear children for them. However， Sula is soberly aware that the value of a woman lies in herself. Therefore， she insists on living on her own， without relying on anyone， even in the end she is alone when she gets sick.

As for Sulas rebellion， she adopts a radical way to fight against the old world. She dares to not only hurt herself to challenge white hegemony， but also challenge the traditional values of patriarchy at the expense of family and friendship. Sula is clearly a “monster” in Fryes view， seeking “a relationship that violates the principle of fidelity and destroys the objects” （Du & Zhang， 2004）. Because her “postmodern” sexual behaviour runs counter to the values of the “Bottom” community， she is inevitably condemned by the “Bottom” residents. Therefore， Sula is labelled “devil” and “witch”. But like Satan in Paradise Lost， Sula never gives in. Sulas determination and will to rebel are as strong as Satans will to rebel against Gods authority. No matter how hateful Satan becomes， and how remorseful he is， there is one thing he never changes， that is， he never gives in under any circumstances. So does Sula. Though she ends up being sick and lonely， she never regrets what she does. She is glad and comforted that it is herself and no one else who causes her loneliness. At least it shows that she is capable of creating herself， rather than being someone elses puppet like most black women.

2.3 Sulas Pursuit of Self and Freedom

When Sula is a little girl， she despairs because her mother does not like her. She accidentally drowns Chicken Little when she is playing by the river. Then she realizes that no one can be counted on， not even herself. This deep-rooted sense of doubt makes her lose the sense of belonging， which makes her even more rebellious. The death ceremony of Chicken Little further marks the awakening of Sulas consciousness of independence and rebellious spirit as well as her resistance to patriarchy （Zhao & Huang， 2020）. She strongly rejects the traditional life for the female and refuses to be a sacrifice in the patriarchal society. After Nels marriage， she leaves her hometown to be educated.

Sula finds out the big city is just a big “Bottom”， dull and full of sexism. Therefore， she comes back to the“Bottom” after ten years. The first thing she does when she gets back is to put her grandmother Eva in a nursing home， which is her way of getting rid of Eva. “Sula grows up at her grandmother Evas house named 7 Carpenters Road. The name and the door number of the great house suggest a creation. They are easily reminiscent of the myth that God creates the whole world in seven days” （Samuels & Clenora， 1990）. As the builder and ruler of the house， Eva is the “God” of this place. However， Sula is the Satan of the “Bottom”， so they cant get along with each other. Like God sitting on histhrone， Eva always sits in a wheelchair examining and directing the lives of those around her. What makes Sula feel repressed is not only Evas authority， but also her old traditional ideas which passes Sulas endurance.

As soon as Sula returns to the “Bottom”， Eva urges her to get married and have a baby. Eva blames her for being selfish and insists her view that “Aint no woman got business floatin around without no man” （Morrison， 1998）. But Sula refutes immediately， “I dont want to make somebody else. I want to make myself” （Morrison， 1998）. In order to resist the female destiny under the patriarchal society， she chooses to create herself and be consistent with her self. In her life， she allows her thoughts and emotions to dominate everything. She neither pleases others nor changes herself for others. She just goes her own way.

Sulas search for self and freedom corresponds to Satans free will. Satan refuses to be Gods slave， so he leads other rebel angels to declare war on God. In the first battle， he loses. But at the second time he puts hatred on Gods creation—human， which causes Adam and Eves loss of the garden of Eden. It also reduces him to the sinister image of the devil.Sula is the rebellious Satan. Her wanton vitality and destructivity are powerful to destroy everything. Just as Nietzsche said， “Whoever is determined to be the creator of good and evil must be the destroyer first， and must shatter all kinds of values” （Ma， 2014）. Likewise， Sula destroys herself in her pursuit for self and freedom. Her indulgence in sex and unfilial behaviour are not allowed by the society. It can be said that she mistakenly harms her love， friendship and family during her rebellion.

Conclusion

In Sula， Morrison successfully uses Satans rebel archetype to shape Sulas rebellious image， which makes the work rich in connotation.Living under the oppression of patriarchal society and white cultural hegemony， Sula uses an extreme way to resist the injustice in the society at that time and shows her female freedom and dignity. If the fate of Satan in Miltons Paradise Lost implies the authors strong will to be free and be not afraid of violence， then the life course of Sula in Sula is a symbol of Morrisons own fiery feminism. Sulas rebellion is actually Morrisons call for human freedom， social equality and harmony. Though Sula could not escape the fate of death in the end， her rebellious spirit is always in the heart of every black woman who wants to achieve independence and freedom. Her rebellious spirit starts to make more black women realize the value of their existence， which will surely arouse a large number of black women to take the road of black feminism.

References

Du， Z. Q.， & Zhang， Y. （2004）. Reading Sula： A myth and archetypal approach. Contemporary Foreign Literature， 80-88.

Kubitschek， M. D. （1998）. Toni Morrison： A critical companion. Westport： Greenwood Press.

Ma， F. Y. （2014）. The study of body narrative in Toni Morrisons novels. Beijing Foreign Studies University.

Milton， J. （2005）. Paradise lost. G. Teskey （Ed.）. New York & London： W. W. Norton & Company.

Morrison， T. （1998）. Sula. London： Vintage.

Samuels，W. D.， & Clenora， H. W. （1990）. Toni Morrison. Boston： Twayne Publishers.

Wang， X. Y. （2015）. Morrisons reconstruction of the identity of Black Women： Taking Sula as an example. Journal of Jiangsu College of Education， 32， 48-51.

Zhang， H. W. （2012）. The sex of God： Transformation of Edam and Eve in Sula by Toni Morrison. Foreign Language Research， 135-139.

Zhao， H. H.， & Huang， Y. X. （2020）. Identity construction of black females from the perspective of space： An analysis of Toni Morrisons Sula. Foreign Language Education， 41， 108-113.