Sula Annotated Bibliography

The article analyzes the significance of Eva's matriarchal strength in Toni Morrison's novel Sula and its impact on her descendant Sula. It argues the female protagonists exhibit matriarchal characteristics through their acts of violence. It presents multiple examples from the novel of Eva, Nel, and Sula acting as a "god" figure, including the deaths of Plum and Chicken Little. The source is considered reliable as the author is an English professor who has had their interpretation peer reviewed and it builds upon previous ideas about black feminism and female heroism in literature by providing evidence from the text.

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Sula Annotated Bibliography

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Hailey Hansen

Sula Annotated Bibliography

Sokoloff, Janice M. “Intimations of Matriarchal Age: Notes on the Mythical Eva in Toni
Morrison's Sula.” Journal of Black Studies, vol. 16, no. 4, 1986, pp. 429–434. JSTOR,
www.jstor.org/stable/2784198. Accessed 5 Jan. 2021.

The author’s analysis focuses on the significance of Eva’s matriarchal strength and its impact on
Sula due to their ancestral connection. The matriarchal characteristics that define the female
protagonists in the novel, the author argues, are presented in the varying ways the women in
the novel commit violent actions. Multiple instances are described to be evidence of Eva, Nel,
and Sula acting as, what Sokoloff describes as, a “god” figure, including the death of Plum and
Chicken Little.

This article acts as a scholarly and reliable source, primarily due to Janice M. Sokoloff’s
credentials as an English professor who researches gender ethnicity in American fiction. The
date the article was published has little effect on its reliability, as the presence of matriarchal
values in literature has remained relatively consistent since its publishing in 1986. Not only has
the author's interpretation been assessed by her peers, who also have a background in English
literature, but Sokoloff’s analysis utilizes the evaluation of and is developed as a reaction to the
previously-standing ideas of other professors on black feminism and female heroism in
literature. Though a bias in Sokoloff’s interpretation is implied by the influence of other authors’
ideas, she builds upon the concept of Eva as the “ancestor of all” by providing objective analysis
and an unbiased selection of evidence from the novel in support, clearing its validity.

This article contributes to my knowledge and interpretation of Sula by introducing me to a

different perspective on a theme I picked up on while reading myself. I was aware of Morrison’s
care for feminist or matriarchal themes in her work, particularly in Sula, but now understand
these values in regards to the standing symbolism of newer generations as the embodiment of
elders. Sokoloff’s analysis introduced me to a new way of thinking about how the strength of
women is portrayed in Sula, in addition to informing me of a new way to analyze works
containing multi-generational characters. Though I do not believe it was Morrison’s intention to
include these ideas in Sula, I find the analysis interesting and a reflection of the perpetual list of
ways literature can be interpreted.