Resistance in the Medallion
The way Sula’s community reacts to both her life and death is an interesting realization of Foucault’s idea that where there is power there is resistance. Sula lives her life with a sense of power. She sleeps with whomever she wants, refuses to marry, allows her mother to be placed in a home, and lives life her own way. The women in Sula’s community recognize this power against societal norm and resist it by playing each of their societal roles with greater care. Wives resist Sula’s disregard for the ego of their husbands by putting in extra energy to love them and build them up. Mothers take care of their children to counteract Sula’s neglect. Children feel obligated to care for their elderly parents in opposition to Sula abandonment of her own mother. When Sula dies so does her power, and so does the resistance to it. In the absence of Sula’s power the resistance takes a turn, in this case for the worse. Though they despised her position in society Sula’s power actually prompted the women around her to be better mothers, wives, and children. In general power tends to be seen as an oppressive force in which people resist in order to have a sense of liberation, but Toni Morisson’s Sula demonstates an alternate picture of the power/resistance relationship.
Tags: power, resistance, Sula
