A metaphor is a figurative device in which an object is directly equated to another object. However, a metaphor is used not just to compare two objects, but to elicit a unique and creative understanding of an idea, claim, or argument by framing it stylistically rather than literally.
The metaphor I chose from Sula appears in the section titled 1922 when twelve-year-olds Nel and Sula walk through groups of men sitting throughout a road in the Bottom on their way to get ice cream. Morrison describes Nel and Sula walking through a “valley of eyes” in delight, relishing the hungry gazes of the older men throughout the street. By describing a group of men who gawk lustfully at twelve-year-old girls as a “valley of eyes,” Morrison emphasizes the men’s stares over any other characteristic they may possess. In this passage, the men’s eyes serve as tools for conjuring licentious images of the two girls in their minds. Using the metaphor of a “valley of eyes” elicits a sense of being watched and feeling exposed to these men. As readers, we may feel disgusted at picturing this scenario. However, since Nel and Sula enjoy this newfound sexuality and attention, we can infer they feel desire and excitement and do not share the same discomfort as the narrator and readers may feel. The metaphor suggests the idea of the male gaze, as Nel and Sula are sexualized and objectified, made into a spectacle only for the men to enjoy looking at. Through this metaphor, Morrison reduces men to just their eyes, and the two girls to just their bodies. As a result, this description positions the reader to observe the girls as the men do. The metaphor helps frame the unsettling mood and tensions of the story, as it exemplifies the unexpected relationship between sexuality and community.
For my visual of the metaphor, I chose a screencap of Danny Glover’s character in the film adaptation of the novel The Color Purple. In this scene, he lustfully glares at one of the characters in the middle of a wedding at church. I think Glover did a superb job of evoking discomfort in this scene, illustrating the shameless sexualization of women in inappropriate settings. I remember feeling so unsettled by his gaze and smile when I first watched this movie that I even vaguely dreamt about it the same night I watched it. This picture best represents what a “valley of eyes” would feel like for me, because as an audience of this film, we can physically feel that his glare and grin are not of friendliness but overt sexual desire. Similar to the men of the Bottom, his eyes reveal much about what his personality and thoughts consist of and are at the forefront of his character’s first appearance.