Metaphors are figures of speech used to convey a specific ideal about the literal topic at hand. The scene in which Sula’s mother, Hannah, is burning is a metaphor for the intergenerational problems that Sula, Hannah, and Eve struggle with. Plagued with personal hardships, Eve was unable to be a “good” mother to Hannah, leading to abandonment, a lack of a relationship, and resentment on both parts. Many of Eve’s traits were passed down to Hannah and because of this, she was also unable to create a “healthy” mother-daughter bond. When Hannah burns, Sula looks at her with emptiness and a lack of emotion, while Eve jumps out of the window and does as much as she can to help her daughter. The differing reactions display how the effort and unconventional version of “love” within this family is not translated. Hannah often questioned whether her mother ever loved her, while Eve described her feelings as a love unseen and unconventional to Hannah. Sula in a way “inherited” this feeling of ambivalence towards her mothers efforts. Some of the general ways in which this scene and metaphor ties into the novel is with the recurring themes of motherhood and suffering in the development of these women’s lives and identities. I believe that this metaphor may be hiding the true feelings of the daughters’ perspective in the mother-daughter relationships. Eve described Sula’s non-reaction as interest more than hate or ambivalence. As a reader, the contradiction between the seriousness of the issue at hand and Sula’s ability to be reactive displays as if Sula has a disdain for her mother that does not show the true story of their feelings. In a way, the scene “reveils” the nuance of the intergenerational relationships they had. This metaphor did an excellent job of explaining how the convoluted relationship between Eve and Hannah and the lack of outward emotions passed down to Hannah and Sula, without simplifying it to the point of, “she’s just like her mom” and “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree” rhetoric.
Reading Journal : Prompt 6
