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Essay Questions
1. Use passages and characters from the novel to illustrate how Morrison incorporates the principles and ideals of feminism.
2. Do any characters change drastically from the beginning of the novel to its end? If so, which ones? Describe their transformations, citing examples from the text to support your answer.
3. Discuss a decision that a character makes with which you either agree or disagree, and give your reasons.
4. Choose a character that you would like to interview if it were possible. List the questions you would ask that character, and then write the responses that the character might give.
5. Who are two of the most memorable characters in the novel? Give the reasons for each of your choices.
6. Discuss how Nel's grief at the end of the story is, in reality, more for herself than for the death of Sula.
7. Explain the significance of symbols and omens to the development of the novel's plot.
8. Discuss Morrison's use of inverted world order in the novel.
9. Illustrate how the motif of fire and water is threaded throughout the novel.
10. Typical of Morrison's talent is her ability to weave a magical and musical web of language around an incident of horror. List at least five examples from the novel that illustrate this technique.