Feminine Writing in Toni Morrisons Sula

Abstract

Toni Morrisons Sula vividly depicts the struggles of black women against patriarchy in a black community in Ohio from 1919 to 1965. The three female characters Sula, Hannah and Eva are studied through the lens of feminism in this paper. In fact, writing about their sexual experiences proves to show the essence of feminine writing. It can be explained by Hlne Cixous theory in which she argues that women must write about women on the basis of their bodily experiences and speak for themselves. As a result, the explicit expressions of female desires, vivid narrations of female sexuality as well as the careful descriptions of female body based on the three characters experiences ultimately contribute to reveal female voice from womans perspective, liberate womens body and therefore break the phallocentric discourse. The paper then serves to combine the theory and practice and at the same time helps enrich the understanding of feminine writing.