“Spiritual” Friendship in Toni Morrison’s Sula

“Spiritual” Friendship in Toni Morrison’s Sula Most of the pieces of African American literature we have explored thus far, deal with an individual search for identity. In "Sula," Toni Morrison takes an atypical approach, having her character’s search for identity take place together, rather than individually. This joint search for identity translates into a book that is actually about friendship. However this friendship functions not only on a superficial level, but also on …

…time, I thought I was missing Jude." And the loss pressed down on her chest and came up into her throat. "We was girls together," she said as though explaining something. "O Lord, Sula," she cried, "girl, girl, girlgirlgirl." Nel and Sula were not just girls together at the same time; they were girls together as one. Then Nel’s eventual recognition of this lost bond finally reunites the two women on a spiritual level.