2. This section begins with Nel looking back on her past and the past of Medallion. She concludes that although there are more job opportunities than there were before they seem to have lost their sense of community. Nel also realizes that she has spent all of her time and energy raising her children after her husband left, she is overcome with despair when she discovers that there is nothing left for her in the Bottom. She goes to visit Eva in the nursing home, who definitely does not look like the Eva she once was. She has also become rather senile so their conversations weren't very coherent. Eva accuses her of killing Chicken, then Nel tries to say that it was all Sula's fault but Eva reminds her that she did nothing to stop it, only watched it happen. She secretly does feel guilty for Chicken's death and decides to go to the cemetery where she finds Shadrack. Nel sits at Sula's grave and cries out to her, overcome with grief.
3. Death is obviously a very prominent theme in this novel, as it is in many other literary works that we have read in this class. I think that part of the reason that death is not considered to be a theme that is discussed too much is because everybody at some point experiences death and the effects that it has. Such as, grief. The way that Nel and Sula deal with the death of Chicken is very interesting to me. At the funeral, Sula is described as sobbing out loud, she is visibly upset by this death. Nel on the other hand remains quiet the whole time. Is this just showing the differences between the girls' personalities or is there any significance to this? Also, on National Suicide day when they visit the construction site and many die, yes, there is some pathos being developed for the characters but for the most part it was just accepted by the community. Why does Morrison do this?
4. a) Was visiting Sula's grave Nel's way of admitting that she was not necessarily the "good woman" she was perceived to be?
b) Was there any significance to the fact that the accident at the construction site happened on National Suicide Day?
c) What was the importance of Sula's death to Shadrack, if any?
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