Randomness

comfort and stability, while Nel was drawn to Sula because of her unpredictable nature. They used the other's lifestyle to compensate for their shortcomings by placing themselves in the other's surroundings. When Sula visited Nel's home, "Nel, who regarded the oppressive neatness with dread, felt comfortable in it, with Sula" (Morrison 29). In the same way, Sula found a type of comfort within the Wright household. They took solace in each others presence. Sula and Nel each find comfort in what bothers the other. Nel finds the disorganization and homeliness of Sula’s household appealing, while Sula hates her house and wishes she could live in an organized household like Nel. They found relief in each other's personality," because they find their niches in each other's environment (Morrison 53). When Sula accidentally killed Chicken Little by throwing him into a river, Sula stood by him. Nel took some responsibility for the accident, even though Sula was the only participant. At Chicken Little's funeral, "[Sula and Nel] held hands and knew that only the coffin would lie in the earth; the bubbly laughter would stay aboveground [with them] forever" (Morrison 66). Their relationship up to this point is a coexistence of happiness with each other.

You begin to see the change of their relationship from symbiotic to parasitic when Sula returns to the bottom, which is shown by the flock of robins that enters the town. Just like Sula, the appearance of the robins came as a surprise to everyone except Nel. Nel understood this natural phenomenon signaled the beginning of a string of unexpected events brought on by Sula's return. Their friendship was so strong, that Nel "knew that [the robins] [were] all due to Sula's return to the Bottom. It was like getting the use of an eye back. Her old friend had come home" (Morrison 95). Their relationship deteriorated when Sula left to try and attain a more fulfilling life. Sula felt as if she didn’t need the friendship of Nel, but she did. Without Nel, she had numerous parasitic relationships with men, in order to replace the symbiotic relationship that she lost when she left Nel in the Bottom. They did not realize they needed one another until the friendship ended.

Betrayal is what ultimately leads to the end of the symbiotic relationship between Sula and Nel. Jude, Nel's husband had a fondness for Sula and Nel when they were all younger. Sula left town to pursue an education, and Jude settled for marrying Nel. Together they betrayed Nel, but Sula's betrayal hurt Nel the most. This event was the turning point of Nel and Sula's relationship. After this incident, Sula started to decay. They no longer benefited from each other's company.

All of theses events were confusing to Sula. They had always shared everything and Sula didn’t see why this was any different. Now Nel's " thighs were truly empty and dead too, and it was Sula who had taken the life from them" (Morrison 110-111). Sula took Nel's primary symbiotic partner from her. Her thighs were left empty at the pleasure of Sula's. Nel's happiness left when her thighs went dead. Since Sula now had no man, and no Nel, she found herself a new man by the name of Ajax. Sula wanted Ajax to stay with her and take the place of Nel in their symbiotic relationship. However, Ajax wanted nothing to do with a permanent relationship. He chose to metaphorically commit suicide and leave Sula. Even if he did once love her, he knew that the relationship between them would eventually turn parasitic. The man that Sula had clung to for protection left quickly without as much as a note. She said after he left, "I didn't even know his name. And if I didn't know his name, then there is nothing I did know and I have known nothing ever at all since... Nel was the one who told me the truth" (Morrison 136). Now that Nel was gone, Sula had no one to turn too, and she would slowly begin to kill herself.

Sula was her own parasite, she internally killed herself by eating away at her own soul, which was also eating away apart of Nel’s. Sula wasn’t aware that parasitic relationship could only last for so long, and now since she lost Nel and Ajax, she had no one to feed off of. This situation began her demise and untimely death. Sula went from having a blissful symbiotic relationship with Nel, who would never treat her badly, to a parasitic relationship, which eventually lead to death. She needed Nel so much, that Sula talked about her even after death. After Sula drew her last breath, she said, "It didn't even hurt. Wait'll I tell Nel" (Morrison 149). Her thoughts remained with her original interdependent partner.

Sula went through a crazy cycle of emotions and relationships. The poor choices that Sula made are ultimately