Definitions of self in community in Sula and Song of Solomon "In that place, where they pulled the nightshade and blackberry patches from their roots to make way in the town of the medallion Golf course, there used to be a neighborhood” (Sula 1). Toni Morrison begins the novel Sula with these powerful words, describing more than a physical place, but a spiritual place where a community once stood. She begins with the destruction of the community, and finally begins at the end because her novel traces the history of this community. In Song of Solomon. Morrison takes the opposite path. She traces the story of self that ultimately ends in a kind of destruction when Milkman jumps off the cliff. In both novels, however, she explores the tension between self and community and the sacrifices each demands of the other. Morrison's characters are both empowered and constrained by the strong sense of community that operates in his novels. In all of his novels, the characters are drawn into and mixed with the communities in which they live. In Sula and Song of Solomon, the struggles of my community and my characters within the community are the driving force behind much of my novel. Characters and larger communities are irrevocably altered throughout the novel, creating tension to define both individual and community surfaces. From the opening lines of Sula that foreshadow my ultimate perception of my community, Morrison draws attention to my sense of community. down. In “Eruptions of Funk.” Susan Willis says: “The first sentence of Sula might as well have been the conclusion of my novel, so complete is the destruction it describes. This is the community Morrison writes to reclaim" (315)... middle of article ......Pessoni, Michele. "'She was mocking their God.' : Discovering the goddess inside Sula. African American Review 29 (1995): 439-451. Rigney, Barbara Hill. The Voices of Toni Morrison Columbus: Ohio State University Press, 1991.Rubenstein, Roberta “Pariahs and Community.” Toni Morrison: Critical Perspectives Past and Present Ed. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and KA Appiah New York: Amistad Press, Inc., 1993. 126-1 58. Smith, Valerie. » Toni Morrison: Critical Perspectives Past and Present Ed. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and KA Appiah New York: Amistad Press, Inc., 1993. Willis, Susan “Eruptions of Funk: Historicizing Toni Morrison.” Toni Morrison: Critical Perspectives Past and Present Ed Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and KA Appiah New York: Amistad Press, Inc.., 1993. 308-329.