1. Analyze the ending of the novel. What are the “circles of sorrow” that Nel experiences? Is the ending pessimistic, optimistic, or something else altogether?
2. Nel and Sula’s friendship is central in the novel. As children, the girls develop their self-concept through the friendship. When they are adults, Nel feels betrayed when Sula sleeps with Jude, but Sula has also felt betrayed by Nel during the Chicken Little incident. How did Nel betray Sula as regards Chicken Little’s death and what is the significance of this mutual betrayal in their lives?
3. How do people who are intensely individualistic fare in the novel? Is it possible to break away from the values of the community and to be one’s own person Answer the question with reference to at least two of the novel’s characters.
4. How and by whom is love expressed in the novel? In what ways does the love in the novel ease the suffering of the characters? How is love not enough to diminish the suffering of the characters? Answer the question by discussing at least two characters in the novel.
5. In what ways are the various characters in the novel alienated from the community? How do they cope with their loneliness, their preoccupations, and other effects of feeling alienated?
6. Compare and contrast the journey of self-discovery for two characters in the book. Remember to take a position in your thesis that establishes the significance of the comparison and