基于創(chuàng)傷理論對《秀拉》中黑人女性的解讀

ChapterOneIntroductionTonyMorrisonwasthefirstblackfemalewritertowintheNobelPrizeinLiterature.Shecontinuedwritingfrom1970to2003.Duringthese33years,shehaspublishedeightnovels.Sula,hersecondfull-lengthnovel,attractingattentionforitsprofoundinfluenceonthefeministmovement.ThenovelSulahasarousedgreatrepercussionsintheAmericanliteraryworldbecauseofthedistinctivepersonalityofthewomeninhernovel.Theappearanceoffemaleimageshasepoch-makingsignificanceinAmericanblackliterature.Inthisnovel,withthegrowthoftheblackSulaasthemainline,depictingthe“bottom”lifepictureoftheAmericanblackcommunity.ThestorytakeplaceinWorldWarI.BlackpeopleweresoldtotheUnitedStatesasslaves,livinginpoverty,sufferingandendlesshistory.ThischaptergivesabriefintroductiontothenovelSula,andalsodepictsthedevelopment,definitionandtypeoftraumatheory.Withtheincreasinglybusylifeandbusywork,people’sbodyandmindhaveincreasedtremendouspressures.Theadventoftraumaliteratureprovideshumanswithamediumtotalkabouttrauma.1.1IntroductiontoSulaThenovelSulatellsthestoryoftheprotagonistSula’slonelyandshortlife.ItshowsSula’sexperienceasthemainlineandNell’slifeasthesub-line.SulaandNellmakedifferentchoicesbasedontheirrespectivevaluejudgmentsaboutsocietyandlife.WhenSulawasachild,shelivedinapoorblackcommunity,andshewasrebellioussincechildhood.SheandNellenjoyedplayingtogetherbecausetheyhadcommonontopicsandideas.WhenNellgrewup,shemarriedJude;Sulawentoutoftowntoseetheoutsideworld.Tenyearslater,shereturnedhome,butinthisdecade,Sula’srebellioncharactergrewstronger,andsherebelledinextremeways:shelookeddownonmenandindulgedherself.Itcanbesaidthat,atthattime,herbehaviorwasdominatedbydesire,soshegraduallybecamecorrupt.ThenNellwassoshockedthatevenJudebecameoneofherchosensexualpartners.Nellcouldnotacceptandtoleratethisfact.SulabelievedthatNelldidn’tneedtofeelsadforaman.SothefriendshipwasbrokenbecauseSula’sextremebehaviorleadstoNellandJudealsosplitup.Sulagraduallyembarkedontheroadtodestruction.EventuallySuladiedofherindulgenceandherseriousillness.ManyyearsafterSula’sdeath,NellsuddenlyrealizedthatshereallymissedheroldfriendSula.ShehappenedtodiscoverherrebelliousspiritlikeSula.Knowingthis,sheweptinSula’sgrave.WriterMorrisoncompleteshernovelinNell’sgriefoverSula’sdeath,leavingthereaderwithendlessmelancholy.Morrison’sthinkingonthedevelopmentpathofblackwomenreflectedinthetwistsandturnsoffateofthecharacters.Bycreatingwomen,sheexpressedhowmostordinaryblackwomentochoosetosurvive:resistingtraditionorstickingontheirownwaysandrefusingtoprogress.EvawasSula’sgrandmother.Inordertoraisethechild,shehurtherselftocheathighinsurance,sheforcedtobearthefamilyburden;theheroshowedlivinginthepoorblackcommunity,sheenteredtherebelliousfeelingsmorestrong,choseanextremewaytoexplorethewayofsurvival:shelookeddownonmen,indulgedherself,finallyshedied;NellisSula’sfriend,herrebellioussometimesstrongandsometimesweak,herexplorationjourneyisatortuousprocess.Eventually,shebecamethesuccessorofSula’srebelliousspiritandtherepresentativeofblackwomenwhowereontherationaldevelopmentpath.Therefore,Eva,Sula,andNellembodieddifferentfightingspiritsandinfluencedeachother:asolderblackwomen,Evarepresentedexplorer.HerwordsanddeedsinfluencedtheformationofSula’spersonality.Sula’sjourneyofexplorationisbothlongandshort.Despiteherunsuccessfulexploration,herspiritinspiresNelltoregainherlostself.Afterexperiencingtwistsandturnsofself-identity,Nellbroketheshacklesandbegantothinkrationallyabouthowblackwomencangetoutoftheirunfortunatefate.1.2IntroductiontoTraumaTheoryTraumawasthecoreofFreud’searlytheoreticalresearch,proposingthedefinitionoftrauma:Ifinaveryshortperiod,anexperiencemakesthemindsohighlystimulatedthatitcannotadaptinanormalway,sothattheallocationofitseffectiveabilityispermanentlydisturbed,wecallthisexperiencetrauma.Laterin“BeyondthePrinciplesofJoy”,Freudanalyzedthecharacteristicsoftraumaticneurosis,believingthatitisaconstantpsychologicalandcompulsiverepetitionofsomeunpleasantexperience,andthereasonisthatthetraumaticmemoryleftinthepatient’sheartisrepeatedintheillusion,makingthepatientsuffer.Freudproposedthattheintensefactorscausedbyenvironmentalinfluenceareoneoftheimportantfactorsleadingtotrauma,suchasfacingdeath,experiencingabandonment,experiencingdisappointmentanddislocation.Theterm“traumatheory”firstappearedinUnclaimedExperience:Trauma,NarrativeandHistorybyCathyCaruth.Shethought:Thedefinitionoftraumashouldnotonlyfocusonthetraumaitself,butalsoshouldfocusontraumaticexperience.Asfarassheisconcerned,traumadescribesanoverwhelmingexperiencethatcausedbysuddenorcatastrophicevents,andthereactiontoeventsoccursinarepeatedway.Somescholarsbelievethatthetraumaticmemoriesofthevictimsareoftenfragmentedandlackofacompletestructure.Inordertorepairthetrauma,thevictimneedstopiecetogetherthefragmentsofmemoriesthroughthenarrativetoreconstructthetraumamemory.Mentaltraumaisthattheimbalancedexperiencebetweenthethreateningenvironmentfactorsandindividualdefensefunctionhasadestabilizingeffectontheindividualandtheirunderstandingoftheworldaroundthempersistently.Thestudyofmoderntraumaisbroader,deeper,moredetailed,andhasdifferentdefinitions.Traumaticeventsarenotonlysuddenandnotpredictable,butalsoassociatedwitheventsthatcauseindividualchronictrauma.AsfarasthefamouspsychologistJohnFrankisconcerned,traumaisalwayspresentinourlives.Therearemanyclassificationsoftrauma.Inpathology,accordingtotheresponseofvictim,traumacanbedividedinto:acutestressresponse,post-traumaticstressdisorder,adaptationdisorderanddisorderadaptation.Traumacanbedividedintophysicaltraumaandpsychologicaltrauma.Thesetwotypesoftraumaarecloselyrelated.Theformercanextendtothelatter,andthelattercanbethecauseoftheformer.Dependingonthevictim,traumacanbedividedintoindividualtraumaandcollectivetrauma.Theyareinarelationshipofmutualinfluenceandmutualcommunication.Individualtraumashowsspecialnatureofcollectivetrauma;collectivetraumarepresentsuniversalnatureofindividualtrauma.Inaddition,traumacanbedividedintopsychologicaltrauma,culturaltrauma,ethnictrauma,andhistoricaltrauma.Accordingtothecausesoftrauma,wartrauma,violenttrauma,culturaltrauma,religioustrauma,familytrauma,socialtraumaandwartrauma.Traumacanbedividedintomultipletypesaccordingtothedifferentfocus.Regardlessofwheretheindividualtraumacomesfrom,regardlessofhowthesymptomsofthetrauma,andwhytheindividualhurtsthemselves,thetraumaalwaysplacesadegreeofpsychologicalburdenonthevictim,whichproducesPosttraumaticstressdisorder.Traumaticeventleadtostrongemotionalresponses.Severementaldisorderscausedbyatraumaticeventandtheindividual’sdecreasedadaptabilitytotheenvironmentcanhinderthenormallifeofthevictim,sothattheindividualcannotadaptorcompletetheeventindailylife.So,thevictimswilltrytoovercometheobstaclestoachieveanormallife.Thisisatherapeuticprocessofthepsychologicaldefensemechanism.Physicaltraumacanbecuredbymedication,butpsychologicaltraumaremainsinthemind.Thetreatmentofpsychologicaltraumacanbedividedintoexternaltreatmentandself-treatment.Externaltreatmentreferstotheprocessinwhichinjuredtendtoseekexternalhelp,andformanormal,completeandhealthypsychologicalmechanismandre-establishcontactwithoutsideworld.Self-treatment,asthenamesuggests,meansthatthevictimtriestorebuild,adjust,andinspirethemselves,andreduceandeliminatetraumaticpain.Freudproposedthe“dialoguemethod”,whichistoreconstructthevictim’smemoryandunderstandingoftraumaticeventsthroughcommunicationwithpatients.Talkingcanreleasetheunconsciousofthedepressedperson.Throughthedialogue,thevictimcanunderstandthetraumaticmemories.Thisapproachisatraumaticnarrative:theinjuredsubjectrelatesthetraumaticexperiencetotheoutsideworldandtransferstheinternalmemorytotheoutsideworld.Scholarshavealsoproposeddifferenttraumatreatments.Methodsthatreduceortemporarilyrelievepain.Andpainareusedtohealthetrauma.Onthesurface,theseapproachesmaybenegativeormeaningless.However,fromvictim’sperspective,theseapproachesmayhavesomebenefits.Nowadays,therearemanywaystotreatpsychologicaltrauma,andtheprocessisverycomplexandchangeable.Inappropriatetreatmentcanaggravatetraumaandcauselifelongdistress;Righttreatmentoptioncanrefreshthetraumaandlivewithconfidence.Asfortherepairoftrauma,thetraumatheoryholdsthattraumaislatentinthesubconsciouslevelofpeople,whichisunspeakableanddifficulttosolve,whilethetraumapeoplearelikelytoknownothingaboutsomeoftheirrepeatedcompulsivebehaviors,theyareeasytofallintoexternalisolationandself-denial.Therefore,establishingconnectionswiththeexternalworldistheprerequisitebasisfortraumarepair,andthetraumanarrativeisanecessaryprocessfortraumarepair.ChapterTwoTraumaticExperiencesandSymptomsofBlackWomeninSulaRegardingthetraumaticsymptomsofblackwomeninSula,theyaremainlymanifestedinfemalesocialrelationsandfemalefamilyrelations.Analysisoftraumaticexperiencesandtraumaticeventsinblackwomen.Inthischapter,traumaticexperiencesandsymptomsofblackwomen.2.1TraumaticExperiencesofBlackWomenInSula,blackwomenhavetraumaticexperiencesmainlyinsocialandfamilyaspects.Womenplayanimportantroleinsociety,complyingwithrulesofcommunityandstrivingtoservethepatriarchalsociety.Womenalsoplaymanyrolesintheirfamilies:asdaughters,womenlackfatherlylove.Aswives,blackwomensufferfromfailedmarriagesbecauseofrelentlessabandonmentofblackmen.Asmothers,womenmustfacegreatpressuretoraisetheirchildrenalone.Nomatterwhatrolewomenplay,theyareemotionallytraumatized.2.1.1BlackWomen’sTraumaticExperiencesinSocietyThereareonlytwodefinitionsofwomeninthepatriarchalsociety:thefirstoneisgoodwomen,whovaluetheauthorityandinterestsofmen,yieldtomenandservemen,andtheseconddefinitionisbadwomen:theychallengetheauthorityofmenandresistsubordinatepositionofwomeninthepatriarchalsociety.Sula’sgoodfriendNellisundoubtedlytherepresentativeof“goodwoman”,complywiththefamilyarrangement,marryJude,returnedtothetraditionalfemalerole,loyaltoherhusbandandchildren,asamaid,sheisobedient,graduallyloseself,butJude’sabandonmentmakeshersuffertrauma,andbecomeavictim.AndSulaisa“badwoman”,Sularefusestoanyformofoppressionandcontrol,includingallthelegalchallengeofburtemsociety:shedoesn’tacceptthegrandmother’sadvicetomarrymenanddoesn’tdomaleaccessories,shesendshergrandmothertoanursinghome,sheattendschurchandshedoesn’twearunderwearandsoonbehavior,Suladoesn’tobeytherulesofcommunity,despisedbyblack.Blackpeoplethinkdepartfromsocialnormsasevil.WhileSulaisalive,theyuseherasascapegoat,blamingalltheevilanddisasteronSula’sunusualbehavior.Sula’sbehaviorisalsonotunderstoodbyblackwomen,whoangrilydisplaystheir“goodbehavior”infrontofSula’s“badbehavior”.Unusualbehavioriswrong,doesnotconformtothesurroundingenvironmentandthingsiswrong.Asanoutlier,Sulaisexcludedfromtheblackcommunity,andblackmendonotallowSulatochallengetheirauthority,andblackwomendonotallowSulatosubverttheirperception.Sulaisisolatedbyeveryoneinthecommunity,includingherclosefriendNell.Thelongtimeofisolationmakesherfeellessthanhumanemotions,andfinallychooseanextremewaytodeath.2.1.2BlackWomen’sTraumaticExperiencesinFamilyBlackmenearnmoneythroughlabortobeartheresponsibilityofraisingtheirwivesandchildren,butinAmericansocietytheyaredeprivedoftherighttodecentworkandcanonlydothemosttiring,mostbitterandleastpaidjobsinsociety,whichmakesthemunabletofulfillthemaleresponsibilityofsupportingtheirfamilies,whichmakesthemloseandlosetheirself-esteem.Inordertorelievetheirownpain,theyconquerblackwomenthroughviolence,orpouralltheirfrustrationtoblackwomen,orshirktheirfamilyresponsibilities,blackwomenhavebeeninthepositionofbeingruledandoppressed.Womenhavenorighttowork,noeconomicincome,andtheirroleistobeagoodwifeandagoodmother,tomen’saccessories,andtheyneedtoprovetheirvaluethroughmarriage.Sula’sgrandmother,Eva,hadafailedmarriage,marryingBoyiandhavingthreechildren,but“disappointedandsadmarriedlife”lastedonlyfiveyearsandendedasBoyiranawayfromhome.Boyiisanimmatureman,irresponsibletohisfamilyanddisloyaltoEva.Heoftenliveswithotherwomenanddoesn’tgohomemuch.Aslongashelikesdoingwhathecando,hecandoanything.WhenBoyileft,thefamilywasdestitute,inadditiontothreeyoungchildrentofeed.Facedwithsuchdifficulties,Evadidnotgiveup.Notonlydidshesufferthepainofbeingabandonedbyherhusband,butshesacrificedherselfforachanceofsurvivalforherandherchildren.Eighteenmonthslater,Evareturnedhomewithonlyoneleg,whichshesacrificedinexchangeforinsuranceandforherchancetosurvivewithherchildren.2.2TraumaticSymptomsinBlackWomenThetraumaticsymptomsofblackwomeninSulaaremainlymanifestedinsocietyandfamilies.Fromslavesocietytocapitalistsociety,blackwomenweredeprivedofrighttoparticipateinsocialaffairsandrighttoputforwardtheirownreasonabledemands,andexperiencedsocialtrauma.Blackwomen,identifiedasmothers,wivesanddaughters,neededtobearthetraumaoffamilybreakdown.Blackwomenpresentedtypicaltraumaticsymptomsacrossdifferenttraumaticexperiences.2.2.1TraumaticSymptomsofBlackWomeninSocietySulaandNellhadadeepfriendshipintheirchildhood.Theygrewupindifferentfamilyenvironments,butappreciatedeachother.Althoughtheirfamilycircumstancesaredifferent,theyallfeellonelyathomeandformclosefriendshipsbecausetheyhavecommonemotionsandcommontopics.Nell’sfamilyenvironmentoppressedher.OnlywhenshewastogetherwithSula,shefeelrelaxed.Theyareveryclose,interdependentandsupporteachotheronaspirituallevel.Thedifferencesintheirfamilieslivingenvironmentandeducationalconceptshaveledtothedifferencesintheirconceptsofmarriage,sexualityandfamily.Nellchosetothelifeofatraditionalwoman.Herhusbandwascenteredandbelievedthatmarriagewasmoreimportantthanfriendship.Sulaisaloof,rebellious,notboundbysocialnorms.Sulaseessexualrelationshipsasawaytoventherpain,andevenshedidn’trealizeithurtNellwhenshehadsexwithNell’shusband,Jude,butforNell,Sulabetrayedtheirfriendship.Forsurvivors’confidenceandsocialperceptionisparticularlyseverewhentraumaticeventsareassociatedwiththebetrayalofimportantrelationships,impressionsoftraumaticeventsareoftenconcentratedonamomentofbetrayal,anditisdestructionofthissenseoftrustthatcreatesstrongemotionalforces.Inthecollapseofloveandfriendship,Nellexperiencedthedeepestpain,themostunspeakablepain.NellandSula’sdifferentviewsonthepatriarchalsocialviewofmarriageledtothebreakdownoftheirfriendship,bothsufferingfromfriend’sbetrayalandcuttingofftherelationshipamongthewomenandtheblackcommunity.Sulawasexcludedandisolatedbyblacksocietyforviolatingthefamilyvaluesandethicsofapatriarchalsociety;shediedofdepression.Therelationshipamongthewomenwasbroken.Forthetreatmentoffemaletrauma,womenneedtotalktoeachotherandwitnessthetraumatogether,inordertoachievemutualunderstandingandrelievedepression.2.2.2TraumaticSymptomsinBlackWomeninFamilyAfterbeingabandonedbytheirhusbands,blackwomendonottrustothers,theyfeelpsychologicallydesperatethattheynolongertrustothers,andtheyshowtraumaticsymptomsofemotionalnumbness.Theso-calledforgettingcausedbytraumaisjustpretendforgetting,whichistransmittedhorizontallytootherrelativesandrelatedfamiliesinfamiliesandinsociety,andverticallytoseveralgenerations.Sometimesthetraumacontinuesinthewayoftreatingthepersonback,andthenmanyyearsagothevictimbecomestheperpetrator.Ontheonehand,Evalacksopportunitytotreatandrecoverthetrauma,andsheunconsciouslyescapeshermemory,whichisoneofthetraumaticsymptoms.Hertraumapermeatesandexternalizesineverydaywordsandactions.Underherinfluence,herdaughterandgranddaughteralsoindirectlyexperiencedtrauma,whichnotonlyaffectedtheirintimaterelationship,butalsohinderedtheformationoftheirmentalhealth.Eva’straumaticexperiencemakesherverytempered.Takingtheresponsibilityofraisingchildrenalonecausedherlackofcommunicationwithherchildren,whicheventuallyledtothetragedy.Ontheotherhand,Evahasdelayedtraumaticsymptoms.Delayedcharacteristics:Whenthetraumaoccurs,theunderstandingofthetraumaisnotcompleteandwillcontinuetoaffectthevictims.WhenEvawasabandonedbyherhusband,shehadnotimetoconsiderherinjuriesbecausehowsheandherchildrensurviveisatoppriority.Therefore,shedidnotshowintensetraumaticsymptomsatthattime.Butwhenshecamebacktoseehimagain,shefeltveryangryanddepressed.Shedecidedtohatehimforalifetime,andshecreatedasenseofsecuritywhensheneededtostrengthenorprotectherself,whichcanremainintrivialmomentsandEvagetcontentintheimagination.Youngchildrenareneglected,orabusedbytheirparents.Childrenareintheearlystagesofdevelopmentandgrowth,andtheirbodiesandmindsarestillrelativelyfragileandsensitive,andtheirgrowthlargelydependsontheirparentscaringandcultivating.Theimpactofparents,especiallymothers,ontheirchildrenisenormous.Ifparentsorrelativesdislikeoralienatechildren,therelationshipcanbedestroyed,childrenfeelhelplessandinsecure;inthiscase,childhoodtraumaoccurs.Sulalostherfatherwhenshewasyounganddidnotfeelherfather’slove.Hermother,Hannah,didnotknowhowtocommunicatewithherdaughterandshowedthatshedidnotlikeSula.Sula’sfamilyneedsarenotmet,formingchildhoodtrauma.ChapterThreeCauseofTraumaforBlackWomeninSulaBlackAmericanwomenareatthebottomofsociety.Fromsocialpointofview,theynotonlysufferfromdiscriminationofwhitepeople,butalsosufferfromoppressionofmalepower.ThesearemaincausesoftraumainBlackwomen.Fromfamilyperspective,complexfamilybackgroundandbreakdownoffamilyrelationshipsareanothermajorcauseoftraumaamongBlackwomen.Toexplorewaysoutoftrauma,blackwomenmustfirstunderstandthecausesoftheirtrauma.3.1SocialReasonsByunderstandingsocialbackgroundofblackwomen,wecanknowthatracialdiscriminationistheirfirstsurvivaldilemma,whileaswomen,genderoppressionistheirsecondsurvivaldilemma.Racialdiscriminationandgenderoppressionarethemostprominentcharacteristicsofblackwomen’slives,andthesetwofactorshaveaprofoundimpactontheidentityofblackwomen.Therefore,themaincontentoftheuniqueidentityofblackwomenisracialidentityandgenderidentity.3.1.1DiscriminationbyWhitesForwhitepeople,blackpeoplelivedinnoman’sland.Noman’slanddidnotmeanthatnooneliveshere,butthatthelocalpeople,blackswereignorant,theycannotbereallycalled“residents”.Inthesametime,blackwaslikeadarksky.Theywereinvisiblepeople.Theywereseparatedbywhitepeople,andthewhitesocietyestablisheda“blackandwhite”boundary.The“freedom”ofblackslaveswasfirmlyinthehandsofwhiteslaveowners.Whitepeoplelivedinrichvalleys,whileblackresidentscouldonlyliveonthehillsabovethevalleys,andthehillswhereblackpeoplewerecalled“bottomfloor”bywhitepeople.Theresidentialboundarybetweenblackandwhitepeoplewasclearlydefined.Blacksweretrickedintolivingwithsevereerosion,thoughtheownershipoflandatthe“bottom”alsobelongedtowhites.Themotiveofwhiteslaveownerstodeceiveblackslavesintolivinginthe“l(fā)owerclass”fullyreflectsthediscrimination,expulsionandoppressionofblackpeopleinwhitesociety.InthenovelSula,theauthorMorrisonusesalotofinktodescribenegativeandethicalchoiceofblackpeopleunderracialoppression.DuringhertriptoNewOrleans,Nell’smother,Helena,wasgoodlookingandenjoyedhighprestigeintheblackcommunity,butthistripdealtabigblowtoNell’smind.Nellandhermotheranddaughterstumbledintothewhitecarinchaos,butimmediatelyattractedtheconductorshoutedabusively.Nell’sproud,wonderfulmotherinhermemoryhadtobegherfriendwithasmile.Thetwoblacksoldiersinthesamecarwerehelplesstheycouldnottoresist,andtheireyeswereallwet.Forblackpeople,theoppressionofwhitepeoplehadgonedeepandcouldnotbefoughtagainst.3.1.2OppressionofMalePowerThehistoryofhumancivilizationisahistoryofpatriarchyandpatriarchalrule.Peoplehavenevercorrectlyunderstoodandrespectedstatusandroleofwomen.Womenhavebeeninanimproperstate,theyaredominatedandruledbymen.Theyhavebeensuppressedanddiscriminatedagainstbygenderandareseenas“secondary”or“other”.Theyarevulnerablegroupsunderthepower,andareknownas“silentothers”.Womeninhistoryareprivatepropertyofmen,andtheiridentitiesarecreatedbymen:theyaredaughtersoffathers,sistersofbrothers.Theymovefromtheirfather’shousetotheirhusbands.Thesocialandeconomicstatusofwomenentirelydependsonthewillofthemen.Theculturalstandardofhumanidentityismaleidentity.InAmerica,blacksareoppressedgroups;theyaremarginalizedbywhitepeople.Ontheinneredgeofblacks,thereisapatriarchalorderblackconsciouslyacceptthehierarchyinwhitesocietyandinternalizeitnaturallyorhalf-unconsciously.Asocialstructureemergesinwhichwhitemenareatthetopandwhitewomencomesecond;blackmencomethirdandblackwomenstruggleatthebottom.Blackmenmaybethevictimsofracialdiscrimination,butgenderdiscriminationallowsthemtoactastheexploitersandoppressorsofwomen.Blackwomensufferfromdoubleoppression,andtheirrightsaredeprivedbyblackpeopleafterbeingdeprivedbywhitepeople,sotheyarethemostsilentandhelplessgroupinAmericansociety.3.2FamilyReasonsThebasicunitthatconstitutesasocietyisthefamily.Familycareplaysanimportantroleinpeople'slife.Forpeoplelivinginthefamily,familyreasonsareamajorreasonthatwecannotignore.Therefore,inthispart,wewillexplorethefamilycausesoftraumatoblackwomenintwoaspects:thecomplexityoffamilybackgroundandthebreakdownoffamilyrelationships.3.2.1ComplexityofFamilyBackgroundEvaisabandonedbyherhusband,Boyi,leavingthreeyoungchildren,herdaughterHannahmeetsamanwholikestotalkandlaughwithher.Unfortunately,herhusbanddiedwhenherdaughterSulawasthreeyearsold.Forhermother,Eva,shelostherhusband;forHannah,shelostherfatherandhusband;forSula,shelostherfatherandgrandfather.Themainmembersofthewholefamilyarecomposedofwomen,theonlymalebeingEva’sson“Plum”,whofacestwomoralchoices.ThefirstchoiceisthatEvacanchoosetohelphimstoptakingdrugs,awakenhimwithmaternallove,helphimcheerupandstarthislifeagain.Thesecondoptionistohelphimoutofthepainofreality,whichistokillMay.Forvariousreasons,Evapersonallykilledherson.Sofar,theonlymaninthefamilyhasalsodied.TherearenotanymalecharactersinSula’sfamily.SoSula’sfamilybackgroundisextremelyresponsible.3.2.2TheBreakdownofFamilyRelationshipsAccordingtothetraumatheory,ifyoungchildrenareneglectedorabusedbytheirparents,theywillformchildhoodtrauma,resultingintheirfailuretoformahealthypsychologicalandsoundpersonality.Infact,blackwomensufferfromchildhoodtrauma.Theyareignoredbytheirparents,andtheywillfeelhelpless,whichleavesashadowintheirhearts.InSula,Boyiabandonedheryoungchild,soEva’schildgrewupinafamilyenvironmentwithoutafather’slove,whichleadtoHannah’slackofemotionalattachmenttoherparents.Afterbecomingamother,shedoesnotknowhowtotakecareofherdaughterandloveherdaughter,anddoesnotknowhowtocommunicatewithherdaughter,whichleadtothetragedyofSula.Herfatherdiedwhenshewasthree,andshelivedwithhermotherandgrandmother.Thelackoftheroleofthefatherwillinevitablyleadtothechildbecomingmoredependentontheirmother,withthechildfocusingneedforloveforbothparentsononeperson.MotherisSulaintheworld’smostwarmbay,istheonlyrelyon.Bychance,however,sheoverheardhermother’sconversationwithothers.ThemothermadeitclearthatshedidnotlikeSulaandseemedtoraiseher.Myclosestmotherdidnotlikeher,whichmadeSulaevenmorepainful.Theabsenceoffatherlyloveandthemother’sbehaviorgiveSulaanextremepersonalitywhendealingwithsexualrelationships.GrandmotherEvapersonallykilledhisson“plum”,Sula’sfeelingsaremoreindifferent,numb.InthefaceofmotherHannahcryinginthefire,grandmotherEvadesperatelytryingtosaveherdaughter,Sulajuststoodsilently,indifferently.ForSul