The Image Of Overman: An Analysis Of Sula In Sula

As the first African-American female writer who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature, Toni Morrison has become the focus of critics in the world of literature commentary. Published in 1973, Sula is the second book written by her after the debut of The Bluest Eyes.Since its publication, this novel has attracted the attention of many critics from home and abroad. They have analyzed this novel from various points of view such as cultural criticism, feminism, Marxism, psychological analysis, reader response, existentialism, archetypal criticism and so on. However, as a proud, rebellious and subversive black woman created by Morrison, her characteristics are worthy of further interpretation. Critics have carried out profound interpretation of Sula‘s characteristics from the perspective of feminism, cultural study and psychological and so on, but the interpretation remains open and could be further explored.Taking the concept of overman created by Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche as the main theoretical foundation, this thesis undertakes to explore the character of Sula as an overman from the following three aspects: the unbelief in the existence of God, the construction of self-identity and social values, and the conquest of the spirit of gravityThrough the analysis of the image of Sula, this thesis has revealed that Sula could be regarded as a Nietzschian overman for the reason that she could not only deny the existence of God, establish self-value and social value in face of nihilism generated by the death of God, but fight against the loneliness and pain experienced in the creation of values.