The role of death, both physically and mentally, has a strong effect on the characters in Toni Morrison's Sula. Shadrack survives as a soldier during World War I, directly facing the death he sees everywhere. Like Shadrack, Plum returns home emotionally distraught from the war and is killed by his mother out of love. Hannah and Eva's rocky relationship becomes increasingly fraught after Eva kills her son, Plum, but then sacrifices her own life for her daughter as she burns to death. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The first case of death involves Shadrack, a World War I veteran from Down Under, who returns from the war traumatized after seeing a fellow soldier's head blown off in front of him. While he is in the hospital, his mentality is still as if he is at war. Before carrying out any tasks, such as eating, he must convince himself that he is no longer in battle. Morrison says, “So reassured that the white, the red, and the brown would remain where they were – they would not explode or explode from their confined areas – he suddenly felt hungry and looked around for his hands” (Morrison 9) . Shadrack has gotten to the point where he is afraid of everything, including his own hands. Ironically, he returns from the war with less fear of death than when he was in battle and more while he was safe. He is not afraid of death itself, but rather of not knowing when his death will occur. As a means of facing the unknown, Shadrack creates a national holiday. “He knew the smell of death and was terrified of it, because he couldn't predict it. It was not death or dying that frightened him, but the fact that it was unexpected… he thus established National Suicide Day” (14). Every January 3, on National Suicide Day, he walked the streets with a hanging rope and a cowbell encouraging people to kill themselves or others because it was the only opportunity to escape the memory of death. Those around him know what he's been through, but they still think he's crazy and irrational. As time passes, people come to accept National Suicide Day as part of their traditions and rituals. After a terrible winter and a thaw, the townspeople look forward to and participate in National Suicide Day for the first time because it is an event they are used to and it helps them forget everything that happened by doing something familiar. Paradoxically, when for the first time people are ready to participate with all their strength, it is also the first time that Shadrack does not want to organize the march. For years he marched alone trying to gather supporters, and now that he has them, the leader and creator himself no longer wants this to continue. Shadrack was not the only character used by Morrison to suffer from serious mental problems as a result of the First World War. Eva's son Plum returns home from the war just as Shadrack did but, in contrast, has turned into a drug addict to cope with his difficulties. Plum's change into a drug addict had numerous signs that were slowly being seen more and more. Hannah is the one who actually found out he was on drugs. Morrison says, "Then he began stealing from them, taking trips to Cincinnati and sleeping for days in his room with the record player on... It was Hannah who found the bent spoon, black from constant cooking." (45). Plum's descent into drugs happened over a period of time. They noticed that he was stealing items from his own family members and leaving town on random trips. Hannah ends up being the one who fully realizes the extent of thehis drug addiction when he finds the black spoon in his possession. However, what happens as a result of his drug addiction affects more people than just his own body and self. One night, while sleeping, Plum is woken up by his mother who is there to comfort him. They lay there as Eva held Plum in her arms. Later, he thinks it is by pouring water or a liquid on him as a blessing but it turns out that it is not. “He opened his eyes and saw what he imagined was the great wing of an eagle shedding a wet light upon him… He rolled a piece of newspaper into a narrow stick about six inches long, lit it, and threw it on the bed where kerosene was found. - the soaked plum lay comfortably delighted. (47). After seeing her son in that state, Eva doesn't want him to suffer anymore nor does she want to see his drug addiction get worse. Eva's decision to throw the lit kerosene stick towards him also benefits his desires. During Plum's descent into drug addiction, Eva had to care for and support Plum much more than a normal child into adulthood. She essentially had to step back into motherhood and treat Plum like she was a child again. To escape the responsibility of caring for her son, she pours kerosene on his body while he sleeps and burns him alive. She burns him alive as a sign of her love for him, but also shows Eva's selfishness. She thinks the future of those around her is under her control as well as her right, so she takes Plum's matters into her own hands. The concept that a mother would burn her own child to death out of love is confusing and unimaginable to the reader. While the other family members, including Hannah and Sula, and the neighbors rush to try to put out the fire, Eva stands by and watches and raises confusion and questions from everyone else. Hannah and Eva have always had a complicated and difficult relationship, especially since it is well known that Eva loved Plum more than Hannah. What Eva does to Plum only hurts and strains the relationship between her and Hannah. Eva, however, shows that she still loves her daughter when she risks her life for her. When Hannah is out in the yard, her dress catches fire and burns her alive. However, Eva, who is watching nearby, nearly sacrifices her own life when she jumps into Hannah as she tries to put out the fire. When he looks at Hannah in the yard from inside the window, he looks away briefly and then back outside, witnessing his daughter's dress in flames from head to toe ignited by a fire in the yard. “She went to the window and that's when she saw Hannah burning. The flames from the fire in the courtyard licked her blue cotton dress, making her dance. Eva knew there was no time for anything in this world other than the time it took to get there and cover her daughter's body with her own. (75). Immediately, Eva jumps out of the window and runs towards Hannah thinking that if she can cover her with her body, she can put out the fire and save Hannah's life. Eva's actions contradict the current relationship between the two of them, indicating that Eva still loves her daughter. Neighbors and family members present immediately began pouring water on both Eva and Hannah, but by then it was too late for Hannah. His body and flesh are already burned too badly to have any chance of recovery. “Hannah died on the way to hospital. Or at least that's what they said. In any case, it had already begun to form blisters and blisters so badly that the coffin had to be kept closed during the funeral. (77). Both Eva and Hannah were placed on stretchers and taken to hospital together. Upon arrival, Hannah was the doctors' priority and Eva was simply left on the ground in serious condition because she didn't.