Plum+Peace+Sara-David

Ralph (Plum) Peace has the appearance of an adult but acts like a lost child, went to war in 1917, and is burned by his mother Eva Peace at the end of Part One.


 * Plum shown as helpless. Eva helps baby Plum regain bowel movements.
 * Plum becomes like Tar Baby after the war.
 * Eva holds Plum for a moment before pouring kerosene over him and burning him in 1921.

" 'Hey, Mamma, whyn't you go on back to bed? I'm all right. Didn't I tell you? I'm all right.' " (47) He opened his eyes and saw what he imagined was the great wing of an eagle pouring a wet lightness over him. Some kind of baptism, some kind of blessing, he thought. Everything is going to be all right, it said. (47)



Part II

Plum is dead due to Eva's actions, but brings the motif of fire back into the story as Sula comes back to rekindle the events regarding Plum's death.

- Plum acts as a vehicle to drive the motif of fire back into the story. - Represents a maternal comfort as he was one of the dependants in Part I.

-"Which God? The one watched you burn Plum?" (93)