Ajax Character Analysis in Sula

One of the most enigmatic characters in Sula, Ajax is a young, energetic resident of the Bottom, who seems to be a brutish, sexist man, but also proves to have a sensitive, mysterious side. It is Ajax who catcalls to Nel Wright and Sula Peace when they’re still young girls, and years later, Ajax begins an affair with Sula. We learn that Ajax is unique in the Bottom, because his mother was a mysterious, theatrical woman who practiced witchcraft: as a result, Ajax has always been good at talking to women, and shows genuine interest in their thoughts and feelings. While these qualities attract Sula to Ajax at first, it’s strongly implied that their relationship ends when Ajax gives in to his desire for independence, and leaves the Bottom.

Ajax Quotes in Sula

The Sula quotes below are all either spoken by Ajax or refer to Ajax. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

). Note: all page numbers and citation info for the quotes below refer to the Vintage International edition of Sula published in 2004.

She lay down again on the bed and sang a little wandering tune made up of the words I have sung all the songs all the songs I have sung all the songs there are until, touched by her own lullaby, she grew drowsy, and in the hollow of near-sleep she tasted the acridness of gold, felt the chill of alabaster and smelled the dark, sweet stench of loam.

Related Characters: ,

Page Number and Citation: 137

Explanation and Analysis:

Ajax Character Timeline in Sula

The timeline below shows where the character Ajax appears in Sula. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...their hats, while others open and close their thighs. One 21-year-old man, whose name is Ajax, watches Sula and Nel and says, “Pig meat.” Sula and Nel are secretly delighted to... (full context)

Suffering and Community Identity Theme Icon

In the months leading up to his marriage, Jude thinks about what Ajax had told him at the Pool Hall: all women want to die for their men.... (full context)

Sula then comes back to Medallion and immediately makes the acquaintance of Ajax, the same man who called her “pig meat” 17 years before. Ajax is now 38,... (full context)

The narrator continues describing Ajax. He loves only two things in the world: his mother and airplanes. Ajax takes long... (full context)

Eventually, Sula does decide to sleep with Ajax. She’s been charmed by his gifts, but the real reason that she sleeps with him... (full context)

Once, while Sula and Ajax are having sex, Sula imagines that Ajax is made out of gold. Beneath the gold,... (full context)

One afternoon, Sula and Ajax meet, and Ajax mentions the disappearance of Tar Baby. Tar Baby has been arrested for... (full context)

In Ajax’s absence, Sula tries to find more information about Ajax. She finds a copy of his... (full context)

...fall into the water and die: the deweys, Tar Baby, Dessie, Valentine, and some of Ajax’s brothers. Only a few of Shadrack’s followers survive. Shadrack himself stands in the cold January... (full context)