Helene’s mother and Cecile’s daughter. Rochelle is described as a “Creole whore” who works in a brothel called the “Sundown House.” Rochelle, who’s 48 when she meets her granddaughter, Nel Wright, seems to have no concern or affection for her daughter, and only briefly appears at Cecile’s house after her death.
Get the entire Sula LitChart as a printable PDF.
Rochelle Character Timeline in Sula
The timeline below shows where the character Rochelle appears in Sula. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
1920
...The woman and Helene coldly stare at each other, and Helene says that this is Rochelle, her own mother—Nel’s grandmother. Nel is confused (she thought Cecile was her grandmother), but Helene...
(full context)
Rochelle asks Helene if Nel is her only child, and compliments her for being pretty like...
(full context)
