Sula came back to Medallion and brought with her “a plague of robins” (89). The birds flew around in droves, then dropped dead. Sula disembarked from the Cincinnati Flyer and hiked toward the Bottom. She was dressed like a movie star and carried a small, “red leather traveling case,” designed in a style that no one had ever seen before—not even those in town who had traveled (90). A few people greeted her, but most stared. When Sula arrived at Eva’s, she saw four dead robins lying on the sidewalk.

When Sula walked into the house, Eva looked at her as she had at BoyBoy during his visit. Eva then told her that the birds must have been a portent of Sula’s arrival. After asking if Sula had a proper coat, Eva got to the business of asking when Sula would marry and have children. When Sula said that she had no intention of doing either, Eva called her selfish. She then proceeded to tell Sula what she needed to do, prompting Sula to tell her grandmother to shut her mouth. Sula then set about accusing her of sticking her leg under a train for insurance money, then burning

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