Sula sadly died in pain and alone (149). Sula's death symbolized the death of his response and vision of sex, which was different but independent. Unfortunately, the community thought that "Sula's death was the best news" and therefore no one continued Sula's behavior. On the contrary, Nel's attitudes did not triumph either; when Nel realized that Sula was dead, Nel cried because she thought she missed Jude, when in reality she needed Sula instead (174). In this example, Nel realized that she had missed the opportunity to define herself sexually and not conform to social norms. Metaphorically, both attitudes towards sexuality were compromised and neither won