| This dissertation utilizes the intertextual relationship between the Bible and five of Toni Morrison's novels to propose that Morrison's characters go through various stages of the redemptive cycle. The wholeness and peace that her often fragmented characters seek resemble biblical redemption.;The novels follow a progression similar to that of redemption. The Bluest Eye presents the effects of sin on Pecola Breedlove. By telling her story, Claudia shows the need for redemption.;Sula shows the next stage of redemption: release and forgiveness. The friendship between Sula and Nel represents the relationship possible between a Christian and Christ. Though their bond is broken for a time, it is renewed through honesty and forgiveness, just as a Christian can restore his, or her intimacy with Christ.;In Song of Solomon, Milkman Dead obtains redemption when he accepts the wisdom of his spiritual guides---Pilate and the men in the South---to learn the truth about his origin and be liberated from the false success practiced by his father. Milkman's transformation from a selfish rich boy to a vibrant, singing man emulates the change that redemption brings to a "lost" soul: forgiveness of sin, freedom, and love for others.;With its emphasis on emotional healing and its suggestion that one can come back from the dead, Beloved goes beyond redemption. Through the supernatural appearance and subsequent exorcism of Beloved---the adult ghost of the baby Sethe killed to keep her from enslavement---Sethe, Paul D, and many members of the Black community confront their pain and move on to reconciliation and hope.;Finally, Tar Baby uses a Christ figure, Son, to offer redemption to various characters. Those who allow the truth from Son to set them free go forward in peace; those who do not get "stuck" in various stages of the redemptive cycle. When Son joins the mythical Black horsemen on the island, he illustrates the ascension of Christ to heaven and anticipates His return to this world riding a "white horse.";These stages of redemption suggest that Morrison's novels support the liberating message of Christianity. |
