A Feminist Approach To Afro-Americans' Identity: An Analysis Of Toin Morrison's Paradise

Paradise, the latest novel by the black woman writer Toni Morrison, marks another striking advance of this Afro-American master's literary speculations. From her feminist perspective, Morrison not only probes into black women's painstaking quest for marked individuality but also inquires into the whole Afro-American community's pursuit for racial purity and integrity.It is to the aim of this thesis to pursue such inquiries into potential answers to these identity problems. To begin with, Morrison depicts gender-sphered identity forced upon black women in the patriarchal society and under the dark shadow of racism. Morrison keeps track of the thorny journey her Convent heroines undergo in exploration of freedom and completeness of womanhood both in body and in spirit. Portraying such three degrees of self-identity as women enslaved, women empowered and women spiritually freed, Morrison demonstrates that, with their own and combined efforts, women can become masters of their own. By contrast, Morrison portrays another group of women, those in Ruby, most self-conscious, yet remains part of the whole black community's life梕xclusive and sceptical. The pros and cons mark a notable first in Morrison's exploration of the black female identity梩hat is, black women are cultural guides to their men and their self-identity isan issue that can never be neglected in the Afro-American quest for a community identity.While exploring the question of black womanhood, Morrison keeps archives of the historical course of two black Utopias, their bitter suffering from the dark shadow of racial prejudice and their endeavors to survive as a free and complete community. This black feminist writer, on the one hand, examines that the loss of racial freedom has a strong hold upon Rubiers' ideology; on the other, scrutinizes the cultural context the town of Ruby is involved in. Examining the tragedy of both racial separatism and racial extremism, Paradise, in this regard, evokes the conscience of the whole black race and suggests racial merging. This critical approach to blackness has broken new ground not only in Morrison's Afro-American literary creation but also in black feminist critical theory. In so doing, Morrison argues that, to protect the whole black race, black men should step out of the dark shadow of sexism and treat women their equals. Only with united efforts can black people achieve ultimate freedom and integrity. Only by eliminating the evils of sexism and racism can real black paradises be constructed everywhere.