The Madwomen's Pursuit Of Identity In Toni Morrison's Early Novels

As a special social group which was often neglected,black women always received attention of black women writers and critics because of their “invisibility”.How should black women view themselves and how to deal with their relationship with other groups together became the identity problem which perplexed them for a long time.For this problem,as one of the most prestigious black women writers today,Toni Morrison portrayed multiple madwomen figures in her early novels The Bluest Eye,Sula and Song of Solomon and explored black women's identity problem.Among the madwomen figures Morrison portrayed,Pecola and Pauline's madness in The Bluest Eye represents two kinds of living states of black women.With this pair of madwomen figures,Morrison showed black women's true existence and truce suffering to the world and proposed black women's identity problem.Sula and Eva's madness in Sula represents two kinds of attitudes of black women towards their community and shows the conflict of black women's modernity and blackness.With this pair of madwomen figures,Morrison discussed black women's relationship with black tradition and black community and made it clear that cutting off their connections with black tradition is not an outlet for black women.In the following novel Song of Solomon,Hagar and Pilate's madness shows black women's two ways of getting along with black men.With this pair of madwomen figures,Morrison emphasized the importance of independence in black women's pursuit for their identity.It is obvious that the multiple madwomen figures in Toni Morrison's early novels are pursuing for black women's identity.And Morrison shaped these madwomen figures to continually explore black women's identity problem.The madwomen's pursuit for their identity reveals that black women's outlet lies in returning to their community and remaining independent.Only if they firmly connect to their community to deal with their relationship with black tradition properly and remain independent when dealing with their relationship with black men,can black women confirm their identity.This is also Toni Morrison's answer to black women's identity problem.