| In Toni Morrison's first three novels, The Bluest Eve, Sula, and Sons of Solomon, markings on the bodies of the characters--particularly the female characters--are quite frequent. This thesis explores Morrison's development of this trope over the course of her early work, concluding its development in the title character of her Pulitzer Prize winning novel, Beloved.;The physical body offers a unique canvas upon which to develop a non-verbal language composed of inscriptions which record life experience. As a language, Morrison's code increases in complexity over time. As a cartography, the marks create a map which leads to a specific destination, the place where word and flesh become one. African-American and feminist issues are central. |
