Rethinking Home And Black Community Construction In Toni Morrison’s Paradise

The historical suffering of enslavement and the persistent racism leads to African American’s desperate yearning for home and community which is both physically and psychically safe.The novel Paradise features two black communities Ruby and Convent,exhibiting Morrison’s great concern with the theme of home and community construction.Yet,a house is by no means the same as a home but only a spatial dwelling place constructed by dominant discourse,while a home corresponds to an open,diverse,and inclusive space.Supported by Michel Foucault’s idea about heterotopia and Henry Lefebvre’s space theory,this thesis aims to explore Morrison’s retrospections and outlook on the construction of black communities and homes with detailed analysis of the two heterotopia,Ruby and Convent as constructed in Paradise.According to Foucault’s theory of heterotopia,the all-black Ruby town can be regarded as a heterogeneous space for blacks to retreat from white oppression and seek autonomy.But heterotopia can also be classified into two types: a dominant one which is similar to Lefebvre’s the representation of space,embodying the dominant power discourse in social space;while an inclusive heterotopia corresponds to a representational space which embraces openness and diversity.Though the establishment of Ruby Town represents African American’s long quest for a home,the all-black Ruby Town constructs itself as a dominant heterogeneous space by forging a homogeneous black identity,establishing power hierarchy,and disciplining and suppressing rebellious bodies,and its destruction hints Morrison’s rejection of black separatism’s “a nation within a nation”.Next,the thesis will focus on the conversion process of Convent from a repressive heterotopia to an inclusive heterotopia.Its two predecessors—both the embezzler’s indulgent mansion and the boarding school for Indian girls are still a dominant space constructed by gender discourse and racial discourse,emphasizing homogeneity and stifling diversity.Those women in Convent,led by Consolata,cannily use the strategy of resistance to challenge the representation of space by dissolving binary position and reconciliating with past traumas.What they construct is a community that emphasizes openness,inclusion,and self-belonging.Finally,based on the analysis of the above two community prototypes,it examines how Paradise serves as Morrison’s useful exploration on the theme black community and home construction in reality.Though black people still have a long way to go,violence,hatred and isolation are not effective solutions at any time.The building of home should be an open and inclusive process that requires continuous efforts.