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Reconstruction of Black Identity and Community in Toni

Morrisons Beloved and The Bluest Eye
By
Soyam Chaningkhombee (Research Scholar)
Email chouthoi!gmail"com
#e$artment of %umanities and Social Sciences
&IT Silchar' (ssam
Abstract
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Root' Identity and Community ha)e al*ays been the underlying theme of Toni
Morrison" Through the accounts of her no)els' Toni Morrison sho*s se)eral *ays in *hich
sla)ery' *hich *as the most o$$ressi)e $eriod in the black history' has affected the identity
of (frican (merican" In Bluest Eye' Morrison sho*s that a black *oman *ho searches for
her true identity feels frustrated by her blackness and yearns to be *hite because of the
constant fear of being re+ected in her surroundings" (nd in her fifth no)el Beloved' she
e,$oses the inhumanities of the (merican sla)ery system and its im$acts on the (frican
(mericans" Thus Morrison tries to locate $ost colonial black identity in the socio$olitical
ground *here cultures are hybridised' $o*ers are negotiated and indi)iduals are re$roduced
as resistant agents" -n the other' +ust .being black/ in her no)els does not $romote unity
*ithin the community as there also e,ists radicali0ation and class differences *ithin the black
collecti)e" So through her characters Morrison $ortrays the dehumanisation of sla)ery and
racism" This $a$er traces the $ost colonial )ision of black identity that Morrison attem$ts to
sha$e in her no)els' Beloved and The Bluest Eye" The $a$er describes the com$le, mi, of
attraction and re$ulsion that characteri0es the relationshi$ bet*een black and *hite" Thus the
$a$er e,$lores the multi$le in+ustices and the harmful im$act *hich the institution of sla)ery
has had on the identity of (frican (merican"
1ey*ords2 Black identity, slavery, black community, dehumanisation, oppression"
Introduction
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I dont know whether the bird you are holding is dead or alive,
But what I know is that it is in your hands. It is in your hands.
Toni Morrison
Stockholm, 8 December 1993
Toni Morrison is a $henomenon and e,traordinary *oman" She is regarded as one of
the greatest li)ing *riter that has brought ne* life to (merican literature" She is the first
(frican(merican *oman to *in the &obel 3ri0e for 4iterature (5667)" She has *ritten many
no)els' a $lay' a short story and a critical essay" She has created unforgettable characters and
e,$lored the $sychological trauma of racism' in+ustice' o$$ression and sla)ery in her no)els"
In short Morrison hel$s the *orld to sto$ and think about the history of the struggles through
(frican (merican e,$erience" Toni Morrison $ortrays the black community *ith reference to
blackness and the inner struggles of the indi)idual as *ell as the class differences and social
structures *ithin the collecti)e" So Each of Morrisons *orks' The Bluest Eye (5689)' Sula
(5687)' Son o! Solomon (5688)' Tar Baby (56:5)' Beloved (56:8)' "a## (566;)' $aradise
(566:)' %ove (;997)' and & Mercy (;99:) $ro)ides insights into the com$le,ity of black
community" She not only *rites about claiming the su$eriority by the *hite but also about
radicali0ation and class differences *ithin the black collecti)e" She is also concerned about
the internal racism among the race itself" Morrison also utili0es uni<ue narrati)e styles that
can be traced back to (frican(merican storytelling tradition" The sub+ect matter also reflects
her $ersonal and cultural background" So she al*ays returns to the theme of marginalisation
and alienation of black in *hite society" Morrison analyses ho* black race is treated like an
animal during that time in her no)els" =anon also e,$resses such dehumanisation in his Black
Skin, 'hite Masks(
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The negro is animal, the Negro is bad, the Negro is mean, the Negro is ugly; look , a
nigger, its cold, he nigger is shivering, the nigger is shivering because he is cold, the
little boy is trembling because he is afraid of nigger, the nigger is shivering with cold
, that cold goes through your bones, the handsome little boy is trembling because he
thinks that nigger is quivering with rage, the little white boy throws himself into his
mothers arms !ama , the niggers going to eat me"
(=anon' $ :>)
Today Morrison has become an icon for the black and her *orks are considered as the
fantastic master$iece highlighting the $roblem of racism' marginalisation and sub+ugation of
*omen' ensla)ement and resistance and the damage of identity of Black community" So this
$a$er is going to analyse t*o no)els, The Bluest Eye and Beloved' to read the com$le,ity of
colonial relations bet*een blacks and *hites in Morrisons fiction" Thus it refers to the *ork
of $ostcolonial theorists like =rant0 =anon and %omi Bhabha and $articularly mi,es the
conce$t of hybridity' mimicry and (mbi)alence"
#econstruction of $lack %omen Identity in the $luest &ye
In her first no)el The Bluest Eye (5689)' Morrison e,amines the $ers$ecti)e )ie* of black
community about beauty and the $sychological damages it created to the black *omen" The
Bluest Eye takes $lace in Morrisons home to*n of 4orain' -hio" In the no)el' the black
community of 4orain is se$arated from the u$$erclass *hite community' also kno*n as
4ake Shore 3ark' a $lace *here blacks are not $ermitted' unless they are em$loyed by a *hite
family" Morrison $ortrays t*o black families ? the MacTeers *ho ha)e the inner strength to
face $o)erty and discrimination of racist society and the Breedlo)es' on other hand' is lacking
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*ithout those strength" 3ecola Breedlo)e is a young (frican (merican girl coming of age
during the 56@9s" She longs to be lo)ed and acce$ted by her o*n community as *ell as in a
*orld *hich re+ects and diminishes the )alue of the members of her o*n race and defines
beauty according to an (nglo Sa,on cultural standard" 3ecola belie)e that if she has blue
eyes' *hich is the symbol of *hite beautyA she *ill be beautiful +ust like Shirley Tem$le and
*ill be lo)e by e)eryone" %er yearning to ha)e blue eyes culminates in madness" She is
ignoring the reality that she cannot ha)e blue eyes" Moreo)er she thinks that if she can ha)e
blue eyes then her $arents *ill sto$ <uarrelling and they *ill all li)e ha$$ily" But those
images affect the black *omen on the le)el of the body and in terms of ho* they understand
their o*n se,uality" The no)el describes a continual fluctuation bet*een one thing and
*anting its o$$osite" ( black *oman fails to a$$reciate their o*n race in terms of beauty for
they belie)e beauty means *hite" They search their identity in being *hite because they are
scared of being discriminated by their surroundings) 3ecola has so little sense of self*orth'
ho*e)er that her anger <uickly turns back to shame an o)er*helming' selfblaming' self
hating emotion" E)ery time *hen she tries to li)e her surroundings make her realised that she
is ugly and not *orthy e)en for touch" So 3ecola self segregates herself in order to earn self
res$ect" Bhene)er their brother and $arents fight she shut herself u$ in the room and $rays to
Cod to make her disa$$ear2
'ittle (arts of her body faded away) Now slowly, now with a rush) *lowly again her
fingers went, one by one; then her arms disa((eared all the hardest above the
thighs) *he had to be real still and (ull) +er stomach would not go) $ut finally it, too,
went away then her chest, her neck) The face was hard, too) Almost done, almost)
,nly her tight, tight eyes were left) They were always left)"
(Morrison' Bluest Eye 76)
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But for 3ecolas mother this fight gi)es her an identity" She considers herself a good
Christian *oman burdened by a *orthless husband as $unishment from Cod" She often
s$eaks to Desus about Chollys sins" -nce' during a fight' Cholly falls on the sto)e' and she
yells out for Desus to take him" Mrs" Breedlo)e needs Chollys sins for her sense of self"
Cholly Breedlo)e also needs her" If he hates her' he can kee$ his o*n identity free"
By the end of the no)el' her life is full of hatred *hich com$els her to isolate herself" She is
hated by mother *ho considers 3ecola as Eugly' her father ra$es her and is not able to li)e a
*orth*hile life *hich lead to $er$etual frustration and dri)es into madness" (nd abo)e that
she is again sub+ugated by her o*n $eo$le' o*n race" E)en among her o*n community
3ecola longs for belongingness" Thus Morrison attacks the socially constructed Bestern
images of beauty and the $sychological damages it create to black *omen" Morrison
(568@2:6) rightly $oints out2
%hen the strength of a race de(ends on its beauty, when the focus is turned to how
one looks as o((osed to what one is, we are in trouble)"
Thus she analyses the *ays of being that are ridiculed' demoni0ed' declared inferior and
irrational' and' in some cases' eliminated" But the community reinforces the identities of its
members through belief and heritage and indi)iduals must remain a $art of the collecti)ity in
order to be innately com$lete" Claudia' although she abhors the *hite ideals *hich are
internali0ed by her community' she is acce$ting her heritage and blackness"
In The Bluest Eye' Morrison also analyses the boundaries of black society that are set
and defined by the dominant *hite community" Black $eo$le al*ays admire the *hite
geogra$hical boundary but they are not allo*ed to enter unless they are em$loyed by the
*hite $eo$le" Bhen Claudia and =rieda MacTeer go in search of 3ecola at 4ake Shore 3ark
*here 3ecola s mother 3auline *orks for a *hite family' kno*n as the =ishers" The girls
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admire the beautiful house *ith great furniture and gardens but their )isit is shortli)ed as
3auline becomes furious at 3ecola for ti$$ing o)er a $an of blueberry cobbler'
-ra.y fool/my floor, mess/look what you/work/get on out)))her words were
hotter and darker than the smoking berries and we backed away in dread"
(Morrison' Bluest Eye 596)"
This clearly sho*s the discriminatory treatment o)er the black $eo$le by the *hite $eo$le" So
Morrison tries to gi)e a clear $icture of ho* black society yearns for their identity amidst
hybridi0ed culture" The no)el reflects the com$le, mi, of attraction and re$ulsion that
characteri0es the relationshi$ bet*een Bhite and Black" Thus the relationshi$ becomes
ambi)alent because the black sub+ect is ne)er sim$ly and com$letely o$$osed to the Bhite"
%ence a black *oman *ho is dissatisfied *ith the *ay she is treated in the society because of
the black colour of her skin can choose the o$tion of doing almost e)erything to change this
situation"
Im(act of *lavery in $eloved
In 56:8' Beloved ama0ed the *orld by e,$osing the dehumanised sla)ery" The no)el
is s$un around the true story of Margaret Carner *ho is the )ictim of racist ideology of
*hites during sla)ery" Margaret kills her children rather than ensla)e them" The sla)e
mothers decision ins$ires Morrison to *rite her fifth no)el" In this no)el' Toni Morrison
sho*s ho* the (merican sla)ery system drastically affects the life of black community" She
uses the memory of characters to sho* the brutal side of sla)ery" The *hole story is
inter*o)en around the main character' Sethe' *ho is +ust thirteen years old *hen she arri)es
at S*eet %ome as a sla)e girl" Mr (nd Mrs Carner' unlike other sla)eholders' treats their
sla)es )ery *ell" %alle Suggs' 3aul (' 3aul #' 3aul =' Si,o and Sethe li)e a $eaceful life far
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a*ay from harsh reality of sla)e *orld under The S*eet %ome" ( year after her arri)al she
married %alle Suggs and has a *onderful life of Si, years of marriage"
But all their ha$$iness falls a$art *ith the dead of Mr" Carner" #ue to hard time Mrs"
Carner sold off 3aul = for money' and the condition *orsens *hen she is taken ill" She calls
the Schoolteacher' her brotherinla*' to li)e *ith her as she doesnt *ant to be the only
*hite in the house" Schoolteacher is a )ery cruel $erson and he starts to gi)e hard time to all
the sla)es of S*eet %ome" Fnable to face the harsh reality of sla)ery the S*eet %ome sla)es
$lan to esca$e at night altogether" But *hen the time comes' the $lan is changed as Sethe has
gro*n big *ith #en)er and abo)e that she cannot find %alle so she sends off her t*o youngs
sons and the baby daughter to a *agon at her motherinla*s $lace in Cincinnati beforehand"
But the Schoolteacher finds out their $lan and beats them u$" Sethe' after getting beaten u$'
flees alone )ery $regnant *ith her fourth child" (t +ourney she meets (my #en)er *ho hel$s
her to gi)e birth to her fourth child" (fter a long tired +ourney finally she arri)es at Baby
Suggs' her motherinla*s' $lace" She *as re+oiced again *ith her children but it all comes
to end after t*enty eight days" The Schoolteacher and his ne$he* follo*ed by sla)ecatcher
and a sheriff come to their $lace to take Sethe and her children back to sla)ery in 1entucky"
They deny sla)e man and *oman of their natural right to their children" Sethe no* once
again realises that she is a sla)e as *ell as her childrens" %ere through the character of Sethe
Morrison sho*s that sla)ery )alues *omen not for *ho they are but for the ca$acity to
re$roduce more *orkers" Thus it com$elled the )ictim to become )ictimi0er" So in des$erate
attem$t to sa)e her children from the mouth of sla)ery Sethe slits the throat of her first
daughter and in+ures the t*o boys" Thus she is arrested and stays three months in +ail"
(fter she is released from the +ail she traded se, *ith a mason for engra)ing the *ord
EBelo)ed on the gra)estone of her daughter" This sho* ho* one has to sell her soul in order
to mark an identity' . Ten minutes for se)en letters/(G)" But des$ite the cruelty that is
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inflicted u$on the sla)ery *ithin the te,t by both their masters and one another' Beloved
contains a strong thread of ho$e also" Morrison not only focuses on )iolation and atrocities
but also includes the dynamic of lo)e and intimacy that re$resent ho$e for future" (fter
eighteen years' 3aul # ho$es to start a family *ith Sethe and #en)er but Sethe is haunted by
her daughter Belo)ed *ho controsl her mind and body" But #en)er' her daughter starts to
understand her mother more and more" So she takes the hel$ of communitys *omen folks to
dri)e out Belo)ed from 5;@ fore)er and returns to normalcy"
Beloved reflects the trauma of in+ustice' o$$ression and ho* characters struggles to resist the
internalisation that dehumanises them and continue to )alue and affirm their o*n humanity"
Re*riting the historical case of black sla)e mothers infanticide Morrison allo* the *orld to
see that black $eo$le ha)e achie)ed freedom and selfauthority through their $arodic
a$$ro$riation of colonial discourses" Sethe told #en)er that e)en though their $ast has gone it
still remains in their mind2
%hen you bum( into a rememory that belongs to somebody else) %here I was
before I came here, that (lace is real) Its never going away) &ven if )))it dies) The
(icture is still there))if you go))and stand in the (lace)) it will ha((en again))waiting
for you) &ven though its all over 0 over and done with 0 its going to always be there
waiting for you))) that means nothing ever dies" 1234225
So the ghost of Belo)ed is the horrible $ast of Sethe *ho kee$s tormenting her $resent" This
sho*s that their $ast is re$eatedly haunted by their $ast e,$eriences as sla)es and stand as an
obstacle in making future" But #en)er finds a ne* identity in the social structure and is able
to esca$e alienation *hen she lea)es 5;@ to look for hel$ and then she *orks to su$$ort her
mother' her sister and herself" (nd abo)e that' the *hole *omen folks of community hel$
Sethe by dri)ing Belo)ed *ho re$resents the $ain of sla)ery they all suffer in some *ay" The
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*hole community share her story and $ain' and they march to the house and $erform a
collecti)e e,orcism2
The voices of women searched for the right combination, the key, the code, the
sound that broke the back of words) $uilding voice u(on voice until they found it,
and when they did it was a wave of sound wide enough to sound dee( water and
knock the (ods off chestnut trees) It broke over *ethe and she trembled like the
ba(ti.ed in its wash"/
(Morrison ;99@' $" ;>5)
Morrison here sho*s that Sethe *ill not be able to search her identity *ithout the hel$ of
community" %ere the *ord Eba$tised sho* Sethes rebirth into her ne* life" She no* has an
o$$ortunity to redefine her identity on the basis of her cultural heritage and a ne*
transformation from isolation into communal reentry" 4ike the S*eet %omes tree and 3aul
#s sa$ling' the symbol of *holeness' Sethe finds herself an identity"
Morrisons Beloved sho*s the e,$loitation and de)astation brought by the sla)ery on
the (frican (merican $eo$le" It also reflects on ho* such de)astation continues to o$$ress
the sla)e $eo$le e)en after they gain their freedom and affects the indi)idual identity of the
$eo$le" Morrison does blame racist *ho looks at black $eo$le like animals and torment their
inner soul" But she also sho*s that there are some *hite $eo$le like (my #en)er *ho lend
hel$ to Sethe on her +ourney to*ards freedom" Thus racism hel$s to $recede sla)ery and
ensla)ed the body of inferior community"
-onclusion
The $henomenon of sla)ery is res$onsible for immense changes in the life of (frican
(merican $eo$le" It is indeed a traumatic e,$erience for the $eo$le *ho *ere once a sla)e to
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*itness the ra)aging forces of sla)ery" F$hea)als brought by the conflict bet*een the *hite
and black ru$ture' destroy and strain the traditional structures in society" The no)els of Toni
Morrison ha)e $enetrated dee$ly into the traumatic effects of sla)ery )isa)is (frican
(merican and its $eo$le" %er no)els The Bluest Eye and Beloved res$ond to the traumatic
effects generated by the clash bet*een the t*o cultures" It deals *ith the $light of black
$eo$le *ho ha)e been e,$osed to *estern )alues" (s the story unfolds' the reader is made
a*are of the cons$icuous sha$e of the sla)ery" Ironically' the fruits of freedom and
inde$endence a$$ear to be out of reach of the $eo$le as they $ainfully reflect on the endless
sacrifices made during the struggle" In the Bluest Eye Morrison reflects ho* 3ecola <uest for
true *omen identity *hich according to socially structure culture is being *hite *ith blue
eye" (bo)e that Morrison clearly mentions that e)en the black man sees *hite beauty as
something to be admirable thats *hy Cholly Breedlo)e hates her daughter" Being a black
*oman is like a crush during that time they are often e,$loited by *hite man as *ell as by
black man" %ence' it is obser)ed that Morrison $robes the mind of the reader to e,amine the
socioeconomic' $olitical and cultural $roblem during the time of sla)ery" (nd again in
Belo)ed' Morrison has tried to con)ey that black race is the )ictims of o$$ression and
in+ustices in the racist (merican society" #uring that time they ha)e been tormented mentally
as *ell as $hysically" Toni Morrison also $ortrays the black community *ith regards to
blackism and the inner struggles of the indi)idual as *ell as the class differences and social
structures *ithin the collecti)ity" The characters of Claudia and #en)er form their $resent
identities through the understanding of their (frican(merican heritage and achie)e
indi)idual fulfilment *ithin the collecti)ity" She uses magic' folktales' and the su$ernatural
elements in her no)els because thatHs the *ay the *orld is"
Morrison *ants readers to $artici$ate in her no)els' to be in)ol)ed acti)ely" She
sho*s in her no)el that to ha)e roots is to ha)e a shared history" The indi)idual *ho does not
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belong to a community is generally lost" The indi)idual *ho lea)es and has internali0ed the
)illage or community is much more likely to sur)i)e" The lack of roots and the disconnection
from the community and the $ast cause indi)iduals to become alienatedA often her characters
struggle unsuccessfully to identify' let alone fulfil an essential self" Toni Morrison has gi)en
much reader a reason to reconce$tualise their a$$roaches to (merican literature" By using her
imagination' historical element and tradition she $roduces a *hole ne* reality of ho*
$er)asi)e .blackness/ has been to the structuring of (merican Te,ts" %ence she continues to
a*e and enhance the reader *ith her craft"
#eferences
(shcroft' Bill' Careth Criffiths' %elen Tiffin" .*eys +oncepts in $ost, +olonial
Studies/"4ondon2 Rout ledge' 566:"
B+ork' 3atrick Bryce" .The -ovels o! Toni Morrison( The Search !or Sel! and $lace .ithin
the +ommunity/" &e* #elhi2 3eter 4ang' 566;"
=anon' =rant0" .Black Skin 'hite Masks/" Fnited 1ingdom2 3luto $ress' 56:>
Morrison' Toni" .Behind the Makin o! the Black Book/" Black Borld ;7' 568@"
Morrison' Toni" .Beloved/" &e* Iork2 Jintage International' ;99@"
Morrison' Toni" .The Bluest Eye/" 4ondon2 Jintage' 5666"
Shukla' ("Basker" .Toni Morrison( The /eminist 0con/" Dai$ur2 Book Encla)e' ;998"