Identity, Freedom, and Alienation in Toni Morrison’s Sula: An Existential Reading
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53032/tvcr/2022.v4n2.03Keywords:
Race, Gender, Discrimination, Jeopardy, Black, Identity, ViolenceAbstract
The present study aims to investigate the complex relationship between racism, sexism, and the development of personal identities, especially as it relates to the lived experiences of black women in Toni Morrison’s Sula (1973). According to Morrison, racism plays two roles: it shapes black identity and makes it more difficult for black women to find their own identities. The story highlights the importance of self-actualization and human agency as essential elements of the identity development process. This implies that the main concerns of the book go beyond the larger framework of racial and social oppression to include the personal journeys that each character takes in an effort to claim their unique identities. It explores the protagonists’ quest for self-actualization, purpose, and authenticity while engaging with existential philosophies.
References
Henize, Denise. The Dilemma of Double consciousness: Toni Morrison’s Novels. The University of Georgia Press, 1993. Print.
Morrison, Toni. Sula. London: Vintage Books, 2005. Print.
Pollock, Mary Sanders. “Sula”. Masterpieces of African-American Literature. Ed. Frank N. Magil, 1st Ed. New York: Harper Collins, 1992. Print.
Smith, Valerie. Self Discovery and Authority in Afro-American Narrative. Cambridge: Howard University Press, 1987. Print.
Smith, Barbara. “Toward a Black Feminist Criticism.” All the Women Are White, All the Blacks Are Men, But Some of Us Are Brave: Black Women’s Studies, edited by Gloria T. Hull, Patricia Bell Scott, and Barbara Smith, Feminist Press, 1982, pp. 157–75.
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