'Tar Baby'

Paper Summary:

This paper takes a look at the book 'Tar Baby' by Toni Morrison. The paper focuses primarily on the relationship between the characters Jadine and Son, and how Jadine seems to be caught between two worlds. The paper discusses how the novel confronts various racial issues pertaining to culture and values.

From the Paper:

"Ultimately, Morrison does not suggest that one character is right and the other wrong in this contention between the two lovers. Morrison suggests that each character's worldview is somewhat limited. Son sees only stereotypes of how women ought to behave, while Jadine only sees Black society as limiting, because it lacks the opportunities for educational and economic advancement that she equates with personal success, an equation that leaves out matters of the heart and body. But Son demands the same right to tell Jadine what is right and wrong as Whites have over Black servants. Morrison implies that such tyranny is wrong, in either capacity, although the unattractive portraits of the Whites in the book, such as Margaret Street, cause the reader to feel more emotionally sympathetic to Son, until he acts quite brutally towards Jadine in a sexual fashion."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Morrison, Toni. Tar Baby. New York: Plume Reissue Edition, 1987.

More papers on 'Tar Baby':

• Analytical Essay # 18983 : "Toni Morrison's "Tar Baby"
• Essay # 69745 : "Bound" and "Bringing Up Baby"
• Analytical Essay # 126023 : "Short Stories and Themes"

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