Toni Morrison as an Author

Paper Summary:

This paper recounts Toni Morrison's acclaimed career as an author. It focuses particularly on how many of the characters, settings and themes in her narratives reflect her own background in particular and the African-American experience in general. The paper examines works such as "Beloved", "The Bluest Eye", and "Perfect Love". In conclusion, the paper claims that it is Morrison's combination of themes, her lifelike characters, and her settings that have made her a successful author.

Table of Contents:
Morrison's Background
Studying the Characters of Morrison's Books
Looking at the Settings Found in Morrison's Narratives
Themes in the Narratives Build Her Voice as an Author

From the Paper:

"Reading any of Morrison's books will show how she used characters to portray the narrative she is telling. For instance, consider her short story of "Recitatif." Imagine a "white" little girl who rooms for the first time with an "African-American" little girl. Morrison does not tell which little girl is white or which one is black. She uses her characterization to emphasize her theme of racism in this story. Morrison has the ability to create characters that fit the story. "In her five subsequent novels, she established herself as one of America's leading fiction writers, a gifted, popular storyteller whose troubled characters and their struggles expose the fault lines of a society built on a racial prejudice" (Grimes). These characters touch the heart of the reader and the reader is able to see the imaginary characters as they turn page after page. Take the character of Pecola's in the novel, "The Bluest Eye," the way Morrison shows allows the readers to feel the sorrow she has (Caldwell). Or, perhaps consider the story of "Beloved." "Beloved is actually written about an African-American woman who escaped to Ohio, but when they were going to take her back as a slave she killed her child rather than let it suffer the tragedy of being a slave (Toni Morrison). Sethe believes it would be better for her baby to be dead rather than face the horrors involved in slavery. The story ends with Sethe realizing she has a future and that life can get better."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Caldwell, Gail. "Morrison Awarded Nobel Writer's 'Visionary Force' Cited" The Boston Globe (Oct. 8, 1993). Feb. 24, 2007. <http://www.boston.com/globe/search/stories/nobel/1993/1993p.html>.
• Gray, Paul. "Paradise Found." Time (Jan. 19, 1998). Feb. 24, 2007. <http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,987690,00.html>.
• Grimes, William. "Toni Morrison Is '93 Winner of Nobel Prize in Literature." The New York Times (Oct. 8, 1993). Feb. 24, 2007. <http://www.nytimes.com/books/98/01/11/home/28957.html>.
• Morrison, Toni. Beloved New York: Knopf, 1987.
• Morrison, Toni. Love. New York: Knopf, 1993.

More papers on Toni Morrison as an Author:

• Book Review # 111325 : "Toni Morrison's "Beloved"
• Book Review # 119033 : "Dreams Deferred in Toni Morrison's "Sula"
• Book Review # 68844 : "Toni Morrison's "The Bluest Eye"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: