I am almost finished with this amazing book, so this is my final blog about it. I'm glad that I decided to read this novel.
So far I have introduced you to the book, gave insight to characters, and told you about key facts. Now i'm going to tell you more about the themes wounded into Toni Morrison's Tar Baby.
Femininistic views and hardships is one theme incorporated into Tar Baby. Women in this novel are inferior because of their gender. They are dehumanized and not respected. This is seen when Gideon talks about Theresa's ignorance. It is also illustrated when Son questions Jadine about how she gets things in life.
The women in Tar Baby are also mothers, mostly. This motherhood is shown in a good and bad way. Margaret seems like a loving mother at the beginning, but we find out that she abused her son.
Jadine goes through many phases trying to find out what fits her. She tries modeling, a career, and even tries the mother role. Because of the outside view of women and the struggles she encounters, Jadine is not able to find herself which really frustrates her.
Another theme is the nature versus the society. This theme is illustrated with Jadine and Son. Jadine likes the cultural life and civilization, while Son prefers the natural order of things. In the end, Jadine and Son can not be together because of their different views and lifestyles which are indicative of nature and civilization; they can not coexist in harmony successfully.
Toni Morrison also incorporates the past with the present. She also touches on appearance and beauty relating to power and ranking and the way you are viewed in society. Son starts off rugged looking, but when he cleans up, the people of L'Arbe de la Croix are more inviting. Margaret Street is also viewd as high-class because of her beauty.
All of these themes and more are jumbled together and organized into a masterpiece referred to as Tar Baby. Toni Morrison did a great job of writing and using different symbols.
This book was a great read. I hope you decide to read it and find out for yourself.
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ReplyDeleteI'm glad you've found books to enjoy! I also was struck by how accurate and insightful Welty's observations are about what it is to be a reader.
Three more suggestions (all nonfiction): The Autobiography of Malcolm X, Angela's Ashes, The Glass Castle--all easy to read and very interesting and AP-worthy. One fiction suggestion that came to me while we viewed the film in homeroom on Thursday: Meridian by Alice Walker. It's about a young woman involved in the Civil Rights movement--in Meridian, Miss. and in the middle in other ways as well.