Toni Morrison's Developing BTCass Consciousness

Toni Morrison scholars as well as those interested in the creative process will be excited about a new feature that appears in this second edition of this book: a sampling of Toni Morrison's creative process. In Part Two of this critical work, the author spotlights some of the autobiographical kernels that appear in each of Morrison's novels. Part One offers a comprehensive study of Morrison's novels, demonstrating that each one is a thematic and structural offshoot of the preceding one, evidencing a pattern of growth in Morrison's consciousness of the exploitation and oppression of all people of African descent and of her commitment to struggle for a solution. The Bluest Eye investigates the effects of racism on African female children. Sula explores avenues of self-fulfillment, but in the process ignores the collective that nurtures her. Song of Solomon reveals Morrison's increased awareness of the impact of historical and current events on the nation-class oppression of African people. Tar Baby offers evidence of Morrison's awareness that capitalism is the primary enemy of African people. Beloved proposes the only viable solution if African people are to be truly liberated: collective struggle. Jazz avows that conditions make people wild, and conditions in the U.S. and the rest of the world are life-threatening for women in particular. Paradise reflects Morrison's recognition of the African's mistaken belief that the enemy is the "white man," rather than capitalism. Doreatha Mbalia is an associate professor of Africology at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.