Tar Baby

Toni Morrison is a leading voice in African American literature, and her novels possess an important place in the American literary canon. Morrison, who wrote 11 novels over the course of her career, was largely influenced by her family and their experiences: “Morrison grew up in the American Midwest in a family that possessed an intense love of and appreciation for Black culture” (“Toni Morrison.” Encyclopaedia Britannica). Morrison’s novels focus on the experiences of African Americans, and many stand as an analysis of different periods of American history. Many of her novels examine the pressures of white societal standards. For example, The Bluest Eye (1970) follows the story of a Black girl who wishes fervently for blue eyes. Morrison’s subsequent novels each follow characters searching for identity and struggling with community in a society that often seeks to control and shape them. This represents a common thread in Morrison’s works: Her characters contend with injustice and the legacy of slavery while trying to understand their own identities.

Additionally, Morrison explores different periods of American history and the African American experience during each period, such as in her Beloved trilogy. The first novel in the trilogy, Beloved (1987), is based on the true story of a runaway enslaved woman who kills her infant daughter to save her from being enslaved, exploring the impact of the American enslavement of Black people. The second in the trilogy, Jazz (1992), is a violent story of love set in 1920s Harlem, exploring the Harlem Renaissance and the rise of jazz. The last novel of the trilogy, Paradise (1998), depicts a Black utopian town in Oklahoma, and the pressures to keep it safe and afloat. Morrison’s work enjoys critical success, even after her death in 2019, and Beloved was made into a movie in 1998, starring Oprah Winfrey. Morrison is considered one of the best American authors of the 20th century, and one factor contributing to this reputation is her ability to write novels across different genres, with different topics and diverse plots, yet pursue consistent themes throughout her work.