A Study Of Spatial Narrative In Song Of Solomon

Toni Morrison,the first African-American female writer,was the winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature(1993).she is quite expert at using subtle and accurate language to depict the colorful spiritual world of the characters.She is therefore regarded as one of the most influential female writers in American literary history.Her works are deeply entrenched in the unique history,legends and real life of African-Americans and vividly depict the life of African-American group.Song of Solomon is Morrison’s first work with a focus on the growth of a male protagonist,which recounts the conflicts between Milkman and his family members,his constant exploration of the family cultural history and his realization of self-growth on his journey of gold-seeking in the south.Based on Henry Lefebvre’s Space Theory,this thesis explores the spatial narrative function of Song of Solomon from three aspects: physical space,mental space and social space.From the perspective of space theory,this thesis probes into such themes as racial discrimination,class conflicts and African-Americans “root-seeking” that still exist in American society in the 1960 s and 1970 s.Morrison constructs a multidimensional narrative space from different angles,develops the plots through the transformation of different spaces,highlights the social reality by the detailed description of different spaces and vividly portrays the characters,which demonstrates the obvious spatial narrative characteristics.The physical space in Song of Solomon not only constructs the narrative framework of the story but also develops the plots.The public space reflects the social reality of racial discrimination and different private spaces reflect the protagonists’ different images and cultural attitudes—Macon Dead II’s alienation from the black community;Pilate’s inheritance of black culture.Morrison uses dialogue,memory,monologue and other techniques to construct the mental space of the Dead couple,Milkman and Hagar,to show the abnormal relationship of the two pairs of lovers in the text.The division of residents’ living space in the northern social space reveals the conflict between African-Americans and white people and the marginalization of AfricanAmericans.The common cultural memory in the southern social space enlightens the protagonist and helps him to accomplish his journey of self-identity.By the analysis of spatial narrative of Song of Solomon,this thesis confirms the role of space in deepening the theme of the novel,portraying the characters and developing the plots,which aims to figure out Morrison’s intention—expose harsh racial discrimination and pressure and appeal for improving the living conditions of the African-Americans.