Memory And Identity Construction In Toni Morrison’s A Mercy

With the help of memory theory and identity theory,this thesis delves into Toni Morrison’s A Mercy and tries to reveal the roles that memory plays in constructing identity.Also,it tries to discuss Morrison’s warnings and advice on contemporary African American’s identity predicament.This novel is shaped by the memories of a black girl called Florence.It reflects the scene of the North American colonies in the second half of the 17 th century.Under this chaotic background,oppression and struggle among people led to discrimination between races and the disintegration of families.Firstly,this thesis analyzes the identity problems encountered by the characters in this complex background.Almost every character in the novel has two kinds of identity anxiety: identity anxiety of being the “other” in different ethnic groups and anxiety of their “otherness” in their families.Secondly,the paper discusses the role of memory in deconstructing the the “otherness” and constructing a new identity.Memory is an important part of the formation of identity and plays an important role in the construction of identity.When confronting identity anxiety,character’s different attitudes towards the memory lead to different outcomes of their identity construction.When they choose to escape from or selectively forget the memory which arouses their identity anxiety,the memory plays a negative role in deconstructing their“otherness” thus their construction of a new identity fails.When they tries to confront the memory bravely through recollection and narration,memory plays a positive role in constructing their new identities.During this process,they release the forgotten or repressed memories,and deconstruct the “otherness,” thus build up a new identity.Besides,narration is the only means to resist amnesia.By narrating memory,human beings can inherit and carry forward the precious memories given by their predecessors,and then confirm their own identity.Through the example of Florence,a black girl who bravely faces and narrates traumatic memories of her past,and finally overcomes her identity dilemma,Morrison seems to tell contemporary African Americans that: To walk out of this predicaments,the descendants should not forget the past memory inherited from their predecessors.Instead,they should carry it forward by way of recollection and narration which help them remember their identity and deconstruct their “otherness.” Finally,the African Americans should fight for their discourse power to narrate their own history,instead of letting the dominant“official history” to tell the memory of the blacks.