On The Cultural Identity Dilemma Of The Protagonists In Tar Baby From Their Love Conflict

African American literature is an important part of American literature. The "Harlem Renaissance" in 1920s, the "Protest Literature" in 1930s and the literature featuring fusion between white and black cultures in 1980s are the three flowering periods in African American literature. Toni Morrison is one of the most influential writers in the third flowering period. She was the first African American woman writer to win the Nobel Prize for literature in 1993, who plays an important role in African American literature.Toni Morrison cares about the issue of African Americans'cultural identity and social status. She narrates a love affair between two protagonists in her fourth novel Tar Baby by means of an ancient folklore, and states the issue of inheritance and development of black traditional culture in American society. She wants to reveal the essence of the culture conflict between the whites and blacks and reflect the psychological suppression and emotional suppression of African Americans under the white dominant culture. Meanwhile, she hopes to reflect the reality that African Americans are trapped into the cultural identity dilemma through the novel Tar Baby.As an outstanding production on African Americans' cultural identity, Tar Baby has attracted many scholars and researchers, most of whom concern themselves with the cultural identity of the two protagonists, but few have focused on the development of their love relationship and the causes for their love conflict. This thesis analyzes the cultural identity of the protagonists in Tar Baby from their love conflict.It contains five parts:Introduction, Chapter One, Chapter Two, Chapter Three and Conclusion. Introduction includes two sections. The first section is the introduction to Toni Morrison and her works; the second section is the literature review. Chapter One is the interaction between Jadine and Son—how they attract each other and fall in love with each other. And it answers the question who is whose Tar Baby. Chapter Two is the love entanglement between Jadine and Son. Because they grow up in different environments and from different family background, their attitudes towards education, job, elders, friends and surroundings are different. Chapter Three focuses on the causes of the conflict between Jadine and Son. Jadine is a cultural orphan and Son is a watchman of black culture. Because their attitudes towards African American culture are different, they have to break up in the end. Conclusion is a summary of this thesis. African Americans shouldn't go to extremes when they search for their cultural identity. The best way to solve the cultural conflict between the whites and blacks is the cultural integration and harmonious coexistence.