On Distorted Love: Psychoanalytical Interpretation Of Toni Morrison's Love

African-American woman Toni Morrison has been concerning and sympathizing with black females'marginalized position in the mainstream culture. She pays particular attention to the black women's fate in the oppressive society with patriarchy and racialism. In Love published in 2003, Morrison focuses on love which functions as the emotional bond among African-Americans under the impact of history, race and sex. Meanwhile, the psychological thread of distortion and restoration is fully explored through the revelations of the distortion and the healings of love in black families and communities. The present thesis, based on Fromm and Rogers'humanistic psychology from the aspects of distorted love and its healings, aims to identify the way how the black females seek love under the despotism.The first chapter of the thesis reveals the marginalization of black females through the analysis of the distorted relationships in two marriages, mother-daughter relationship and female friendship. In Love, the harmonious human relationship is distorted as the inevitable consequence of racial discrimination and patriarchy. The distorted love turns the once-intimate mother-daughter relationship and the pure friendship into mutual hostility and enmity. And the marriage of black people is on the edge of collapse with the destructive power of distorted love.Chapter Two of the thesis analyzes the causes of distorted love from the perspective of psychology. Transference, projection and repression are used to interpret the causes of all types of distorted love mentioned in the thesis.The last chapter of the thesis suggests essential solutions to cure the distorted love. Based on Carl R. Rogers'person-centered therapy, this chapter discloses the outlet and the way how the joint efforts of the black individuals and the whole black community become the indispensable preconditions which can make it possible for black females to harvest a breakthrough from the aspects of unconditional positive regard and empathic understanding. From the above analysis, the thesis contends that, although distorted love is equipped with destructive power, love, as the symbol of black nation's cohesion, can eventually be restored under the united efforts of black female individuals and black communities.