Bondage And Freedom: Female Survival In A Mercy

The distinctiveness in subject matter and writing style wins Toni Morrisonworldwide reputation. In A Mercy (2008), besides her unwavering concern aboutAfrican American females, Morrison achieves her breakthrough in literary creationwith her impartial exploration of the life of European American females and NativeAmerican females.The three years after the publication of A Mercy has witnessed an increasingacademic interest in the novel and a pouring of book reviews yet in want of asystematic study. The current studies of the novel center upon Morrison’s profoundconsideration of slavery and deliberate reconstruction of American history. The motifof female survival over which Morrison always keeps watch, however, receives littleattention. The thesis therefore intends to compare and contrast the life and fate of itsfour female characters from the perspectives of physical survival and spiritualsurvival.Besides Introduction and Conclusion, the thesis consists of three chapters.Chapter One explores how the four females physically survive patriarchy throughdifferent relationships with the same white man Jacob. Chapter Two analyzes theefforts White Rebekka and Aboriginal Lina make to achieve spiritual survival andtheir consequences. After physical survival, they continue to rely upon Jacob andmistake this dependence for their self-value, thus losing their spiritual freedom andreal self. Chapter Three contrasts African Sorrow and Florens in their pursuit ofspiritual survival. They recognize female subjectivity and finally achieve theirspiritual survival through motherhood and female writing respectively.