The Development Of Black Feminism In Toni Morrison’s Novels

As one of the most influential writers in America, Toni Morrison has published ten novels so far and won the Nobel Prize in 1993, having consolidated the status of African-American for literature. This is also a signal that they have moved from the margin to the center of the literary world. Morrison has also been one of the most widely reviewed writers by the literary critics both at home and abroad. Each of her works has drawn enormous comments and reviews. Compared to the literary reviews based on her individual works, there is a lack of longitudinal studies and publications on the development of her black feminism in her works. This thesis aims to reveal the linear development and evolution of her black feminism based on the key elements including slavery, race and gender.The thesis is composed of four parts. The first part focuses on the background of Morrison’s works, especially slavery, race and gender issues and the past and present of black feminism. The second part probes into the alienation and contradiction that African-American women experience, in terms of self-denial, contradiction with others and contradiction with communities. The alienation and contradiction render them powerless in getting to know themselves, their society and their race, resulting in the loss of their identities. The third part centers on the African-American women’s painful quest for their identities, which is also an attempt to reach compromise with their selves and communities and to resort to sisterhood in resolving their problems. The fourth part analyzes the African-American women’s reconstruction of their identities after the deconstruction in the previous stages. At this stage, the protagonists reach a new understanding of their nation, society and history. In this process, they realize the importance of establishing their cultural confidence and being open-minded to new possibilities, that is, they get ready to resort to the support network of their communities, their surroundings, the sisterhood, brotherhood and their families. The black feminism in Morrison’s works features a clear transition and development. It moves from the original frustration and alienation in her earlier works, to the revolt and deconstruction in her mid-term works to the self-reflection, compromise and construction. Her later works express a tone of hope and optimism. The interpretation of the evolution of Morrison’s black feminism helps readers appreciate her anesthetics, enhancing the understanding of the writer and her works.