The Development And Transformation Of Toni Morrison’s Female Consciousness

Toni Morrison is absolutely a unique women writer that can not be neglected in the 20 th century. She is one of the most outstanding contemporary black female writers in both United States and the whole world who has produced many vital female images and characters. In different stages there are different main characters in her works that can reflect the development of Morrison?s female consciousness. This thesis selects Toni Morrison?s four works-The Bluest Eye, Sula, Beloved and Paradise, to analyze the main female characters with the theory of Black Feminist Criticism, trying to illustrate the changes of Morrison?s female consciousness. T he research can not only contribute to a better understanding about the development of Toni Morrison?s female consciousness but also achieve the literary practical effectiveness.The thesis is divided into five parts:Chapter One mainly presents a brief introduction to Toni Morrison and her works. What?s more, the author points out the purpose and significance of this thesis.Chapter Two is literature review on Toni Morrison and her works at home and broad.Chapter Three is theoretical part of the thesis, which mainly introduces Feminism and American Black Feminist Criticism.Chapter Four is about the three stages of development of Toni Morrison?s Female Consciousness. The first stage is black women?s loss period, the main character of which is Pecola in the Bluest Eye. Due to the erosion of white-dominated Culture, irresponsibility of both the parents and the Black Community and persecution of racism, black women lost their subjective consciousness. The second stage is the awakening period of black women?s subjective consciousness. Because of the class oppression, gender oppression and racial oppression, black women start to struggle. The typical character is Sula and Sethe, one of whom searches for self to resist patriarchal society oppression in an experimental way while the other resists slavery oppression by killing her own daughter. The third stage is the self-realization of Black women?s subjective consciousness. In this period, black women try to achieve the self-realization with independence and confidence, meanwhile establishing a harmonious relationship with male. The typical female character of this period is consolata, a feminist image full of love, who leads the black women to find the self with her love and forgiveness and promotes the deve lopment of the harmonious relationship between men and women.Chapter Five is conclusion. With analysis of the main female characters in these four works and the illustration of Morrison?s female consciousness, the summary of the whole thesis will be given.