An Ecological Interpretation Of Tar Baby From The Perspective Of Trichotomy Theory

Tar Baby is the fourth work in the creative career of Toni Morrison,an outstanding contemporary black female writer in America.Since its publication in1981,the novel has attracted extensive attention from readers and scholars,and has set off a wave of research at home and abroad.It expresses Morrison’s criticism of mankind’s destruction of natural ecology and her expectation of harmonious coexistence between man and nature,man and man,and man and self.Researchers at home and abroad have analyzed and studied this novel mainly from the perspectives of mythological criticism,cultural criticism,literary ethics,narrative techniques and Marxist theories.Few people pay enough attention to this novel from the perspective of ecocriticism.Based on domestic and foreign research,this thesis applies Lu Shuyuan’s ecological trichotomy theory to explore the rich ecological thoughts contained in the novel.Firstly,this thesis analyzes the destruction of the natural environment by the whites on Isle des Chevaliers and the harmony between the blacks and nature.Secondly,this thesis explores the disharmonious relationship between the characters in the novel and the imbalance of social ecology.Finally,this thesis probes into the state of spiritual alienation of the characters in the novel,and tries to dig up the source of the spiritual crisis.This thesis aims to broaden the research dimension of Tar Baby,and at the same time awaken people’s awareness for the protection of ecological environment.Through the study of the ecological thoughts in the novel,it can be seen that Morrison not only pays attention to the natural ecology,but also gives her serious concern to the social ecology and the spiritual ecology of human beings,and expresses her hope to establish a society with a harmonious coexistence based on the equality of man and nature,as well as the equality in terms of gender,race and class.