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Unit10-The-Bluest-Eye1/28Unit10TheBluestEye(Excerpts)ToniMorrisonAdditionalBackgroundInformationToniMorrisonToniMorrisonhasauniquestatusinAmericanliterature.SheisthewinneroftheNationalBookCriticCircleAward(1977),thePulitzerPrizeforFiction(1988)andmanyotherliteraryawards.ShewasgrantedtheNobelPrizeforLiteraturein1993,thusbecomingthefirstAfrican-Americanwritertoreceivethishonor.Shehaspublished10novels,amusical,aplay,andacollectionofcriticalessays.Herdevotedreadersarefoundallovertheworld,andtheyincludebothsexesandallcolors,agesandcreeds.AmemberofboththeNationalCouncilontheArtsandtheAmericanAcademyandInstituteofArtsandLetters,MorrisonhasactivelyusedherinfluencetoencouragepublicationoftheworksofotherAfrican-Americanwriters.ToniMorrisonwasbornChloeAnthonyWoffordinLorain,Ohioin1931.Shecamefromafamilyofsharecroppers,whomovedfromtheSouthtoOhiotoescapeSouthernracism.Attheageof18MorrisonwenttoWashington,D.C.toattendHowardUniversity,themostdistinguishedblackcollegeinAmerica,whereshebecameinterestedinthestageandjoinedtheHowardUniversityPlayers.AftersheearnedaB.A.inEnglishfromHowardshewenttoCornellUniversityforgraduatestudiesinEnglishliterature.UponreceivingaM.A.fromCornell,shebeganherteachingcareer.From1955to1957shetaughtEnglishatTexasSouthernUniversity,andfrom1957to1964shetaughtatHoward.In1965,shebecameasenioreditoratRandomHouse,wheresheeditedanumberofAfrican-Americanwriters.In1958shemarriedHaroldMorrison,aJamaicanarchitectandhadtwosons.In1964theydivorcedandsheraisedthetwosonsbyherself.Shebeganwritingin1962.Herfirstworkwasashortstory,whichwouldlaterdevelopintoherfirstnovelTheBluestEye(1970).IttellsthestoryofalittleblackgirlnamedPecolaBreedlove,whoyearnstohavethebeautifulblueeyesofawhitegirl.Shebelievesthatifonlyshehadblueeyes,herlifewouldbehappy.In1971Morrisonresumedherteachingcareer,teachingEnglishatNewYorkUniversity,servingasavisitingprofessoratYalefrom1976to1978,attheStateUniversityofNewYorkatAlbanyfrom1984to1989.Since1989shehasbeenteachingatPrincetonUniversityasamemberoftheAfrican-Americanstudiesprogramandofthecreativewritingdepartment.Meanwhileshecontinuedherwriting.Hernextnovel,Sula(1974)examinesthefriendshipbetweentwoblackwomenSulaandNel,depictinghowtheygrewuptogetherbuttookdifferentlifepathsintheirmaturity.ThenovelwontheNationalBookCriticAward.TheSongofSolomon,publishedinUnit10-The-Bluest-Eye2/281977,wasagreatersuccessthanherpreviousnovels.SetinMichiganintheearly1930s,thenovelisnarratedfromamale’spointofview.Inhiseffortstorecoverhisancestor’sproperty,asackofgold,MilkmanDeadrediscovershisracialrootsandculturalidentity.ThenovelwasaBook-of-the-MonthClubselection,anditplacedToniMorrisoninthefirstrankofAmericannovelists.TarBabycameoutin1981.Unlikeherpreviousnovels,thisbookhasbothAfrican-Americanandwhitecharacters.Byjuxtaposingtheminthecentralconflictoftheplot,theauthordramatizestheracialcomplexitiesthatcharacterizetheAmericanculturallandscape.Publishedin1987,Morrison’snextworkBeloveddealswithslaveryandinfanticide.ItwasanothertriumphandthewinnerofthePulitzerPrizeforFiction.TheprotagonistSethehasrunawayfromslaveryandisseekingrefugeinOhio.Whentheslavemasterssearchforher,shekillsherbabygirlinordertosaveherfromtheslaveryshehasjustescaped.However,theghostofthebaby“Beloved”,anamewrittenonhertombstone,comesbacktohaunther.InJazz(1992),Joe,theunfaithfulhusbandofViolet,killsagirlhelovessomuchinafitofpassion.Thefragmentednarrativegraduallyunfolds,showinghowandwhythisHarlem,NewYorktragedyhappened.InParadise(1998),whichmovesfreelybetweeneras,theauthorexploresthefoundingofRuby,atinyall-blackfarmingcommunityinOklahoma,anditsancestralfeudsandfinancialquarrels.ThisnovelwasfollowedbyLove(2003),AMercy(2008)andHome(2012).Inadditiontohernovels,Morrisonhasalsowrittenshortfiction,playsandnon-fiction.PlayingintheDark:WhitenessandtheLiteraryImagination(1992)isacollectionofliterarycriticism.Morrison’snovelsaremostlysetinblackcommunitiesinthethirtiesorforties,buttheydonotmerelytellstoriesaboutaparticularcommunityduringaparticularperiod.Morrisondoesfarmorethanjusttellgoodstories.Whentalkingaboutthenovel,shesays,“Itshouldbebeautiful,andpowerful,butitshouldalsowork.Itshouldhavesomethinginitthatenlightens;somethinginitthatopensthedoorandpointstheway;somethinginitthatsuggestswhattheconflictsare,whattheproblemsare.Butitneednotsolvethoseproblemsbecauseitisnotacasestudy,itisnotarecipe....IfanythingIdo,inthewayofwritingnovels(orwhateverIwrite),isn’taboutthevillageorthecommunityoraboutyou,thenitisnotaboutanything.Iamnotinterestedinindulgingmyselfinsomeprivate,closedexerciseofmyimaginationthatfulfillsonlytheobligationofmypersonaldreams—whichistosayyes,theworkmustbepolitical....Itseemstomethatthebestartispoliticalandyououghttobeabletomakeitunquestionablypoliticalandirrevocablybeautifulatthesametime.”(“Rootedness:TheAncestorasFoundation”)TheNobelPrizecitationpointsout,“Inherdepictionsoftheworldoftheblackpeople,inlifeasinlegend,ToniMorrisonhasgiventheAfro-Americanpeopletheirhistoryback,piecebypiece.”Yet,atthesametime,herworkisalwayssymbolicofthesharedhumanco