Toni Morrison’s novels explore issues of African American female identity in stories
that bring together elements of oral tradition, unique literary techniques, and the
supernatural to give voice to the experiences of black women living on the margins
of the American society. A Nobel Laureate and a bestselling African American female
author, Morrison is an inspiration for several other black women novelists who are trying
to make their mark in the mainstream publishing industry. Although Morrison’s stories are
deeply embedded in the African cultural heritage and engage in the complex examination
of problems within the African American community, power dynamics of gender, and
issues of racism, her primary interest lies with the experiences of African American
women, whose quest for individual identity is integrally intertwined with their sense of community and cultural history. In fact, at times, the dominant tropes of oppression like
class, race, colonialism, and slavery seem to be the metaphorical representation of the
oppression of women (Pathak 2007, 104)
Grewal (1998, 80) expresses that Morrison’s overarching thematic concern throughout
her oeuvre is with issues of African American identity in the contemporary world: “African
Americans must negotiate a place for themselves within a dominant culture; how they
situate themselves with respect to their own history and culture is a pervasive theme of
Morrison’s novels.” Song of Solomon (Morrison 1977) is one such mythical novel relating
the story of Macon “Milkman” Dead, who is born in the North but journeys to the South
in search of familial roots and personal identity. He discovers that he is a descendant of
Solomon, a well-known figure among a mythical West African tribe whose members can
fly. According to the myth, this talent of flight was mainly used by the enslaved Africans
taken forcibly to America, in order to escape their bondage and fly back to their homeland.
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