Toni Morrison is an African American novelist, editor, and professor who has been awarded with the Nobel Prize for Literature, Pulitzer Prize, and a variety of honorary degrees for her works. Her best-known novels are The Bluest Eye, Song of Solomon, and Beloved. She is an author that focuses on the lives of African American characters that face trans-generational traumas associated with slavery, love, and familial relationships. She has the gift of creating African American characters that are all searching for something and while you read, you are taken on that journey as well, realizing a little something about yourself and the society around you.
When you pick up a Toni Morrison novel, you need to be prepared to think. Morrison has a way of taking a simple plot and complicating it to the point where you’re not sure what you originally thought still stands true. Complicated plots may be a turn off, but Morrison captivates your attention with her use of oral culture, multi-vocals, and folklore. The reason why some of her novels seem to go around in circles is because she infuses oral culture into her writing. Before history was written down, it was passed down orally from generation to generation. When a speaker is talking, it is up to them where they want to start the story- in the beginning, middle, or end. Think about when you tell a story. You might start at the end and then backtrack to explain how it happened, or you might start at a different point. Morrison does the same thing with her novels. Oral culture is not always linear, but it is fulfilled as long as the story is told.
In her debut novel, The Bluest Eye, Morrison tells the story though multiple narrators. The community tells the story of what happens to the protagonist, Pecola Breedlove, and through that, the reader learns about Pecola Breedlove through different viewpoints, giving the reader a more complete view of whom Pecola Breedlove really is and the tragedy that fell upon her. By giving a panoramic view of her main character, Morrison is able to dive into Pecola’s depth and development without her even having to tell her whole story. In addition, readers will have a stronger connection with the protagonist. A big pet peeve of mine is when a protagonist just seems to be used as a vessel to move the story along. Even though some of her characters may not be “present,” they don’t come off as empty shells.
Many of Morrison’s novels have pieces of folklore that bring a deeper meaning to the story. In her novel, Song of Solomon, she refers to the folktale of Africans with the innate ability to fly. When she places this in her novel, she parallels it with the current plot and gives readers the opportunity to have their own interpretation of the novel. It is when you’re given the chance to come to your own conclusion about a book where you really get something for it. When reading through her novels, you’re given the wonderful opportunity to find something out about yourself in the process.