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Questions tagged [toni-morrison]

Questions about the American novelist and academic Toni Morrison (born 1931) and her works. Morrison's novels include The Bluest Eye (1970), Song of Solomon (1977) and Beloved (1987).

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Paul D's prison and escape in Toni Morrison's Beloved

I'm reading Toni Morrison's novel Beloved. Chapter 10 talks of Paul D's time as a black slave imprisoned for the attempted murder of his new "owner" as well as his subsequent escape along ...
user392289's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
3k views

Why did Halle have butter all over his face?

In Toni Morrison's novel Beloved, Sethe's husband Halle never came back to Baby Suggs' house after planning to run away from Sweet Home. After Paul D arrives, he later blurts out to Sethe of what he ...
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4 votes
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113 views

Why does the first chapter of Toni Morrison's "Playing in the Dark" open with this Eliot verse in Black Matters?

As an epigraph a T. S. Eliot verse appears at the beginning of Toni Morrison's Playing in the Dark: Whiteness and the Literary Imagination: I am moved by fancies that are curled Around these images, ...
Eddie Kal's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
183 views

Where and to whom did Toni Morrison give this speech?

Afua Hirsch in her book, Brit(ish) writes that Toni Morrison gave a speech in 1975 saying: 'It's important to know ... the very serious distraction of racism, which is distraction. It keeps you ...
Mozibur Ullah's user avatar
4 votes
2 answers
13k views

What does the phrase "If you surrendered to the air, you could ride it" mean?

I find the final passage of Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon to be a bit confusing. As fleet and bright as a lodestar, he wheeled towards Guitar and it did not matter which one of them would give up ...
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4 votes
0 answers
2k views

Did Ruth sleep with her father?

I'm reading Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon, and I'm also confused by this question. Macon, Ruth's husband, claims that Ruth had sex with her dead father: “In the bed,” he said, and stopped for so ...
Hello World's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
4k views

Why does Ruth breastfeed Milkman, and why is this considered scandelous?

I'm reading Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison for a class, and I'm confused by this. An important part of Milkman's life story is that his mother (Ruth) breastfed him later than normal. It's how he got ...
Hello World's user avatar
4 votes
0 answers
155 views

What makes L unique in "Love," and what is her significance?

Toni Morrison's Love is narrated by L, who lives on the beach, and seems to be the only person around who truly understood Bill Cosey. I pay attention and I know all about him. That kind of ...
Standback's user avatar
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5 votes
1 answer
202 views

Is there a "Romeo and Juliet / Romen and Junior" connection drawn in "Love"?

Two major characters in Toni Morrison's Love are local youth Romen and street-smart Junior, who carry on a love affair while both are employed at the Cosey household. In a 2003 review, Elaine ...
Standback's user avatar
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6 votes
0 answers
327 views

In "Love," who is Junior's "Good Man," and what does that imply about her?

Late in Toni Morrison's Love, Junior starts referring to her "Good Man": And her Good Man agreed. As she knew from the beginning, he liked to see her win. They recognized each other the ...
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