Construction of Female Identity in The Neo-Slave Narrative: A Comparative Study of Toni Morrison’s Beloved and a Mercy.

Abstract

The focus of the study is to explore the construction of female identity in Toni Morrison’s neo-slave narratives, Beloved and A Mercy. Identity refers to traits and characteristics, social relations, roles and social group memberships that define who one is. Identity can be developed through the collection of features that apply to our inner and outer selves, such as skin colour, gender, profession, sexual preferences, religion, language, etc. The combination of these features then distinguishes one person from the other or a group of people from another group. The identity of the Black female was built on racial and gender stereotypes especially during the era of neo-slave narratives. The interlocking factors of race and gender that oppressed the lives of Black women in America prompted female writers like Toni Morrison to provide a self-defining voice and a collective perspective of the Black woman and her womanhood. Through her literary works, Morrison questions Black women’s stereotypical representations in dominant discourses. Toni Morrison develops her characters based on the history of slavery and illuminates the limiting constructs of race and gender. Through the lens of Black feminism theory, the study presents a discussion on the construction of female identity in the two neo-slave narratives. The study comes to the conclusion that female identity in Beloved and A Mercy is constructed through metaphors, rememory, naming and renaming, and female solidarity.