Analysis of Tar Baby by Morrison Toni - Book Report/Review Example

Tar Baby is one of Toni Morrison's most anomalous; although it includes Morrison's trademark qualities i.e. grand thematic ambitions, as well as a preoccupation along with black women’s lives explored in luxurious, sensuous prose resulting in instances of breathtaking lyricism. According to observers, this novel has somewhat schematic characterizations, occasionally invasive, essayistic narrative voice; as well as puzzling conclusion, thereby leaving the central love story unsettled (Morrison 12). The story hinges considerably on the customary family Christmas dinner that Margaret is highly looking forward to; however, no one arrives at the dinner, not even Michael, who is the Streets only child, or the other guests. As a result, the dinner becomes explosive following Son’s questioning Valerian's firing of Gideon, as well as Therese, who happen to be the island’s natives working at the house; Son simply knows them as "Yardman", along with one of the "Marys." Subsequent to Valerian sacking Son for confronting his proprietary rights, she then discloses that she observed Margaret abuse Michael while he was a baby. The eruption sends Son, together with Jadine to retreat, initially to her room and later to New York. However, the stir of this domestic storm brings a modest, as well as more reasonable recalibration within the power relations amongst Valerian and his wife, as well as between the Streets and the Childs (Morrison 25). Nonetheless, subsequent to the Christmas dinner, the novel turns out to be mainly the story of Jadine, along with Son's relationship. Morrison delves into the thematic oppositions through them, thereby setting up between white and black culture, country and city, North and South, as well as civilization and nature. Firstly, their romance feigns fairy tale qualities, however, personal, along with cultural distinctions quickly set hurdles to the relationship. Jadine feels more cosmopolitan at home in New York, although Son contends they make a comprehensive visit to Eloe, his hometown within northern Florida, an area he perceives as being the best within the world. On the other hand, Jadine finds Eloe as being “Paleolithic" with the people "Neanderthal," and irked by disturbing dreams, along with a sensation of feminine inadequacy, thereby cutting short her stay and flying back to New York (Morrison 45). Following Son’s returns, he together with Jadine end up fighting over Eloe, their future, white people, as well as what it denotes to be black. At some point, their relationship reaches the breaking point with Son accusing Jadine of behaving like a tar baby i.e. a device of Valerian's making, a turncoat to her race, and an ensnare laid for emasculating authentically black men such as him. Possibly due to Son's accusation, a number of readers interpret the novel as a virtual fable whereby Jadine, who happens to be a cultural orphan, is under deception by the lures of Western civilization, and should reconnect with her African-American heredity, while Son signifies the genuine blackness missing from Jadine's experience. Privileging a single character, along with the values he or she exemplifies appears to be an interpretive entraps Morrison has set, by so doing the effect reifies the same oppositions the novel constantly seeks in dismantling. Although the status, of Jadine as cultural orphan acts as a cautionary tale concerning the price of incorporating completely into the white American majority, Son himself tussling in overcoming the romantic perspective of rural black life, which he personifies (Morrison 73). As the story unfolds, the reader gets introduced to Son, who is not just a sailor, but also a black man, standing on the level of a ship. Suddenly, he jumps into the water while attempting to swim towards the shore; however, he gets carried by the strong currents. He notices a small craft and goes ahead to climb aboard it. Whilst crossing the deck, he heeds to music from beneath smelling cooked food. He takes cover in a dark clandestine and ends up falling asleep; later he wakes up when he heeds the voice of a woman and pays attention to a section of her conversation along with another woman. He comprehends that he happens to be the only man aboard the boat while getting reassured by the fact. However, the light coming from the passage gives him the opportunity of exploring the closet whereby he finds oranges that are eatable. Upon the boat’s arrival at the shore, the women leave and Son gets out of the clandestine while moving beneath to the galley. There, he comes across something to eat within the refrigerator; he eats, drinks, and then goes back unto the deck thereby continuing to gaze at the stars, as well as the moon (Morrison 81). There is a gap between belief and realism through the highlighting of Son’s immediate adventure along with the obstinate current of the sea, whereby his safety is under threat. “He” happens to be the key characters within the novel having a number of names in his life; however, the reader comes to recognize him as “Son”. Son’s attempt at jumping off the ship tends to be an escape of some type, although the reader is unsure of what he is trying to escape. Son happens to be running away from something he needs to be freed from; his wish is to swim to an abandoned pier although he does not desire to be noticed from the shore. Therefore, the reader continues wondering about his identity, as well as a cloud of anonymity surrounding Son, who appears to swim extremely well (Morrison 88). Whilst swimming, he gets unexpectedly sucked to a whirlpool, along with the passage, which depicts his struggle along with the current exposes excellent imagination of Morrison. She personifies the current as being a woman tightening her “bracelet” all round his ankles; having a “wet throat” with the hand of an adamant woman. Eventually, the hand forces him afar from the shore, afar from his preceding target. His experience with these watery women presages his consequent meeting with Jadine, falls in love with her, as well as the manner in which she alters the way of his life. The style of Toni Morrison tends to be extremely sinuous in this case. It is just when the water-lady takes off her hand that he is capable of climbing over a minor craft. This is a sign that he is a talented liar has a perception that the sex, weight, as well as the conduct of whomever he came across was capable of informing, while, at the same time, determining his tale. Later on, the reader learns that the voice Son heard was Jadine's voice whilst dozing, which happens to be distinctive from the inviting voice present in his dreams. Afterwards, he ends up falling in love with Jadine, yet she fails in managing in the replacement of the dream he has about a warm, provoking woman at the entrance of a friendly-appearing house. A different sense of loneliness ends up surrounding him here while settling with him up to the ending of the book. The banter overheard by Son present the reader with an insight to the character of the two women engaged; whereas one asserts that she is never forlorn, the other conveys her envy. The reader’s curiosity gets naturally aroused concerning these women going about within a boat throughout the night (Morrison 93). The preface concludes with these three people reaching the shoreline of the island, which happens to be three hundred years old, and gets credit for striking slaves blind immediately they saw it. However, the key action of the novel occurs on this island within the Caribbean while there is a brief introduction of the three characters in the prologue followed by vivid description later. Toni Morrison is successful in developing a level of anxiety by slightly alluding to the fascinating traits of these characters, as well as their environment, devoid of giving certain details. Although this might be frustrating to a number of readers, the conclusion of the novel, which is open-ended, finds Son back on Isle des Chevaliers pursuing Jadine, who has just come back from Paris, thereby remaining faithful to Morrison's vision all through the novel. While the characters have turned out to be aware of their need for escaping their own ideological entraps, as well as cultural deficiencies, it continues to be uncertainly regarding their success in doing so (Morrison 101). Eventually, Tar Baby ends then not with the declaration of the central romance, instead with the characters already in confronting the contradictions laid bare by the romance. Work Cited: Morrison, Toni. Tar baby. New York: Vintage International, 2004. Read More