A Mercy by Toni Morrison - Essay Example

The main character in A Mercy is a young slave girl named Florens.  Through her most of the lessons of the novel are revealed.  However, her character is juxtaposed by her mistress Rebekkah who is also enslaved in her own way; as is a Native American woman named Lina.  Each woman faces her own form of enslavement at the hands of male oppressors and each response to that oppression in her own way. 

            Florens was the product of rape, as were many slaves.  A female slave was the property of her masters; that ownership entitled him not only to her work as a laborer but as a body to be used at his discretion.  Florens has been abandoned by her mother who feels anger and memory of her victimization when she looks at her child.  Because of this, Florens looks to the women around her to fill this void.  Floren's journey reflects the victimization of the slaves who had no opportunity as long as they remained in bondage.  However, unlike many characters in Morrison's novels, Florens is able to free herself from her strains (Morrison 189).  

            Rebekkah is the wife of a blacksmith and the mistress of slaves.  Unlike many female slaveholders, Rebekkah is a compassionate woman.  She feels a sense of caring for those around her, including the enslaved Florens which is based on her religious beliefs.  As a woman, Rebekkah does not have much of a voice.  She is not allowed to voice dissidence against her husband, even when the choices he makes are unethical or inhuman.   The one person who she believes will listen to her is God and thus she spends much time in prayer (Morrison 77).  After the husband dies, the Mistress takes on the position of masculinity among the women in her care.  This turns her to acts of cruelty, whether intentional or not.  For example, she does not let the slaves sleep outdoors in hammocks because it is only animals that sleep without shelter (Morrison 187).    

            The third racial group expressed in A Mercy is exemplified by the Native American girl Lina.  This character is a resourceful individual who tries to make the best of bad situations.  She is the one who finds ways to protect others from mosquitoes and other harmful parts of the natural world.  Because of her racial designation, Lina is treated as the worst of the three women in the book.  She is not allowed in the Christian church, but Mistress still insists she accompanies her.  She is beaten and slapped.  For working under the supervision of a white couple and associating socially with slaves, Lina has become ostracized.  She doesn’t fit in with the African slaves, nor can she hope to relate to the wealthier whites (Morrison 187).  Lina serves as a symbol for all the Native Americans who were forced from their lands and made to fit into newly-formed molds. 

            In A Mercy, Toni Morrison tells the story of three women, all from different racial backgrounds.  She allows the reader to meet each character and formulate their own opinions of these creations.  All women are enslaved in this novel; some are more obvious than others. The Africans are of course enslaved by the institution of slavery.  However, white women and Native Americans are just as oppressed as darker-skinned people.