The African American Experience: Race and racism in the literary creations of Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye (1970), Sula (1973), and Beloved (1987)

Abstract

This thesis examines how the literary characters in Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye (1970), Sula (1973), and Beloved (1987) are inflicted by racial discrimination. The novels depict a society that promotes white privilege, creating an isolating environment for African American characters as they consequently suffer from internal and external racism. This thesis will examine how Morrison utilizes essential aspects of race and racism through the novels as they illustrate the oppression of African Americans within a dominant white culture. The aim is to determine how Morrison uses literary arts to communicate to her readers about the legacy of slavery in contemporary America through the exploration of the selected novels.