PARADISE OR WAR: WOMANHOOD IN TONI MORRISON’S PARADISE

Abstract

Toni Morrison’s novel Paradise completes her acclaimed trilogy, which traces the experiences of African-Americans through significant historical times. The novel documents the attempts of a community to lay the foundations of paradise on earth in a small all-black American town. They perceive a threat to this utopia in the face of the women residing in the Convent on the outskirts of the town. Amidst the interpersonal relationships and conflicts, violence erupts, reshaping values and ideas. The aim of the present paper is to analyze the topic of womanhood, taking into account the development of women’s lives, families and the world that surrounds them in and out of the Convent. Recurring themes in Toni Morrison’s works – such as love, history and community – are examined in the context of womanhood.