Teaching Empathy: Toni Morrison's Prophetic Voice on the Intersection of Race and Gender in Song of Solomon

Identifier

188

Author

Chelsea Tait Lucas

Date

2021

Document Type

Honors Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Major

English

Concentration

African American Literature

Committee Member

Ladrica Menson-Furr

Committee Member

Terrence Tucker

Abstract

In a deeply fractured society built upon inequality, empathetic engagement is the antidote to the illness of White patriarchy. In Song of Solomon, Toni Morrison offers an exploration of that path to healing. Through the life of Milkman Dead, the novel's protagonist, and the men and women who populate his story, Morrison uncovers what it means to be a Black man and a Black woman in a society that privileges Whiteness and maleness. This paper documents the ways in which Black masculinity, womanism, and empathy shape this journey of identity-seeking. It is only in understanding these experiences empathetically that we may begin to appropriately address the racial and gendered issues of today's America.

Comments

Undergraduate Honor's Thesis

Library Comment

Honors thesis originally submitted to the Local University of Memphis Honor’s Thesis Repository.

Recommended Citation

Lucas, Chelsea Tait, "Teaching Empathy: Toni Morrison's Prophetic Voice on the Intersection of Race and Gender in Song of Solomon" (2021). Honors Theses. 120.
https://digitalcommons.memphis.edu/honors_theses/120