Tar Baby (Masterplots II: African American Literature Series)
At a glance:
- Author: Toni Morrison
- First Published: 1981
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Social criticism
- Time of Work: The late 1970’s
- Setting: The Caribbean, New York City, Florida
- Principal Characters: Jadine Childs, William Green (Son), Valerian Street, Margaret Street, Sydney Childs, Ondine Childs, Gideon (Yardman), Thérèse, Alma Estée
- Genres: Long fiction, Social realism
- Subjects: African Americans, 1970’s, New York, North America or North Americans, Northeast, U.S., United States or Americans, Africa or Africans, Caribbean, Class conflict, Racism, Blacks, Slavery or slaves, New York City, Interracial relationships, Servants, Models, fashion
- Locales: Caribbean, New York, NY, Florida, Isle de Chevaliers, Caribbean
The Novel
Tar Baby traces the quest for self-identity of Jadine Childs, the protagonist. Jadine does not seem to have rebelled against the constructs of the white society in which she is enmeshed; in fact, she has accepted and embraced the white culture without question. Because she was orphaned at the age of twelve, a break with her African American heritage occurred. Ondine and Sydney, the aunt and uncle who assumed responsibility for the orphan, unwittingly enlarged this gap by sending her to exclusive private schools and later to the Sorbonne. The adult Jadine feels...
[The entire page is 3157 words long]
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