Asphalt child

Author: Morrison (USA)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-08-01
Features: This seemingly ordinary love story between black and white can be seen as a typical microcosm of contemporary American society. Although such cases are not widespread in real life, the underlying tensions of ethnicity, culture, and class it reveals are an enduring topic worthy of perpetual contemplation and reflection. Toni Morrison profoundly recognizes that African Americans in the United States have suffered two forms of enslavement: first, physical enslavement as they were forcibly brought to the Americas by whites to serve as slaves, and second, spiritual enslavement as whites tried to erase the ancient and authentic traditions of African Americans through their culture. Physical enslavement has long passed, leaving behind only the poverty and hardship of Southern African Americans and the pervasive racial discrimination. However, spiritual enslavement remains a growing scourge today, with its consequence being that some African Americans take pride in their improved material lives, fully accepting white values, and unknowingly abandoning the outstanding traditions of their own nation.